What camera to buy according to your needs?
Content
Hobies / travel
Initiation to photography
Advanced initiation
Your first fullframe
Professional world
There are many opinions on these types of questions. There will be those who will tell you that the best camera you should buy to start in photography is the Sony A7S III and that you must pay between 3,000 and 4,000 euros to have it.
But, in reality there is no one best camera, there are actually many better cameras. Because this is based on the needs of each photographer.
Although one of the best cameras on the market now, for example the aforementioned Sony A7S III, surely that camera does not suit a photographer who is starting in the world of photography.
The reality is that when someone starts in photography, they do not need or look for the options that a camera like this has. Because what you really need is easy things to learn.
Also, that it is a mistake to start with an ultra professional camera. It is advisable to have sufficient knowledge of photography and take the leap into the professional world.
In this way you avoid making a mistake in choosing your camera and not making the most of your knowledge.
Next we will show you a guide, so you can see which are the best cameras divided into 5 categories. Since to choose your first camera, the most important thing is to know what you need and not what the camera itself can do.
So you should ask yourself two things:
What I want to do?
What do I want to achieve with this camera?
Now, the categories into which we are going to divide it are the following:
Hobbies / Travel
Initiation to photography
Advanced initiation
Your first fullframe
Professional world
Hobbies / Travel
There are many people who do not want a camera to learn photography or the one that takes the best photos. If not, there is a large public that only wants to have a great good camera, but designed for travel photography, photographs of family events, etc.
These types of people do not seek to understand photography, or take photos manually. They are only looking for an acceptable quality of photography and to have a camera specifically to store all their memories there and obtain better quality than that of a mobile.
In this category there are two cameras that are more than perfect. The first is the Olympus OMDE M10 Mark III, which is a good camera, which takes good quality photos and videos, but you are not interested in entering the world of photography nor do you want to spend a lot of money.
This camera stands out a lot for being 4K, it has manual modes, it has 16 MP and a fairly good ISO of 6400, with which you can take photos during your trips even at night and with good quality.
Many photographers love it, because its design is very attractive and vintage. But it is still a Mirror LED camera, that is, it is a modern camera and that vintage look makes it beautiful.
Its size is small and weighs very little, which makes it an ideal camera for travel, because you can carry it in a backpack without any problem.
One of the strengths of this camera is that it has a viewfinder to enjoy photography much more and to learn a little more about framing and very basic things that every beginner will know when he begins.
The negative point of this camera is that it has a micro four-thirds sensor. This means that when you mount the lens it will always have a Zoom.
Let's say that you cut the image a lot and perhaps for certain trips you will have a Zoom applied at all times, for which you will have to go very far and thus achieve a portrait photo.
The price is running between 450-540 euros, which is very good for the quality that this camera offers.
Another option is the Sony Alpha 5000. This is very similar to the Olympus, they have a very similar quality. As for the video, its quality is brutal. Only it doesn't have 4K.
However, many prefer it for the high quality 1080 over a 4K that in the end is only resolution. Of course, it has all the manual modes, it has a larger APSC sensor than the Olympus, it has 20 MP and the ISO goes up to 16,000. So at night you will have a lot of quality in photography and video.
One of its strengths is that you have the quality of an SLR camera, it is a large pocket camera, and it has the same sensor as SLR cameras such as Nikon and Canon, which are more advanced in initiation to photography. Only you have it in a reduced size.
It is with interchangeable optics, so you can put an optics with a greater Zoom and others, with a folding screen, that is, it is ideal for traveling.
The disadvantages of this camera is that it does not look as nice as the Olympus, it does not have a viewfinder, it is not as photographic. But in the end, the quality pays off being able to use it. Its price is around 550 euros with the Kit lens.
Initiation to photography
This is one of the categories with the most demand, because here you buy with the idea of learning photography. Here you are looking to learn about aperture, ISO, shutter speed, etc. So you need higher quality and these manual aspects.
There is no better camera in this range than the Nikon D3500, it is brutal, both for photos and videos. Sure, it is true that SLR cameras do not stand out much in video, but they do stand out a lot in photography. So it would be more thought for it.
It has an APSC sensor, which is the standard sensor in all the beginner and advanced ranges, it has 24 MP, a fairly high ISO of 25,600. This allows you to take high quality photos in different situations.
Professional photographers consider it perfect because it comes with shortcuts and very simple menus. It is a guide mode that is perfect for when you are starting out, as the camera helps you take even the type of photo, which makes learning much easier.
Although it is a camera for initiation to photography, it can also be said that it has the speed and quality of a more advanced camera.
As a disadvantage it can be said that it is an SLR, and today they are lagging behind. Since the mirror LEDs are displacing them, because the SLRs are bigger, slower and louder.
This camera is cheaper than the previous range, as it is about 400 euros. But it is a model that is designed to control shortcuts and other aspects such as the diaphragm that we have already mentioned.
Advanced initiation
This category is aimed at those who have already gone through the previous category and already have knowledge of framing, measurements of the scene, how to control the light.
This category stands out a lot on the subject of video, features such as folding screens and other more advanced functions.
