Camera Buying Guide

Two questions that are raised regularly here on Gosnap are ‘what Digital SLR should I buy?’ and ‘what equipment do I need for X type of photography?’

As far as the camera goes, the best advice I can offer is that Digital SLR cameras today are fantastic at what they do despite who makes them.

The general consensus around here when choosing a DSLR is to go to a camera shop and physically try those within your budget to get a feel for them - the only thing that should sway you one way or another is to which one feels the best in your hands and up to your eye.

Hang around for long enough with camera geeks like us and you’ll hear someone say that ‘glass is the most important purchase’ and this is indeed sound advice. The camera body is only part of the battle, and there is a wide range of lenses available today that provide the full range of focal lengths available in both amateur and professional ranges to suit anyone weather you have a reasonable budget or your own gold mine.

There are also a few third party lens manufacturers who produce lenses to fit most brands with what is usually a good product for a lesser price; the most popular of these is Sigma, one of sigma’s great lenses is the super wide-angle 10-20mm that is used often by Stewart (badbadman) and was also used by Shaun on the Gosnap Together Cardiff meet 16-03-2008 – this ‘super-wide angle’ lens is ideal for landscape photography and produces a lovely feel of space within an image.

Something to consider with DSLR bodies is that some of the ‘entry-level’ models don’t have motors in their bodies to drive auto-focusing lenses – this means that auto-focus is only available from lenses with their own on-board motors. As time goes on this is becoming less of a problem as more and more lenses are being built with these motors, but it may be worth considering the extra cost involved with buying these motorised lenses, and asking yourself if that money would be better spent on the next body up, Only your own needs can dictate that.

If you’re wondering if you should let the lack of an on board motor and other missing functions sway your decision, well the answer there is yes and no – for example, few photographers who dabble in portrait photography have a kit bag missing a 50mm prime lens; they are ideal for portrait photography and are cheap for their quality and versatility, the ones that most people own do NOT have built in motors – this is one reason why they are so reasonably priced. There is a new 50mm lens with an on-board motor on the market today but it is likely to cost you more than the popular non-motorised models.

The Internet is your best friend when hunting for your ideal camera and lenses, not only can you find many cases where online stores offer the same equipment for cheaper than high street shops, it is also a rich source of reviews, and I recommend reading a few reviews on your choice of product before taking the plunge.

So to sum up what we have covered so far:

· Think about what kind of photography you may want to do and be prepared to want to dabble in other areas as your hobby progresses

· Try out as many cameras in budget as you can

· Read reviews on the cameras you favor

· Look at the range of lenses available and check out reviews on those too