I’ve been asked by a few people for advice about buying a new camera, and it is always and interesting conversation.  Sometimes, people feel they need to spend a great deal of money to get the best photographs.  I usually end up giving them some advice to re-think how they are going to spend their money.

I should clarify that I’m not going to tell you what’s right for you.  There are tons of articles on the internet that are a lot more philosophical about the subject of choosing the right camera and gear.  What I am trying to share is how you should be spending your money when you buy that first camera, specifically a digital SLR camera with interchangeable lenses.

One thing to keep in mind, is that if a photograph turns out poorly, it probably isn’t the fault of the camera.  Oh sure, technical malfunctions can happen, but in the grand scheme of things, such malfunctions are pretty rare.  In the hands of someone with decent compositional skills, a good photograph can be made with any camera, whether it’s built into a smartphone, or if it is a large format camera.

I recently had a conversation with someone who wanted to buy a new SLR (Single lens reflex) camera and was going to spend about $1,000 on a camera body, and buy 3 relatively cheap lenses.  Considering he didn’t really understand what an “f-stop” was, I tried to convince him that his money might be better spent on a slightly less expensive camera body and get fewer, but perhaps higher quality lenses.  It’s sometimes hard to convince someone their priorities are a little backward, especially if they’ve already talked to a salesman who has greased them up with talk of “better weather sealing” and “more mega-pixels” and a bunch of other sales talk that sounds good but is really a line of BS to make the sale.  Just for the record, for the average users, 10 Megapixel digital SLRs are superior to film cameras, so don’t get caught up when a salesman tries to tell you that you should spend a little more for the 12, 15 or 18 megapixel camera.  When you are first learning photography, in my opinion, it’s a waste of money.  Some of my photographic cohorts would probably disagree with me on that point but that’s just what I think.  I’ve seen people waste money on megapixels who never make a photograph larger than 8×10, and I’ve pushed my old 4 megapixel photographs up to 16×20 with good results.

If you are buying your first SLR camera, spend more money on the lenses and less on the camera body itself.  In fact, I would recommend getting one high quality lens with your new camera body and save any extra cash for future purchases after you have learned to use your camera.

If you are purchasing a digital SLR and a lens, but you don’t understand the relationship between f-stop and shutter speed, you need to step back and be honest with yourself, you’ve got a lot to learn to really use that new camera to the best of its capabilities.  And, if you have no intention of learning some of those details, and you are going to be shooting “all auto everything” when taking photographs…don’t waste your money.  Get a mid-range point and shoot and be happy.

Now, if you’ve got some motivation to learn.  If you have things in mind that you want to use your camera for and you are ready to commit yourself to some learning, then I say go for it.  Get that SLR and lens, and then head to your local library and check out a few books on taking photographs.  You don’t even necessarily need to get a recent photography book to learn what you need to know.

One person I know has often told me that his wife is not happy with the photographs taken at sporting events where her daughter is performing.  It sounds like the camera is set for auto exposure and never leaves it.  I’ve passed on some helpful hints, but I have the feeling she’s still seeing the same results.  You have to take some time to get it to work well.  Spend some time reading, and it will pay dividends!

So here is what my advice boils down to:

1. Determine your budget
2. Buy a high quality, mid-range, zoom lens (consider 18-135mm, 24-104mm, 24-70mm, etc)
3. Buy an entry level SLR (Canon Rebel, Nikon D3000, Sony Alpha 230, etc.)
4. Read your camera manual, as dry as it might be, it will give you good insight into it’s functionality.
5. Go to your local library and check out some books on beginning photography.
6. Check my blog for tips and tricks and other articles.
7. Consider attending a photograph class or a workshop.
8. Practice, practice and practice.

You can get very creative with almost any camera.  Digital SLRs do have features and functions not found in most point and shoot cameras (although higher-end compact cameras have tons of features, and many pros carry one all the time when they don’t have their SLR).  If your set to get an SLR, I would recommend committing yourself to learn more about photograph or else you will be sorely disappointed in the results.

I’m also happy to answer any questions you might have.