A common question I’ve been noticing lately is: “What kind of camera should I get?”

The truth is, for any particular person, there is no right answer.  Instead, you must give them the information they need in order to make that decision for themselves.

To start though:

What is the difference between a Point and Shoot Camera and an SLR camera?

A Point and Shoot camera is often smaller, the picture quality is less, and usually has a smaller ISO range.

Where as a DSLR has removable lenses, better quality pictures, and a higher ISO range. (This is putting it in the simplest terms.) And the speed of taking photos is much faster.

But when it comes down to choosing a Point and Shoot Camera or a DSLR you should be asking yourself these questions:

1) What will I be using the camera for?

If you’re constantly shooting pictures, and have the hopes of selling one of your photos one day, I would recommend a DSLR camera.  Also, if you’re big into night photography, the DSLR will do a lot better for you because of the higher ISO ranges.

If your camera is merely for the everyday interactions with family members, or visiting fun places all around you, you would be fine with the convenience of a point and shoot camera.

2) What can I afford?

A huge question that is often asked is this: why are camera’s so expensive, and why do they rarely come down in price?

The truth is, the price is high because of the parts it takes to make a camera.  The other part of why the price is so high is that there is very little money being made from cameras so they can’t come down in price because of it.  One of the best times to shop for cameras is when a new model will be coming out to a similar camera.  This is when you will see the biggest price decrease.

One other factor when asking yourself “What can I afford?” is realizing the cost of photography especially if you begin to invest in a DSLR.  Once you buy your DSLR, there are accessories you will soon start to look into:  One of those huge accessories are the cost of the lenses to keep your photography sharp, and to equip your camera for all your photography needs.

But other accessories such as flash extenders, battery packs, camera bags, and even tripods.  But once you put the cost into these accessories, it will be worth it to your future photography.

3) What is your technical level?

It may sound silly, but it’s a legit question.  Are you wanting to learn as much as you can about photography, and truly see where you can take your photography? If so, you’re going to want a DSLR.

But if you struggle with understanding all the photography terms, and usually just put your camera on automatic, you’ll be okay with a point and shoot.

What it comes down to is how much you want to invest into your photography.  If you really want to learn, want to practice, and constantly improve,  you should look into a DSLR.

But then that leads to the next question:

4) What DSLR is right for you? 

For me, I am firm believer in sticking to the top 2 photography brands: either Nikon or Canon.

For me, I am a huge Canon lover, and will continue to be.  I recently upgraded to the Canon Rebel T2i, and am in love with it.

To me, it came down to the T2i and the T3i.  The factor was price, but I also looked at my photography level, and felt these two camera were where I needed to be before going to the next level.  Which one did I choose? The T2i.  The T3i, the main differences really came through in the video functions and of course the swivel LCD screen, but for me, personally, the extra 150 dollars to just have the swivel screen wasn’t enough reason to go after the T3i for me.  I just don’t utilize the video functions enough on my camera.

But when it comes to DSLR’s for me, I realize, that the money I invest into my camera’s from here on out will be going into the lenses I purchase as opposed to the body of the camera.  So, I felt sticking to a lower cost camera then putting the rest of my money towards the lenses would pay off.   Btw: Lenses that I can swap with my SO because he also has a canon camera 😉

In the end, when it comes to choosing the right DSLR for you, it’s about prioritizing what’s important to you: if it’s video, look into the camera’s that have the best video capabilities.

If it’s picture quality look into the higher models where the camera’s are a bit more pricey.

Or if you’re just beginning to learn the ropes of photography, you’ll be okay sticking to the lower models as you adjust to DSLR life.  Trust me, you will still get some pretty amazing images.

If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask, and I will try my best to get the answers for you.