A Beginner's Guide to Buying a Camera (2022 Edition)
Want to get started with DSLR but don't know where to start? This guide will give you the essential elements to choose your first camera. With all the offers available in the DSLR market, it can be quite confusing to choose one. In addition, there are new "types" of devices that arrive as and when which creates even more confusion for the neophyte. In this guide, I will only talk about SLR-type cameras, and to start, a short explanation is necessary.
A DSLR is a camera with a "chamber" in its center like the Nikon D850, revealing a complex system with a mirror that reflects light back to a prism. And through the viewfinder (said optical viewfinder) we see the image returned by this famous prism. This way of aiming and framing your image defines what an SLR is. At the time of silver and film this system already existed, today the negative has been replaced by an electronic circuit called a sensor. It is he who will receive the light and create your image.
Still up for getting a DSLR? Let's go for the 5 tips.
1-Never rely on the number of megapixels.
This is one of the great selling points of manufacturers and in practice one of the most useless. The number of megapixels defines the resolution of your images, and therefore their size, whether digital or in print. Today's cameras like the Nikon D850 With Nikon 200-500mm f5.6E ED VR have a minimum of around 10-12 megapixels in resolution, which is more than enough for printing up to A3 size. And if you look at your images only on a screen, the common resolution is full HD or 1920×1080 pixels. A 12-megapixel sensor is 4288x2848 pixels, which is far superior. And even if we are gradually arriving at the generation of 4K screens (3840×2160 pixels), we still have more pixels than are needed for a full format display.
2-Does the brand of the camera matter?
No, no, and no. The brand has no influence on the quality of the photos or the device. All brands are now very good camera manufacturers. Of course, there are some that have more means and therefore offer more choice, but if you are looking to take beautiful photos, it will be your skills that will be put to the test and not the camera. I know “fan boys” who swear by certain brands (I won't name them), but we have to stop these spoiled antics. Everyone will choose their device based on ergonomics, design, and probably (most importantly) the accessories and lenses available from each manufacturer. If you practice photography just for fun, any camera will satisfy you. On the other hand, if you plan to develop a professional activity, it's a whole different story.
3-Do you like buttons and shortcuts?
A factor that can be decisive according to everyone. The more the device goes up in range (and therefore in price), the more buttons and knobs it has on the case, which allows easier and faster use. If you're just starting out, you probably won't make any difference between one device and another, so this factor will be negligible for you.
4-It is the lenses that create beautiful images.
All manufacturers have very good lenses, so when you choose your camera, you have 2 options: use the lens(s) supplied as a kit, or acquire a bare body and buy your lenses separately. To start, the kit lens will be enough, but you should know that the image quality comes mainly from the lenses that you put in front of your sensor. This is for me the most important point. So if I were you, I would take a Nikon D850 With Nikon AF-S 24-120 and add a lens of better quality than those sold as a kit.