The best cameras here are the Nikon 5600 or its equivalent in Canon which would be the 710. They are very similar cameras, they are among the bestsellers within Nikon and Canon in people who are just starting out or those who already have experience in the world of photography and video.
In these two cameras, the video stands out much more, they are still good for photography. But the video takes a bigger leap in terms of frame, definition and better focus.
They have all manual modes, it has 24.7 MP, the sensor is still APSC and the ISO is around 25,600.
It differs physically, as it has other features such as direct access buttons to avoid having to enter the menu, rotating screens, etc.
Its disadvantage would be the price, as there are better options. They are still SLR, there are already LED mirror cameras that are at the same price and are much more modern and more advanced. This range of cameras is usually around 530 euros with its respective kit.
Another brand that is Sony is the Alpha 6400, which is priced at a higher price of between 700-800 euros. This is a better option than the Nikon or Canon, as they are LED mirror cameras, they are much faster in focus, of better quality and above all they stand out in terms of video.
Since the 6000 series already has 4K video, the sensor remains the same, it has 42 MP. So the resolution is much higher, and the ISO is 32,000 with the option to expand it to 100,000.
They are small and fast to work, more modern, better quality, faster focusing, it is very versatile and with a quality already at a professional level.
The only point against this camera is that it is much more complex to learn, because the Sony and mirror LED menus are much more complicated, due to their infinite functions, with more configurable parameters. What makes it very necessary to have a solid knowledge of photography.
Fullframe camera
This camera has a professional sensor where the quality shows that it is PRO level. These are professional cameras, but when you are starting the PRO level.
In this category we can mention the Nikon 750 and the Canon 6D Mark II. Both cameras exceed 1,300 euros just the body, because here it only sells the body and does not come with the lens, because professional cameras are sold separately.
Both cameras are very similar, we cannot say that one is better than the other. So it is a matter of preferences and tastes for brands.
They are ideal cameras to make the leap to being your first fullframe, they are one of the most economical around the outstanding quality they have.
The video improves a lot, although they do not have 4K, if they have a full HD that reaches 60 frames and in frames per second that allows you to make good slow cameras.
It has all manual modes, fullframe sensor, 24.3 MP and an ISO of 51,200 without forcing. In terms of ergonomics and the grip have been greatly improved, it has flip-down screen functions for the video theme.
It comes with shortcuts, so you don't have to enter the menu, with a more than professional quality, especially in the video, which is where it is most noticeable.
The negative point that it has is in terms of reflex, and they weigh a lot. So in a job like events or weddings, it can be very tiring. Especially if you use very large lenses, they are very slow. Which is a problem for SLR cameras in the professional world.
Although it has good video, the focus is manual, as SLR video leaves a lot to be desired. The focus cannot be used at all in automatic, it has a lot of quality, but in functions such as tracks and focuses they are useless.
The professional sector
These are the best cameras in general, which are versatile and can be useful for both photo and video.
The Sony A73 has taken several awards as the best camera for several years in a row, despite the fact that Sony cameras such as the A7R3, the S3 (best for photos) keep coming out.
But this one continues to receive awards because it is the most versatile and the one that continues to be used for everything, the most used, with the highest quality, with more benefits and the best on the market.
This camera is great for photo and video, but they have video potential that is unbeatable. It has a perfect full HD with sensors and automatic focus tracking that does not fail, it has up to 120 frames to make slow cameras in full HD.
It has a completely real 4K not rescaled and with an almost cinema quality, it has all manual modes, this range is fullframe in Sony, it has 24 MP that is more than enough for photos and for videos, it has an ISO of 204,000 with unbeatable quality.
The noise that appears is not noise that hurts you and that on many occasions we can perfectly use that shot or that photograph.
The best thing about it is the design, how light, how fast and simple it is. What beats mirror LED to SLR. Well, SLR has a lot to improve in this regard, since mirror LED is sold more and more and is what is being used the most.
The best thing about this camera is the quality not only in photos but also in video, even more designed for video than photo, with very easy focus tracking. You just have to put the camera in, and you forget everything, something that you cannot do with an SLR, it is small to the point that it fits in your pocket and with cinema quality.
The disadvantage is their cost, as they are very expensive, the Sony brand is very expensive and its accessories too, the lenses are super expensive, and we can be talking about the most expensive brand on a professional level.
Only the body of the Sony A73 is currently around 2,300 euros, add to this a lens of a thousand and so many euros, you will realize that it is a camera that only few can buy.
Another camera would be the Canon R6 that has 4K up to 60 frames, it has bursts of photos up to 20 frames, which is incredible and competes with the 1DX, you have manual modes, the ISO is lower than Sony's A73 with 102 thousand ISO, with 20 MP, with all the professional aspects and functions of fullframe mirror LED.
This camera has everything good about an SLR. In this case at Canon, it has a quality and performance that directly competes with Canon's 5D Mark III SLR, but in a much smaller camera, faster, with more automatic focus, continuous, with tracking, which is much better at despite having smaller dimensions and being more versatile.
As for the disadvantages, we can say that they are very expensive cameras, but the accessories and lenses are less expensive than Sony's.
The body of the Canon R6 costs between 2300-2500 euros, which is very expensive, but it would be worth it if you need a professional top-level camera.