How to choose a camera

I was sent this rather excellent article by Jen Reviews about the different types of cameras and how to understand why they are different.

How to Choose a Camera – A Comprehensive Guide

I have published similar articles in the past but this one is really comprehensive and his you are thinking about buying a camera this will help you choose the type. We then have on this blog posts about the best cameras in any particular range, just go to the Categories Drop down menu on the right and scroll down to new cameras. I am sure you will find this article and the earlier posts useful

By the way while you are thinking about a new camera you should also consider one of our excellent courses, we have a new series starting this autumn, here are the dates

Entry Level DSLR Cameras

 

The 10 best mid-range DSLRs in 2017

You have been into your photography for some time. You know the way you can control your images, you understand aperture and shutter and ISO, you you don’t save your money and go to our post on entry level cameras for 2017 and take a course. But if you are ready to take a step up then a new camera might be the lift you need away from your first entry level dslr. A mid range DSLR will be heavier, it will feel more solid and will put up with more use and punishment, It will have more sophisticated controls and offer you less help in taking pictures as the assumption is you don’t need the help as you are more advanced as a photographer.

Tech Radar is an excellent site that reviews equipment and here you will find their recommendations for 2017

Best Mid range or enthusiasts DSLR cameras 2017

Mid-range enthusiast DSLRs offer more power, robustness and control than typical entry-level DSLR models. They’re great for shooting tricky subjects like sports or wildlife, thanks to having faster continuous shooting rates and more often than not, superior autofocus systems that features advanced tracking modes. Many also add weatherproofing for extra robustness and peace of mind.

Although enthusiast DSLRs don’t tend to offer more megapixels than their entry-level siblings, you’ll often get an increased ISO sensitivity range to help with low light shooting. While most enthusiast DSLRs are based around APS-C sized sensors, some models sport larger full-frame chips that are normally the preserve of pro-spec models. If you’re not quite sure what advantages shooting with a full-frame sensor brings, you can check out our guide to sensor sizes. 

But just because these DSLRs are intended for enthusiast photographers, that doesn’t make them intimidating to shoot with. The additional controls positioned on the camera body can actually improve their ease of use, allowing you to access key settings quickly, without the need to dive into a menu regularly. Don’t worry though, most still include an automatic mode that’ll take care of everything for you if you want to learn as you shoot.

Canon 7D

Digital SLR cameras explained: 10 things every new photographer must know

On our Understanding Your DSLR Camera course we explain all of these things so it is good to find them in one place and available for all those poor people who don’t live in Oxford and so can’t attend our courses. This comes from Digital Camera World

Digital SLR cameras are the preferred tool of most professional photographers and they’re the first choice of camera for enthusiast photographers for decades, but what is a digital SLR, how do they work and why are they so popular? Our head of testing, Angela Nicholson explains all you need to know.

Digital SLR cameras explained: 1. Why Single Lens Reflex?

The name single lens reflex camera seems rather odd today, but there was a time when twin lens reflex (TLR) cameras were very popular – there are still one or two models on sale today.

The two lenses of an TLR have the same focal length and their focusing mechanisms are linked, but they are used for two different tasks.

The ‘viewing lens’ is used for focusing while the photographer looks in the waist-level viewfinder, while the ‘taking lens’ sits in front of the film, ready for exposure in a separate chamber.

The word ‘reflex’ in the name stems from the fact that TLR and SLR cameras have a reflex mirror, essentially a mirror at 45 degrees, that reflects light from the lens into the viewfinder.

In a TLR the mirror is fixed and the scene is visible in the viewfinder throughout the exposure.

In a digital SLR camera, however, the mirror flips up during exposure to allow the light to reach the film or sensor, this blanks out the viewfinder for the duration of the exposure.

See the rest here

What camera should I buy?

I get asked this a couple of times a week. Sometimes it comes with the proviso, I want to have a career in photography but that opens another can of worms. Buying a camera, the right camera is important because if you get it wrong you may never enjoy the experience of taking pictures and so end up just using your phone, heaven help you! Anyway this really useful article on Digital Camera World looks at the four main types of cameras and in a simple way makes observations that seem appropriate to me. If you are thinking of buying a camera then read this first. It won’t tell which model to buy but it will help you to buy the right type for you, which is a good start point. Should you buy a dslr, maybe a bridge or compact or even the kid on the block a CSC (compact system camera) [who thinks up these names?]

 “What camera should I buy?” Truth is, it can be tricky to decide what camera to buy because we like to shoot different subjects which have different needs. In this jargon-free buyer’s guide our head of testing Angela Nicholson has some advice that will put you on the right track.

