Beginning Digital Photography: Which Camera to Buy?

I received many e-mails from people who asked me which camera I would recommend for a beginner photographer. People wish to know and make a wise decision in terms of which camera body they need to invest in. And I understand that. After all, photography is a very expensive hobby.

To be honest, I think it is hard to answer this question since it involves a very personal taste and choices. You have to consider what is the purpose having a camera. What is your dream of what you will be able to do with this camera?

What will you be photographing?
Are you looking for a family camera, so you can snap pictures of the kiddos and during your travels? Or are you looking for a camera to feature stunning photos on your blog or webshop? Will you make videos too? Are you going to shoot for landscapes, portraits, food, babies or weddings? Do you secretly dream about starting a little photography business? These questions are important to consider.

Which brand?
I´m not an expert in cameras or an expert in recommending which brands to choose (is it Nikon, Canon, Sony, and the list can go on.) But what I can share with you is my experience and the camera we use at my place. Maybe this can provide a little guidance in terms of helping you making a decision? 

My first camera
I started out shooting with Sony alpha (300a). I bought a starter kit with two lenses. At that time, I did not know anything about photography and even though I had Googled almost every camera available on the market and felt well prepared to make a purchase, I was easily convinced by the shop assistant that I should just grab their best offer for the day, which was the Sony alpha kit....(I´m so easy, too easy sometimes...chuckle.) Looking back, I know that at that time he was more interested in selling any camera as fast as he could. He just saw me as an incompetent housewife, regular lady, who did not have any clue. But, who can blame him? I wasn’t even able to figure out how to turn on the test camera, let alone taking of the lens hood…smile. To be honest, I was helpless despite my Google research. I just used one of the lenses from the kit for a few weeks while the other one was just collecting dust. Well, it is still just collecting dust today! (oh, that poor lens…)

Bring a photographer friend and stay away from the cheap lens-kit
My suggestion to avoid being in the position that I was in is to bring a friend who have a wealthy knowledge about photography. And, oh…don’t buy the lens kit! I think it is fair to say that the quality of those lenses is not the best…unless you buy the Canon 7D or 5D that comes with the 24-70mm L lens. L-lenses are top quality lenses and sometimes they are included in the kit. (Canon just released a brand new 24-70 mm L II today, by the way.)

Canon is my baby
So my photography journey started with a Sony DSLR. A year later I decided to say bye-bye Sony and helloooo Canon! It was not that I did not like Sony. It is a fabulous digital camera but I needed to upgrade my camera and since my knowledge of photography has been growing, I know that I wanted Canon. Now let´s take a look at the four different Canon cameras that I have and what I use them for.

Canon EOS 550D
Being a family of five with three teens, this is what I call the perfect teenager/family camera. This is the camera that I let the kids take on field trips, use for school assignments, take pictures on vacation, friends, and all that kind of stuff. It is easy to use, it is lightweight, and it is in the cheaper end of the digital camera family. As a photographer, I like my kids to have the opportunity to be creative and explore the world through the lens. I believe it is a very important part of their creative development. I personally take it with me on locations as a back-up camera, just in case I need it. The 550D is also the camera I would recommend to beginners including adults. If you have never had a DSLR before and just want a camera to snap the pictures of your kids and your vacation, this camera serves the purposes.

Canon EOS 60D
This is the new baby in our family. It was bought for video photography/self portraits capability, because the great thing about it is that the camera has a flip screen. This means that if I want to record a video for my blog or take a selfie, I can just turn the screen, sit in front of the camera and see myself as I look into the camera. This is a great help if you work alone and need to prepare and control all the details by yourself. I mainly bought it for my son who is 13 and a very dedicated video-photographer and skater. His biggest passion (and that is right after skating, of course) is to capture his friends doing their tricks. While he is recording, he has to skate too in order to follow the other skaters and make sure not to lose them out of sight. It all becomes much easier for him because he can just flip the screen and see what he records without tilting the camera. A video handle comes in handy here too. Of course the Canon 60D is not only for video, it also a great camera for beginners and advanced levels.

Canon EOS 7D
This is my mostly used camera until now. Similar to Canon 550D and Canon 60D, Canon 7D is a great camera for beginners and advanced alike - it´s just it is more expensive. I let the kids use this one too but under strict rules...smile... If you are a beginner and you have more money on your hands, I would recommend you to go for this one, as it gives you better images in the end. If you know you wish to pursue a photography business or you want to treat photography as a serious hobby, this camera is a great choice. I am still shooting half of my work with this camera.

Canon 5D mark ii
This is my new love and nope the kids are not allowed to use this baby...(not yet at least)...LOL. Every time I use it or see the final images, I´m like..."why did I not get this camera sooner?" This is a full-frame camera, which means that it has a larger frame. In a simple language, the camera does not crop the scenery that you see with your eyes. This makes it the perfect studio camera for me, as my studio is perhaps the world’s smallest studio...and no, I´m not kidding :-) I love the quality of the images this camera produces and although this camera requires practice to use it, it is worth the effort. This camera also produces amazing pictures in low light situation. I do not recommend this camera to beginners though. This camera is for advanced photographers. You can say that this is the smallest (the best value for money) of professional camera in the market. I shoot the other half of my work with this camera.

So what´s next?
Well rumors has it that Canon will release a Canon 5D mark iii/5D X within the next two months. I can´t give any recommendations yet, but I bet many advanced and professional photographers have been biting their nails and can’t wait to click that “order” button :-)

But what if I just want a "point and shoot"?
I´d say get an iPhone 4S instead. It has a 8 mp camera and with the right photography apps you can create outstanding pictures as easy as 1,2,3. Another bonus is that you can get online or talk to your mom at the same time...LOL.

What is the best lens for a beginner?
My all time favorite lens is the 50 mm. And I know that teens and beginners LOVE this lens. It´s easy to work with, it has a fast focus, it is lightweight, and it photographs well in low light. It´s not a zoom, so you´ll have to zoom with your feet. It´s probably the best lens you can get to the best price around. The cheapest is the 50 mm f/1.8 - awesome for teens - good price. The better version is the 50 mm f/1.4 - great for beginners as well as professionals – a little more expensive than the 50 mm f/1.8 but still affordable. So drop the lens-kit darling and get this lens instead! (if you have more to spend, you can do even better with the 50 mm f/1.2  L, which is the exclusive version of the 50 mm. But the others will do just as fine).

That´s it for today. I hope this may help a few of you to choose your future baby (aka camera).

xoxo, Christina