Have you ever goes to a local camera shop and look at all of their collection of camera. You spent one maybe two hours deciding which camera to buy, which lenses and blah blah blah. After all that long search you finally go home with empty hand because you are not sure yet.
Well I am here to help you find the right camera for your career or hobby. So stay with me for a few minutes and I can guarantee you, after all you read all this, you will know exactly what you want!
DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) Camera or The King of The Jungle
The camera that suits every need.. DSLR Camera is the camera that are being used by professional photographer or photojournalist. DSLR gone way back with all new improvement from film to digital.
Why DSLR? If you want to start a career in photography, I recommend you to go all the way to DSLR. The perk of using a DSLR Camera is the power to change lens. Example, today you need to shoot a model portrait. So you will use your 50mm lens and the next day you need to shoot from far distance for a wildlife photo shoot, you change your lens to a telephoto lens (200mm and up).
Durability also play a huge part in DSLR camera. New DSLR Camera tend to have what they call ‘Weather Proof’. Weather Proof protect your camera from all kind of situation in the field like rain, wind and so on.
Film making? No problem! DSLR camera got you cover! Most new DSLR camera now have video recording, not to mention that a lot of movie director and also Youtuber use DSLR camera as their main weapon.
For me personally I love DSLR camera. I’ve been on a lot of photo shoot and short film shooting and I always use DSLR. What they lack is their huge size and sometime heavy.
My DSLR Recommendation: Nikon D3300 or Canon EOS Rebel T5i is for a beginner who want to get into DSLR. Both are pretty affordable and not as expensive as the other.
Is DSLR camera too heavy for you? Well let’s go to the next shall we?
Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras or The Rising Star
The rising star.. Mirrorless camera hit the camera market hard and everyone starting to buy one, even professional photographer. As they have the power of DSLR camera and compact size. Mirrorless camera let the user to use Auto, semi Automatic, Manual and Program mode just like DSLR Camera.
A lot of blog writer use this camera as they normal in size and easy to bring anywhere. Food blogger love Mirrorless camera. Mirrorless camera also have a very unique design that really catch our eyes.
Mirrorless Camera can also change lens but with normaler sensor size thus differentiate their lens and DSLR lens. Now days we can use DSLR lens on Mirrorless camera with a specific adaptor for each model.
The normal size of this type of camera is because they don’t have optical viewfinder like DSLR have, thus making their size much more like a compact camera.
Optical viewfinders found in DSLR cameras use a system of mirrors and pentaprism to allow you to view the scene that will be photographed. Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras do not have a mirror system. They have a electronic viewfinder instead.
Mirrorless also have a larger viewfinder than a compact cameras but normaler than DSLR Cameras.
However, the new Sony A7 have caught my eyes with their low noise in high iso setting. Sony currently hold the Mirrorless market with their superb camera power.
My recommendation: Olympus E-PL 5 or Nikon 1 J4 for your mirrorless starter. But if you feel confident, you can also choose Sony A7 my personal favorite.
Trying to find something more compact? Well let’s move to the next one.
Compact Digital Camera or Point and Shoot Camera
Look at your subject and press the shutter. Compact Camera is a normal digital camera that your family probably already own but forget where they put it.
Compact Camera is very reliable in a lot of family situation. My dad love Compact Camera because of their normal size and easy to use. While most compact camera doesn’t have any manual setting, some have that features now like the Panasonic ZS100 which have a long zoom and manual control.
Some professional photographer also carry a compact camera for back up so they won’t miss the golden moment when they shoot
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Compact Camera are design for those who want to shoot casually for family trip, gathering and family photo. Personally, I use compact camera as a back up and it comes in a when there’s something wrong with my camera so I rarely use my compact camera
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My recommendation: Canon PowerShot ELPH 520 for casual use or Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 for more control.
Too compact for you? Don’t worry! I’ve got your back.
Bridge Compact Digital Cameras or The Fusion of DSLR and Compact
Fusion Ha! Bridge Digital Camera is what happen when a DSLR make love to a Compact Camera. It have the sleek design of DSLR and control while the compact of a Compact Camera.
Bridge Digital Camera is one step on top than a Compact Camera. More control on camera exposure and you can also go fully manual on this camera.
Also equipped with larger and longer zoom, the Bridge Camera can toppled the compact camera easily. Like the compact camera, the lens on Bridge camera cannot be change. Sux isn’t it? But all of that are paid by their long 40x zoom.
Bridge camera is good for photographer who want’s more control for their camera that they don’t get from compact camera but normaler than DSLR Camera.
Also, Bridge Camera will have normaler sensor and normaler lens compare to DSLR camera. Some have the body of a normaler DSLR camera and some have the body of a bigger compact camera.
My recommendation: Nikon COOLPIX P340 or the Panasonic FZ200
Well that’s all the type of Camera we have right now in the modern days! I hope that after reading this you’ll know which camera suit you the best. Thank you for reading and keep hunting (with you camera of course).
About the Author:Handoko Rama is a freelance photographer and cinematographer. Living in the island of paradise, Bali. Where everyday feels like holiday for him. Currently pursuing his dream job with Nat Geo and also reaching maximum level for his World of Warcraft Character.
portfolio: www.mibpictures.com
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