Read the full article in Digital Camera World here

 

Photography – the absolute basics in one page

This article sums up photography in the basic terms that almost anyone could understand, well maybe not actually, but if you have done some study or taken one of our courses it will make sense. The ‘infographic’ horrid word, tries to establish what anyone aspiring to make photographs either recreationally or eventually vocationally might need to consider. The best advice it offers is practise. Anyway if you want to know everything about anything go here

DSLR Video Recording: HD movies and what you absolutely have to know

In class last night someone asked about HD video recording with a DSLR. I started to answer some of their question and quickly realised it would take more than the 10 minutes left of the class and said I would do a little research and send them some links about it. I found this article which although hardly definitive does go some way to answering the questions many people have. I will return to this subject in later posts but for now if you are thinking about using your DSLR for video read this article from Digital Camera World

We take it for granted that new cameras these days come with the capability of recording HD movies. Once scoffed at, DSLR video recording has come into its own, and this feature is now one of the first things people check on the specification list when new cameras are announced. In fact, advances in DSLR video capability have created legions of dedicated HDSLR users, who find the versatility of being able to record HD movies on your camera a wonderful creative freedom.

In this tutorial we’ll start by answering some of photographers’ common questions about DSLR video, then explore some of the finer points of making HD movies, such as how to pace your film, understanding frame rates and what direct controls on your camera can make the DSLR video process easier for you.

If you want more go here

Best DSLR Cameras 2012

If you want to understand why you would buy one camera rather than another you would not do worse than consulting Ken Rockwell to start, however if you know little about why a camera is better you might just want to be told the best in a top five or ten and then be guided by other factors, here we give you a selection of sites that will help you to decide which camera is best for you.

From Tech Radar we get this summation of the current cameras offered.

Choosing the best DSLR for your needs can be a decision fraught with difficulties, not least because there are so many capable models on the market that it’s hard to know which camera is the top digital camera for your needs.

At one end of the scale manufacturers compete fiercely to provide the easiest entry point into DSLR photography, with intelligent exposure modes and in-camera guides to make the journey as painless as possible, while at the other they battle to deliver the most environmentally-sealed, fastest-shooting models complete with high-resolution sensors, detailed LCD screens and, of course, video recording.

Buying guide

Such variety means that you as the consumer are more likely to end up with a camera tailored to your requirements, but finding the best camera for your needs is a question of weighing the many pros and cons attached to each.

The following guide has been designed to make your decision easier. See here for the cameras recommended

CNET has a list of Best entry-level digital SLR cameras here and Top 10 Reviews lists about every camera you are likely to consider as entry level here

Squidoo lists the best cameras based on numbers sold here

What Camera has information on The Best Semi Pro DSLR Cameras 2012

The ever informative and intelligent Ken Rockwell has a lot of information and advice, here is some of what he has to say

Forget Resolution and ISO

Resolution and ISO are silly numbers used to try to sell you more expensive cameras.

Resolution, expressed in megapixels, hasn’t been relevant since the 1990s. I’ve made great 12 x 18″ (30 x 45cm) prints from a 3MP camera, and 40×60″ (100 x 150cm) prints from a 6MP camera. 6 Megapixels is all anyone needs for anything, and every camera here has two or three times that today.

Resolution is nothing more than a sales pitch to get you to pay more.

Now that every camera has double-digit megapixels, camera makers invented another meaningless number they use to extract more money from the innocent, called ISO (pronounced eye-ess-oh).

ISO is a rough measure of low-light sensitivity. It only matters if you shoot in the dark, and then shoot without flash. As soon as your flash pops up, the higher ISOs aren’t used anyway. Even if you learn how to use the higher ISO settings (few people do), there isn’t much difference between cameras of the same type and era, regardless of cost! All the higher ISO settings do is make the picture look grainier, and the cameras that sport the highest ISO settings look horrible at those settings!  READ MORE FROM KEN HERE

When  you have chosen and bought that new camera you may wish to take a course, our new schedule for the autumn is just out and you can have a look at what we currently have on offer here

Send us an email and receive the new course dates as soon as they are available Understanding Your Digital SLR Evening Classes:start dates 17.9.12; 7.11.12 Understanding Your Digital SLR Saturday Morning Classes start date 3.11.12 Understanding Your Digital Compact Camera – starts: 26.9.12 Introduction to Photoshop and Photoshop Elements starts 25.10.12 Composition In Photography – Seeing Pictures – starts 15.10.12 Portrait Photography: starts: 25.9.12 Intermediate Photography – starts: 23.10.12 Black and White Digital Photography – starts 27.9.12 Travel Photography next start March 2013 One Day Understanding Your DSLR – 23.9.12; 21.10.12; 18.11.12; Most courses are 4 sessions one per week, (Photoshop and Intermediate Photography are 6 sessions) all run on consecutive weeks from start dates. 1 Day DSLR is a one day course, there are 4 dates this term To book a place please send us an email with the course title and start date you wish to attend.

Best Entry-Level DSLR Camera Comparisons & Reviews 2011

If you are thinking about buying a starter DSLR camera either for yourself or as a present this link will give an idea of the range before you. The Canon Ti is the 1100D I think and the T3i is the 600D. Odd that they don’t keep the same names worldwide Here is that link

I see many different DSLR’s in class and have to say that I would always recommend a Canon or a Nikon but it is your choice.

Nikon D7000 on test

This review of the Nikon D7000 by Richard Kilpatrick is in the BJP

“Nikon has been busy expanding its DSLR range this year, adding choice and breadth to the D series, exemplified by the latest arrival, the D7000. Richard Kilpatrick tests the “baby D3s”, and finds it’s definitely a pro contender.”.….more