Buying any sort of technology whether it be a phone, a TV or in this case, a camera, can be mystifying in a lot of cases and more importantly, time consuming.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Ask these questions and you have a fair chance of coming away with a decent camera from a camera store. Note that I said camera store not online store. Sure, you can still buy it from Amazon or B & H or any online store but as with a TV you really want to ‘try before you buy’. Cameras are personal and if doesn’t feel right it won’t help you take the sort of photos you want.

All these questions are for you to answer not the camera store salesperson or online forums, facebook groups but you.

1 What are you going to use it for?
Are you are a business looking to take product picture.
Are you in the travel industry and looking for a general all-rounder for travel pictures?
Do you just want to use it for your blog?
Do you also want to take pictures of your family?

You get the point.

 

 

2 What’s your budget?
Whilst the camera is not always the main reason for taking great photos it does give flexibility and that flexibility is usually but no always proportional to the amount of you want to spend.
Don’t get into financial stress over it but don’t scrimp if you can afford not to.

3 What size camera do you want?
Cameras come in all sort of shapes and sizes. If you’ve been used to using a smartphone then buying a DSLR may not suit. The camera is big and the lenses quite heavy.
So maybe a top end compact or a mirrorless camera may be better. If on the other hand you’ve had a DSLR but it’s a bit old in the tooth then consider a Mirrorless. It also depends how mobile you want to be.
Do you have an existing interchangeable lens camera that you want to upgrade?
In which case you will want to keep to the same brand if possible.

4 Are you the only one going to use it?
If one of your staff or another member of your family are also going to use it then it may be worth getting their input as well. On the other hand, that could also confuse the issue so think this one through first.

 

 

 

5 Are you going to buy more than one lens?
Nearly all interchangeable lens cameras come with a ‘kit’ lens which is usually enough to get you started. You can always add to it later

So that’s it. All you need to do now is to go into a camera store and say  the following for example:

I want an camera with an interchangeable lens,
that’s light,
than can be used for portraits that will be used commercially and
that I only need one lens for.

Try it out. It’s much quicker and better to ask yourself these questions than spend hours of research on the net and then be totally confused.

You can change your mind once you get into the shop but I’d try and be certain as you can before looking at different cameras so that you can keep on point.

For more on buying a camera please go to:

BUYING A NEW CAMERA? THEN READ THIS

You may also want to download my free Camera Features Guide

Thanks for reading

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