WHICH CAMERA SHOULD I BUY?

Are you thinking of buying a digital camera, either for yourself for someone else? With so many cameras available, which one should you buy?  

Everyday, Horn Photo’s camera experts help customers like you  select a camera.  As much as we love to ring up a big sale, it’s more important to us that you are happy with your purchase.  For that reason, we try our best to match you with the right camera, and often, it’s the most affordable ones.  

All major brands deliver outstanding products.  Sony reps will tell you that Canon makes great cameras, and Nikon reps will tell you that Fuji makes great cameras, and so on.  When one manufacturer comes out with a cool new feature, the others will soon follow suit.  So, in one way, you really can’t go wrong with any camera that we sell. But, in another way, you can go really wrong if the camera does not fit your needs and your lifestyle.

When you come to our camera counter and ask us which camera we think is best for you, we’ll put several different types of cameras on the counter, and ask you a series of questions.  Then we go through the process of elimination.  Here’s what we mean: As we listen to your answers, we’ll remove the cameras that would not be suitable for you.  In the end, we are left with just a few cameras to choose from.  One of them is sure to be a good fit.

We have listed some of the questions that we ask our customers who need help choosing a camera.

1. What are you using now?

Are you using a cellphone, or are you using a camera with interchangeable lenses? If you already have a camera, what brand is it?

Have you researched any particular brands?  

Here’s why we ask those questions.  If you already shoot with a brand such as Canon, and you are happy with the camera, it might be best to stick with the brand you’re already familiar with.  The menus will be similar, and if it has interchangeable lenses, they may work with your new camera.

If you have researched any particular brands, we will show you  ones you are interested in first.

2.  How strong is your interest in photography?

Are you a casual photographer who mainly posts your pictures on Instagram?  Or do you plan to make prints of your favorite images and want to upgrade your camera to grow with your photography hobby?

Here’s why we ask those questions.  A casual photographer is more  likely to be happier with the images produced by a basic point and shoot camera.  They don’t have to worry about figuring out the proper settings, or processing their images.

A more serious photographer will want control over their photography and be more particular about the quality of their images, especially if they plan on printing them.

3. What kind of lifestyle do you have?

Do you have an active lifestyle that involves a lot of hiking, foreign and domestic travel?  And if so, do you like to stick with the basic necessities and travel light?  Or are you a homebody, take your car go on road trips to visit family, or scenic places?  

Do you like gadgets and discovering new technology, or are you more satisfied with automatic functions?

Here’s why we ask those questions.  If you like the latest technology, and don’t mind carrying gear, you may enjoy shooting with a camera that has interchangeable lenses and lots of features that you can control.  

If you do not want to carry a camera pack, you may find a compact mirrorless camera with a fixed lens more suitable.

4.  What do you want to take pictures of?

What will your photography mainly consist of?  

Family gatherings

Portraits

Scenic Landscapes

Pets

Wildlife

Sporting events

Here’s why we ask.  If you are taking pictures of family gatherings that will be viewed on digital devices, you can get away with a point and shoot camera.  If you want to take pictures of wildlife, pets or sporting events, you will need a more sophisticated camera that has fast focusing features interchangeable lenses.  Scenic landscape photography needs high resolution cameras that will accommodate wide-angle lenses.

5. What features do you want?

Camera manufacturers are constantly developing tricked-out features no one would have even dreamed of ten years ago.  

Some of the latest developments include automatic eye focusing, meaning that the camera will detect your subjects eye, and remain focused on it as your subject moves around.  This feature now extends to dogs, cats and even birds.  There are many others.

With each new feature comes a learning curve.  You may need to find it in the menu or set it up in your custom settings so that the features you plan on using a lot will be easily accessible.

Are you the type that loves to use new technology, or would you rather skip right over to the auto mode?

Here’s why we ask that question.

There is such a thing as getting too much camera. You can buy the most expensive camera with all of the greatest features, and you’ll either love it, or rarely bother take it out of the house, because of it’s weight and complexity. Which one applies to you?

6. How important is video to you?

Are you into vlogging?  Or do you plan on making high quality videos that you can share and enjoy for years?  

Here’s why we ask that question.  All of the digital cameras we sell have some video capability.  Some models are designed with videographers in mind. They include easy to use functions that make video quality and audio quality stand out.  If video is a big part of your photography plans, we would focus on those models of cameras.

7. How does the camera feel in your hand?

That’s right.  Ergonomics. It’s more important than you may realize.  You may be thinking about a compact camera, but if you have large hands and your fingers are the size of Ballpark Franks, then forget it.  You won’t be able to easily operate the camera.  Likewise, if you are on the petite size, and want a full-frame camera with a battery-pack grip, you may not be comfortable using the camera.

You can have all of the things you want in your camera, but if have trouble operating it, because it isn’t a good fit physically, then you’re not going to be happy with it.

 Budget

Naturally, this is very important, but not necessarily at the top of the list. We suggest that you select the qualities and features you want in a camera, and let’s see if we can find one in your budget.    

Thanks for reading!

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