You want to play it safe with a hybrid?

You want nice photos but are technologically retarded or afraid to go DSLR? Perhaps the Hybrid is a good bet. Hybrids let you control shutter speeds, ISO speeds and aperture size, in fact they’ll let you do most things a DSLR will. However it takes a little bit more time and isn’t quite as intuitive to play with the settings.

Often times Hybrids will have more functions than DSLR, like recording movies and shooting in B&W (which is silly because you can always convert your images to B&W via photo editing software, but you can’t switch B&W to color. Unless you’re magic. Are you magic? Cause if you are magic then go ahead and then make me better looking). If these functions are your fancy then and you want to take pretty good pics, Hybrids are the way to go.

What’s a hybrid? An electric car for anal retentive people that believe in such myths as global warming and cameras that aren’t compact but aren’t quite DSLR. I’m probably the only one who calls them hybrids. They’re camera’s that have lenses with words like 2x – 30x which means they can zoom pretty well, better than a compact usually. Often times the lenses can even be switched out for other lenses, although they try to make the main lens a sort of “one size fits all lens”. Their functionality tends to mimic compact cameras but also gives you greater control of settings for more professional users.

I don’t really know much about these cameras. In fact I don't even know what they're really called or honestly what market they serve. I do know that my sister-in-law has one and she likes it just fine. It takes good pictures and even video (which DSLR’s do not do to my knowledge). It’s a good fit for her because she wants better pictures but doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on the camera or the lenses. Also these cameras can be surprisingly affordable.

Know that if you decide to go the hybrid route the accessories aren’t that interchangeably like with DSLRs if you decide to upgrade. ..and a crazy lady just sat across from me on the public transit system…oh wait it’s a man that sounds like a girl. And now he’s looking out the window like an excited puppy dog. So I’ll end on that image, if only I had my camera.

You want DSLR?

Good man…or woman. When I got a real life job with a real life salary after graduating from the renowned educational institution known as Dixie State College I quickly went out and bought a car, a ginormous TV and a DSLR camera. Almost five years later I am quite content with all my purchases but can say with honesty that the only item I never regretted buying was my DSLR camera.

I purchased it because I was secretly in love with photography and wanted to take some awesome pictures of my new born nephew. It was only a matter of months before I’d take several photos that screamed awesome and I knew that the best decision of my life had been made (yes I know I’m still single).

So how do you pick out a good DSLR? Whoa man, this is where the nitpicky stuff really matters. For starters I recommend nothing less than 8 megapixels (which by now I’m not sure if they even offer anything less than that) because of a conversation I had with a lady in a camera shop years ago (this is posted in the compact camera section as well).

The lady who pretended (and probably did) know a lot told me “If you want to get anything published, the industry standard requires your photo to be 8 megapixels.” So just to be safe, if by chance you get that photo of big foot or the mayor conspiring with communists you want to make sure that you can publish it for millions. I haven’t ever bothered to verify that information but I have verified the fact that if you want to enlarge your photos, more megapixels is better.

At this point you want to match your commitment and skill in photography to your budget. The better you are the better camera you’ll need. However if you are just beginning I recommend buying something that has your minimal required features. Look at cameras that are getting ready to be phased out by newer more advanced models. Why is this? Well because cameras take photographs and that’s about it. Why buy the top of the line if you are A) just a hobbyist and B) Not very good at it. You shouldn’t be paying extra for features you won’t be using. When you finally feel you need to upgrade your camera for a better one then the next one with the features you want will be much more affordable.

If you want to follow the upgrade plan it is again advisable to pick a vendor and stick with them. The reason is because you’ll be purchasing lenses and accessories, which can become very expensive. These add-ons are almost always compatible with subsequent generations and like products.

This leads to another excellent attribute when looking to buy a DSLR camera. Lens cost. When I was shopping for my camera I was strongly considering the Olympus E-volt. It had performed better than most cameras in many categories but had one fundamental flaw: Its lenses were ridiculously expensive…and German sounding. Plus it was a very new camera so finding used lenses would not be possible for the price conscious shopper – which was me. A camera is no good without lenses, so keep in mind how much accessories are for your camera.

