This is a topic that changes by the day, so on any given day when you need to buy a camera the question that rests in our mind (yours and mine both) is, "Which camera should I buy?" Or, "Which will be the best for this class?" Or hopefully "What will serve me the best in the long run?" We both are hoping to get the most for money that has limits. And we are hoping to get the latest information on our options.
There are a few guidelines that continue to make sense even after reading the latest reviews and descriptions of more bells and whistles than I can list here—face recognition, auto-ISO, hd video, and pre-programmed recipies for everything from fireworks to sunsets. In the end I find that the kind of camera that I wish for you as students, so that you can learn the essentials of photography, is exactly the camera that I would like to buy for myself. What I wish for myself is a camera that offers control of the three basic photographic functions: sensitivity, exposure, and focus. And on top of all those basic functions, the one that will make up for any shortcomings in other areas--good visual feedback--a good viewfinder or video display.
Here are three searches of dpreview.com, a website that was bought by amazon.com. The searches are for cameras that both capture RAW images and have a manual exposure mode. You will either need to read the reviews or try one out to find out how easy it is to make manual settings and how well the display or viewfinder suits your eyes. I have searched to display lowest price first—list prices are shown. You should do your own search to find out what the camera you choose will really cost—usually considerably less than what is shown here.
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Single Lens Reflex cameras will practically all have the necessary controls and as far as I have seen, will capture image files in the raw format. They have interchangable lenses, which sets them apart from the fixed lens cameras below. If you can afford it and know what you'll need, buy the body without a lens and get a better lens than the kit lens the camera is sold with. (If you're not sure what lens would be best, just start with what your camera comes with.)
- Compact Fixed-Lens includes most point-and-shoot digitals, but also includes some very sophisticated tools. You'll notice that those that have manual controls and which capture RAW files tend to be more expensive than consumer oriented point-and-shoots. They also give much better results.
- Hybrid/Specialty—I'm lumping these into one search because in one way or another they fall outside of traditional definitions. Some of these offer interchangeable lenses even though they are not single lens reflex cameras. Some, the mirrorless SLRs, provide live viewing and continuous focusing, even in video shooting, something traditional mirrored SLRs can't do. Again, this technology comes at a price, but they may be worth considering if you are serious about having video capability.
Help me with this thought experiment to demonstrate what we are up against. I am trying to teach you how to drive a car. You sit in the driver's seat, but because I am very nervous and because I think I am a better driver than you, I control the accelerator and the brakes. I decide that it's ok for you to steer, but I think it would be best if I controlled both the speed, and when I thought you should stop. After three or four months of driving like this, and feeling as though you have submitted to my sense of proper driving speed, following distances, and passing safety, I tell you that you are ready to take your driver's test. And although you have never made a single important decision about the speed of the vehicle, I send you out on your own.
I will have assumed that because we haven't had an accident yet, and that you have seen the decisions I have made about speeding up and slowing down, you are ready to go ahead and make the same decisions yourself. At this point you will be completely unprepared to make those important decisions about speed and braking distance because you will have no experience making those decisions yourself. That is the same position you are in when you try to learn photography with an automatic camera.
The parallel between car and camera has many similarities, but also some differences. While a car can be a lot more dangerous than a camera, a car will immediately require that you begin to make those decisions yourself once your protective guardian leaves. You will then get experience.
If you have a camera that does not permit manual control, you will never learn to take responsibility for those decisions.