What Camera Shall I Buy?
One of the most asked questions I get from friends and family whom are not photographers is “What Camera Shall I Buy?”.
I always tend to respond with my own questions…
- What will you be shooting?
- What’s your budget?
- Are you considering accessories and lenses?
- Are you looking to become professional?
- Are you likely to be travelling?
My questions are usually in this order and there are reasons for each question…
Photography is an expensive hobby/profession and you can easily spend a lot of money. A lot of people assume a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) will produce the better images and some beginners do assume bigger is better.
Through my experience I have found this is not always the case.
I could write up a lengthy post on what to buy and why per budget bracket and genre for photography. However, Tony Northrup has actually written up an extensive guide on how to choose a camera, lens, and accessories. I personally have not read this particular book, however I have read and reviewed Stunning Digital Photography over at SLR Lounge and have faith that Tony Northrup will provide you with greater insight on how to choose the best gear for you.
However, for this post I will simply state what I would personally purchase as a starter camera for what I would regard as a decent beginner budget.
My camera of choice for under £500 is…
The Sony A6000
Sony A6000 with 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 Kit Lens – £499.00
This small interchangeable lens camera has an APS-C sized sensor which has a crop factor of 1.5x. This is the same size sensor most commonly found in consumer end DSLR’s and it’s also slightly larger than the Canon consumer end APS-C Cameras as their sensors have a crop factor of 1.6x. The AF system is superior to that found in most consumer-end DSLR’s as this tiny camera has 179 Phase Detection focus points as opposed to something like the Nikon D5500 which only has 39. The Sony lens selection is also growing ever since their full frame line has taken off in a big way, so not only can it support its native E-Mount lenses, the full-frame FE Mount lenses can also be mounted onto this body. It also has a multipurpose hotshoe for various accessories, most importantly external flashes for if you ever wanted to dabble in flash photography.
YouTube Reviews:
Alternatives
Choosing a camera is a personal thing as some may not fit your hands, you might not enjoy its functionality, or you simple don’t like the aesthetic of the camera itself.
My above choice is what I personally would buy with my own money if I had nothing to start with and a £500 budget.
However, if the Sony A6000 doesn’t tickle your fancy, check out the following cameras as good alternatives.
- Panasonic GF7 – £314.99
- Sony RX100 MK2 – £439.95
- Nikon D5300 – £434.00
Disclaimer
My above choices are based off of Amazon pricing and come with their available kit lenses. There are alternative online stores for you to make your purchases where the camera bodies may be a little cheaper, however I chose for this blogpost to stick with Amazon as I am a part of their affiliate program.
The links provided should navigate you to the authorised dealer via Amazon and therefore should include UK Warranty. No responsibility is accepted if this is not the case, so please do contact the seller beforehand to confirm.