Ultimately I went with the Canon Rebel XT. A month after I purchased it the jerks at Canon decided to release the next generation (the XTI), thus dropping the price of my camera by several hundreds of dollars. However I have been completely satisfied with my camera, which is now about 4 generations behind. It takes excellent photos, gives me the control I want and when I finally want to upgrade I’ll have several lenses and accessories already in place.

Picking a DSLR can be an incredibly complex decision because they all have so many pros and cons, unless you want to pay $5k, then you get what you want and are completely happy (really what you would be doing is “buying happiness”, which is completely possible).

To aid you in picking out your camera I STRONGLY recommend DPReview.com. This website will give you all the stats, specs, and professional reviews on the cameras you are considering buying you want. You can even get involved in forums to get the opinions of fellow photographers.

When it comes down to purchasing your camera I recommend buying locally. It is cheaper to order off the internet, sure, but when you purchase locally you have a quick point of contact to resolve problems which may creep up. Above all I give one important piece of advice: NEVER PURCHASE FROM ANY CAMERA WEBSITE THAT IS BASED OUT OF NEW JERSEY AND BROOKLYN! These are bait and switch sites, they’ll sell you a gray market camera (not compatible in the US usually) and then load you up with accessories and problems. I’ve read tons of reviews of people getting screwed on these sites. In fact I was really close to buying my camera from one of them. If the price of the camera is so low, pause and wonder how are they making money? Most retailers don’t mark up the price of their cameras too much due to vendor restrictions, that’s why they push for accessories. This is something I learned while bartering with Bestbuy to purchase my camera.

If you want to review online store ratings then go here. Otherwise, if you feel confident in your choice of Brooklyn camera shop feel free to pay for it with money given to you buy a Nigerian prince.

You want the compact?

OK so you want to spend about $200 on a camera but you want a really nice one. Let me bring you back to reality. Really nice camera’s, like escorts, cost a lot more money. So you have to be willing to make some compromises. If you just want to take photos of family and friends and events, then stop stressing over it. Any name brand camera will meet your needs. However if occasionally you’d like to add a flare of art or control to your photos then I recommend looking for a few features on your camera.

Chances are if you’re reading this you really have no clue about things like shutter speed and apertures and ISO settings and quantum computing. So to begin, get a camera with these settings:

• Night
• Action
• Landscape
• Macro (means close up and in focus)
• Portrait

These settings are standard on most cameras and can make life much easier when you need to snap something in a hurry and want semi-descent quality. However if you really want to take some rockin’ photos then look for a camera that will let you control these functions:
• Shutter Speed
• Aperture Size
• ISO Speed

If your camera will let you control that, well then now you have a reason to read my blog. Know this, compact cameras, which are the bulk of the market don’t do really fancy things like take extreme close ups or 10 pictures a second, but they are just fine if you are a scrap booker or new mother to a child whose fathers may or may not be the man living with you.

If you’ve owned a camera in the past I recommend staying with the same brand. I had a friend who owned a Canon but then was given a Nikon, she soon became frustrated and set fire to an orphanage because it was too hard for her learn the Nikon menu. To make transitions easier, stay with the same manufacturer unless you really really really really want that specific camera.

Now what’s all this voodoo about megapixels? I’ll be frank; I recommend 8 megapixels or more no matter what. 6 is fine and even 5 will churn out a decent picture but if you want to enlarge a photo the more pixels the better. Of course note that the more megapixels there are the more space the pictures will take up on your memory card.

I was once in a camera shop discussing this exact topic. The lady who pretended (and probably did) know a lot told me “If you want to get anything published, the industry standard requires your photo to be 8 megapixels.” So just to be safe, if by chance you get that photo of big foot or the mayor conspiring with communists you want to make sure that you can publish it for millions.

I would also look at batteries. If you can get a camera that has a proprietary rechargeable batteries do it. Batteries are to digital cameras as film was to film cameras. LCD displays that show pictures before you take them and cameras that record movies can quickly drain the life out of a battery. I recommend buying two rechargeable packs, so that when one dies you have a back up on hand.

