Hey what's up... Everyone buys a digital camera at some point in life and most of the time people do not know what exactly they want. I'm going to help you with that, this week I will talk about some of the things you should consider before buying that expensive piece of equipment! For your information I won't be talking about which brand or model is better, this is more of an insight for you on how to pick the right category of digital camera to buy with the budget you have.
1) Choosing the category
These are the 3 categories you need to consider, Compact, Super Zoom a.k.a prosumer and Digital SLR (DSLR). Each having their pros and cons, you need to weigh the consequences yourself and compromise if you have to.
- Compacts are good for carrying around and easy to use but less focal range and normal image quality.
- DSLR provides great flexibility and control as well as superb image quality, however the weight and size can really be a problem.
- Prosumer is something in the middle of compacts and DSLRs, good image quality, covers from wide to telephoto range, manual and automatic controls for personal preference and its not as bulky compared to a DSLR.
Yeah this is a no-brainer obvious tip, however it determines what category of camera you will be buying! Lets say you have a budget of $600-$700, at this range you could possibly be buying the latest top of the line compact camera OR a slightly older model prosumer camera. Make every penny worth paying for, latest doesn't mean its greatest
3) Brand
This is really up to personal preference, however I do have some recommendations with regards to what to buy.
- For compacts and prosumer cameras, most brands are good but do scout around and have your hands on it if you can. Check out the controls and interface menus, make sure you are comfortable using it and suits your needs. You definitely will not want something that is difficult to use and complicating while navigating the interface.
- If you are going for DSLRs, I strongly suggest going for mainstream brands like Canon, Nikon or Sony. The reason is because its easier for you to go around shopping for accessories or other lenses since most camera shop tend to stock up stuff for these 3 brands. The quality of their camera and the images produced are equally great, you will not go wrong as long as you stick to those brands I mentioned.
- Do not feel obliged or even challenged to buy when you visit a store, walk around a few times to check the price of the camera you are looking for. There are some stores I vow not to visit because they are simply out to cheat your money, giving sub standard service and not selling the actual item that you really want after you pay! So go around scouting for prices and if something that is too good to be true... it's most likely a scam.
- People tend to buy accessories along with the camera, I won't recommend that. Usually after much bargaining and haggling the sales person will offer you to buy some accessories like batteries, filters or memory cards, and pretty much that is how they will earn back those bargains they gave you.
- Look out for stores that particularly sells camera accessories, they give better prices for little stuffs most of the time. You will be surprise how much money you can save buying from such stores.
