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Best camera for beginners

AMP
Contributor

Best camera for beginners

16 REPLIES 16

In general, I think the MILC camera will offer more flexibility and ability to change or expand.  With any compact fixed lens camera, once you have purchased it, there is no flexibility or potential to expand the lenses to cover different types of photography or take advantage of new gear developments.

I have quite a bit of gear and it's all interchangeable lens-based units apart from a couple of specialist units: i.e. tough cameras for underwater work.  If you are serious about developing your abilities you will likely want different lenses for different purposes.  Furthermore, MILC units offer the biggest sensors: either of the APS-C or Full Frame units I suggested, which tend to suffer from noise less and allow images to be viewed or printed to much higher resolution.

Generally, Canon cameras are the easiest to learn with, as they have very elegant and easy to follow menus, and there are lots of tutorials out there to assist.  The Sony menu system is not as easy to navigate, although once I set up the camera I rarely have to visit it, but I have 40+ years of experience.  I got a 3rd party book on the Sony to assist me with the features and it was a good investment, as that revealed the Clear Image Zoom feature that took the focal length to 1200mm Equivalent, but was buried in the Sony manual.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is not what they hold in their hand, it's what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

@Tronhard: Thanks again! I appreciate you sharing takes on compact vs IL cameras. Will definitely keep those in mind. One final question: I assume the MILCs are what folks commonly refer to as DSLRs? But, in that case, what exactly are mirrorless cameras?

A DSLR is a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera.  Essentially, it is the same mechanism as the Single lens reflex cameras that were most popular in the latter half of the last century, except that they use a digital sensor instead of film. That film'/sensor sits behind a shutter and in front of that a mirror.  Light comes into the camera via the lens which has an aperture (AKA Iris) that controls the volume of light passing through it.  Light bounces off the mirror that directs it into a pentaprism to the viewfinder.  The photographer sets up the image, focusing and deciding on the exposure using the image in the viewfinder as a reference. Normally, the shutter is fully open to allow the maximum light to go to viewfinder to make focusing and composition easier.   When ready, they press the shutter button and the following things happen.
1. The mirror flips up to let light continue to the film or sensor - the viewfinder is then blocked.
2.  The aperture in the lens is set to the predetermined desired value (opening or closing)
3. The shutter opens for the desired period exposing the film/sensor to the light from the subject.
4  When done, the whole process is reversed.
DSLR vs MILC.jpg

A Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera does away with the mirror and pentaprism, replacing them with an electronic viewfinder (essentially a tiny tv) that reads the information directly off the sensor.  So, when one wants to take a photo the process is simplified because there is no mechanical mirror mechanism to flip up or down.  Furthermore, because the image is read off the sensor, the viewfinder displays exactly what will be recorded - i.e. it will show what is in focus as well as how bright it is - depending upon the set aperture.

This makes the camera smaller and lighter, and allows for more accurate gauging of what an image will look like before it is taken.  Modern MILC cameras can have advanced features like In-Body-Image-Stabilization: where the sensor is vibrated at very high speeds to compensate for the negative impacts of camera movement.  This is very advantageous when using a slow shutter speed, and/or very long focal length lenses.

The current crop of compact cameras (e.g. PowerShots) use the same technology as MILCs, except they cannot swap lenses in and out.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is not what they hold in their hand, it's what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

@Tronhard: Got it! Got it! Got it! Thanks for the explanations. That's all the questions for now.

For me, the feature that pushed me from considering a DSLR like the SL3 or the T8i to a mirrorless is the fact that a mirrorless uses the same auto-focus mechanism regardless of how you're shooting a photo. A DSLR uses one auto-focus mechanism when shooting with the live view screen and another when shooting using the viewfinder.

Kevin Rahe
EOS M50 Mark II

There are many significant changes between the new technology, for sure. Certainly, if I was starting out today, I would go straight for mirrorless, especially if it is a long-term commitment.  I moved from a considerable investment in DSLR gear to mostly mirrorless, although I keep a couple of bodies for old times sake and because I really like something about that particular model.

For many who so choose, there are lots of good DSLRs and their lenses going cheap, and if price is a more critical issue than development potential, then that path can be compelling.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is not what they hold in their hand, it's what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

Tronhard
Elite
Elite

Honestly, that is impossible to answer without a lot more detail.  Can I suggest you check out the link below to the following post and consider the criteria it addresses.  Then come back to us with that and we help you with specific information.

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/General-Discussion/Considerations-for-People-Seeking-Gear-Advice/...


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is not what they hold in their hand, it's what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris
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