When you are finally to purchase purchase your camera, I’ll give you a couple pieces of advice. If you are ordering your compact online refurbs are OK. Check sites like Tigerdirect.com for great prices. Perhaps the most important thing I can tell you about online purchasing is to check the location of the company you’ll be ordering from. NEVER EVER EVER EVER PURCHASE CAMERAS ONLINE FROM COMPANIES BASED IN NEW JERSEY OR BROOKLYN. These are bait and switch companies that have low ethics. If you want to check reviews on websites you can go to bizrate.com and do a company search. Know that some reviews are bogus to try to fight the negative feedback they are getting for their lack of scruples…they are scrupless

You can read company reviews here. I highly recommend this more than I recommend penicillin after a really cool bachelor party in Vegas (because what's supposed to stay in vegas sometimes doesn't). This is Bizrate.com. It is mostly used to rate products but it also has a nifty database of alot of crappy experiences and dirty Brooklyn photo shops to give you the 411.

What camera do I get?

I’ve been asked it a lot: What kind of camera should I get? If I were to answer honestly you’d laugh in my face and ask “Where am I supposed to get $5000 for a camera?” at which point I’d storm out of the room muttering something about amateurs, opinions and an inaudible reference about sheep and your mom.

What type of camera should you get? It’s a function of how much you want to spend, how much you know or want to know about photography and what types of photos you want to take.

In most cases I’ll always recommend a digital camera. Although they may be more expensive than film you’d be an idiot not to realize the cost savings in the long run. However if you’re 90 years old going snorkeling for your first time I’d recommend a cheap underwater throwaway film camera. But the rest of the time the answer is simply “Go digital!” Plus I think if you do purchase or own a film camera the government considers you a social deviant and puts you on their watch list.

Now before you figure out how much you want to spend on your camera, let’s think about what you want to use your camera for? Do you want to just take mediocre pictures of how drunk Jim got at the party last night to post onto Facebook? If that’s the case then GET OFF MY SITE NOW AND FORGET WE EVEN MET! Really, if that’s the case then use your crappy phone camera and die because you’ve offended the art.

Think about your photos in the past? Are you mostly taking pictures to remember people and events? Or do you really enjoy taking photos and like to bring the creative beast that tricked you into thinking English or Communications was a valid major? If you are the former you’re budget should be $300 dollars and less and you should be perfectly happy with your standard digital camera, for the purpose of this article will just call it a compact camera. If you are the latter then one word…or four words depending, DSLR – Digital Single Lens Reflect Camera (I should stop and point out that yes you can get an SLR camera for around $300 but you will spend way more in film and processing in the long run, so don’t even muse on the thought). DSLR’s are much more versatile then other camera’s and are used mostly by amateurs wanting to go pro and pro’s. However if you don’t want to commit that kind of scratch to something you’re not sure about you can always go hybrid like the Canon Powershot S5 IS.

If you are casual go compact. If you really like photography, nothing less than a SLR will do. If you aren’t sure, maybe the hybrid is right for you.

To help you in your initial search here are a few articles by people who know much more about life, love and photography than me.

Here is a good article that breaks it down pretty good. The author owns a dog large enough for a small child to ride on and if that doesn't scream trust and professionalism I don't know what does. Plus he went to MIT which is ranked just below the Dixie College in IVY league schools.

Another article on selecting a camera by someone claiming they know what they're doing. Which is good because I don't even claim that and I'm still giving advice.

On last article by a guy who writes a lot of other photo articles and maybe paints wooden soldiers. This one is like a choose your own adventure in that the first part of it is short and too the point but then it gives you the choice to go to more links if you like. EXCITING!

Why am I here?

That's a good question, certainly one my parents were asking after practicing high quality birth control.

I'm certainly not a professional, but I do have an impressive portfolio. One thing I know is that I enjoy photography and enjoy learning how to make my photos better. A lot of the time people confuse me with being a professional, and sure I let them rant for a while before I correct them after they've left, but the truth of the matter is it doesn't take much to get to where I'm at.

People will often ask me to come take pictures of their families or their kids. Which is where this blog comes into play. Let me be very deliberate in my message: I DO NOT WANT TO TAKE PICTURES OF YOUR STUPID FAMILY! But you can and by reading through this post you'll be just as good as me if not better.

So I'm putting together a tutorial to show how I got to where I am now and once you read this you will suddenly be less impressed with myself and much more impressed with the memories you've captured on your own camera.