Factors to Consider When Buying a Digital Camera
There are a lot of camera choices out there. From smartphones that fit in your pocket to high-end digital SLRs with an array of interchangeable lenses, the options are endless. The question becomes which camera you should get and how much you can expect to pay for it. For artists, a camera is an important investment. If you are an illustrator and animator, you need something that can shoot good photo reference stills as well as good video reference.
There are four main classes of cameras: smartphone cameras, point and shoot cameras, mirrorless cameras, and DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras. For this article I will exclude point and shoot cameras. Point and shoots don't do much more, if anything, than a smartphone. If you need more camera capability, the next step up from a smartphone would be a mirrorless.
All three classes of camera have models that will give you good image quality. The question becomes how much control the camera gives you over your image. That is where the distinctions become important. Most smartphones and point and shoots give you minimal control over your image - it applies automatic exposure calculations, image stabilization and HDR to give you a pretty image. And some smartphones do a very good job at this for snapshots. As artists though, sometimes you'll need more control to get the shot you want.
MAIN CONTROL FACTORS
Manual Controls. Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO are the three main controls of a camera. These three allow you to control the exposure, the depth of field, and motion blur of your image. Other controls, such as White Balance, allow you to change the color temperature of the shot.
Focus. Fast autofocus, target focus, and manual focus allow you to take pictures faster or focus on a specific area of an image.
Portability. Smaller cameras are more portable and convenient to carry around.
Lenses. The ability to equip different lenses on a camera give greater control over field of view and the type of image. Lenses can enable extreme close-up (macro) or faraway (telephoto) shots. There are also tilt-shift or fish-eye lenses for different looks.
Menu Controls. The way a camera allows you to change aperture and shutter speed for example, with a push of a button or digging through menus, can affect how fast and easily you can take a shot. .
Below is an overview of how the three classes of cameras compare in the above categories. Some recommendations of the best cameras in each class follow. Interestingly, the prices for each class of camera can be comparable. Entry-level DSLRs, good smartphone cameras, and entry-level mirrorless cameras all can be found for about $600.
SMARTPHONES
Smartphone cameras are everywhere and convenient. Their image quality can even be comparable to a DSLR, and a few even offer some manual controls. Their greatest drawback though, is their inability to change aperture. The limited manual controls overall in such cameras greatly inhibit their use for professional photography.
Manual Controls: Limited.
Focus: Limited. Most are autofocus, some allow target focusing, and with apps you can sometimes get manual focus.
Portability: Very. Fits in your pocket.
Lenses: For the most part, no. There are "macro" and "telephoto" type lenses you can buy to fit on your smartphone, but they don't compare to the DSLR and mirrorless lenses.
Menu Controls: When available, changing aperture and shutter speed are achieved through touch screens and menus. This makes smartphones slower than mirrorless and DSLRs with mechanical means of adjusting exposure.
Recommendations
Samsung Galaxy S7. This camera offers some manual controls, allowing you to change shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. It has pretty fast autofocus too.
Note: The Galaxy s7s haven't been recalled like Samsung's Galaxy Note S7s, though some customers have complained that these phones can explode like their Note brethren. Buyer beware.
Price: starts from ~$670
IPhone 7 Great image quality, some manual controls (not as many as the Galaxy) that can be expanded with the Camera+ app.
Price: starts from ~$650
MIRRORLESS CAMERAS
Mirrorless cameras (also known as CSC, or Compact System Cameras) are designed to be more compact and portable than DSLRs, without sacrificing any manual controls. Because these cameras use only the LCD screen to view shots and don't have optical viewfinders which require a mirror inside the camera, the camera body can be smaller and thinner.
Mirrorless cameras were also designed to be able to support a variety of interchangeable lenses. There still aren't as many lenses available for mirrorless cameras as there are for DSLRs, but that will probably change with time. Some lenses are even compatible with both mirrorless and DSLRs camera bodies.
Manual Controls: Full manual controls. Equivalent to DSLRs
Focus: Good. Mirrorless cameras can have excellent autofocus and offer target focusing and manual focus too.
Portability: Good. But if you use big telephoto lenses, naturally the portability will be affected.
Lenses: Yes, more and more lenses are being developed for mirrorless cameras.
Menu Controls: Varies depending on camera model.
Recommendations:
Sony a5100: Good image quality, good battery life, good price, and easy to use. If you're looking for a mirrorless, this camera will get you started.
Price: ~$500
For a more in-depth review: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-mirrorless-camera-for-beginners/
DSLR CAMERAS
Generally regarded as the most fully functional class of camera there is, although mirrorless cameras are gaining ground. DSLRs give you full manual controls, a wide variety of interchangeable lenses, fast continuous shooting, and more accessories than you could ever hope for.
Manual Controls: Full manual control.
Focus: Autofocus, target focus, and manual focus enabled.
Portability: Not very. Bulky bodies and large lenses make DSLRs the least portable of all the camera classes.
Lenses: A wide variety available.
Menu Controls: Varies depending on camera model.
Recommendations:
Canon Rebel T5i: great entry-level DSLR. thewirecutter.com prefers the more affordable Nikon, but I'm partial to Canons. Especially since this one has a swivel touchscreen and is good for taking videos.
Price: ~$600. Don't forget to check Costco for good bundle deals.
Nikon D3300: good image quality, good battery life, good price, and easy to use. This is a good starter camera for those looking to get into photography and comfortable with changing camera settings.
Price: ~$470
FURTHER RESOURCES
The following sites have good camera tips and reviews:
DPReview.com
thewirecutter.com