"What digital camera should I buy?"
11 Top Purchasing Considerations
by Mark Hatasaka
Updated 03/02/06
"What digital camera should I buy?" It's one of the most frequently asked questions I field. Since every photographer's criteria is different, I advise creating and following your own prioritized list of must-have features. My personal list has 11 items. Ranked from most important to least, they are:
- Zoom range & Macro focusing
- Speed
- Reliability
- Weight & Size
- LiIon Batteries
- Histogram
- CompactFlash
- Image Stabilization
- Flipout Viewfinder & Silent Operation
- Megapixel Resolution
- Price
At the end of this article, I'll show you how I apply this checklist to these five categories of digital cameras to identify the absolute most effective cameras available.
- Fixed lens digital cameras (digicams) costing less than $500.
- High-end digicams costing $500 or more.
- Entry-level digital SLR cameras (dSLRs).
- Mid-range professional dSLRs.
- High-end professional dSLRs.
Zoom Range & Macro Focusing
Because composition is so vital to my success as a unique artist, any feature that expands my composition capabilities gets instant respect. Remember, composition framing is determined by only two variables, lens focal length and camera position. A large zoom range and close focusing capabilities directly expand the scope of both these variables. Therefore, these two characteristics together get my nod as the most important feature to look for in a digital camera. For both digicams and dSLRs, look for cameras that offer a 28-300mm (equivalent) wideangle-telephoto-macro lens. By far, this is my most productive range.
Speed
Speed is a highly subjective factor because there's so many different types of speed. In general, this is how I prioritize speed.
- Low shutter lag
- Fast autofocus
- High clean ISO
- Fast maximum shutter speed (e.g. 1/8000th of a second)
- Fast frame-to-frame speed (e.g. 8 frames per second)
- Fast logistical speed (e.g. deploying, cleaning, protecting, changing batteries, changing lenses, changing storage memory, saving storage memory, charging batteries)
- Fast maximum lens aperture (e.g. f/2.8)
Reliability
With dSLRs, environmental sealing is the tacit dividing line between professional and amateur models. Sealing helps prevent dust and moisture from entering the camera, thus improving reliability. Sealing is also a sign the camera has a beefed-up shutter designed to take heavy professional pounding. In my experience, when push comes to shove, when you're photographing in extreme environments, the heavy premium for beefed-up reliability is well worth it.
Ironically, because of their sealed, non-removeable lenses and non-mechanical shutters, digicams are generally more reliable than even sealed dSLRs.
Weight and Size
Smaller and lighter cameras enhance camera positioning, and this can yield many new, interesting, and unique subject/composition combinations. For this reason, I always carry a compact digicam as a completely serious tool in my professional gear bag.
LiIon Batteries
For reliability, capacity, weight, size, and performance reasons, all my cameras use Lithium Ion (LiIon) batteries. In my experience, Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries have dealt out so much extra hassle, work, worry, and heartbreak that I now walk wide circles around any camera that uses them.
Histogram
The histogram is an exposure chart displayed by many new digital cameras. It allows to confirm exposure with phenomenal speed and precision. It is a must-have on all my new digital cameras.
CompactFlash
For reliability, capacity, and service life reasons, all my cameras use CompactFlash (CF) memory cards. To maximize service life, I purchase the largest commonly available cards in pairs—currently 4GB x 2.
Image Stabilization
In more and more situations, I'm using image stabilization in place of a tripod, and the technique is starting to work consistently. The key has been using image stabilization in combination with clean ISO 400-800 speed, relatively strong light, good handholding technique, and whereever possible, some form of physical stabilization like a hiking stick turned monopod. Due to growing success, image stabilization is rapidly climbing my list of must-have features.
Flipout Viewfinder
The flipout, non-eyelevel viewfinder is a fairly rare feature and is unique to digicams. Nevertheless, it offers such a huge camera positioning and composition advantage that I would not buy any digicam lacking this feature.
Megapixel Resolution
Other than cropping and giant print making, extra megapixels don't really add much in the way of photographic fundamentals. Therefore, I put them down near the bottom of my purchasing criteria. This means I do not chase after more megapixels. I gain extra megapixels only as the natural result of upgrading for other reasons. I maximize megapixel resolution by buying the camera with the most megapixels that already fits all the above, higher priority criteria first.
Price
My best advice about price is to find a camera that fits all the above criteria then pay whatever it costs. Over the long term, you'll use this camera much more, and consequently, achieve much more success with it. After you've taken 50,000 or 100,000 photographs with a digital camera, the cost per photograph drops to a matter of pennies regardless of the initial price. This is unbelievably inexpensive photography. The upshot is to buy a camera you like and will use then economize by shooting up a storm (both literally and figuratively).
Sounds Good. So What Digital Camera Should I Buy?
Arggh.
I won't tell you what to buy, but here's what I'm seriously considering for myself.
Digicams Costing Less Than $500
Digicams are point-and-shoot style cameras that have non-interchangeable lenses. I can find only a handful of sub $500 digicams that have the flipout viewfinder, which in my opinion, is a must-have digicam feature.
Canon PowerShot A95
Canon PowerShot A620
Canon S2 IS
Canon S3 IS
The A620 and the S3 IS are brand new and respectively supercede the A95 and S2 IS. Unfortunately, neither the A620 nor the S3 IS use LiIon batteries and CompactFlash. In my mind, however, sub $500 price tags and falling memory prices make a modest investment in Secure Digital cards much less objectionable. The compact size, light weight, and flip-out viewfinder make positioning and composing with these cameras supremely flexible. This is the golden prize I'm after.
Due to its 12x optical zoom lens, the S3 IS is considerably bigger than the A620. The payoff, though, is the bigger zoom range also results in considerably more composition capabilities. This makes the S3 IS my favored choice. The ultra-zoom telephoto, flipout viewfinder, silent shutter, and image stablization of the S3 IS make it ideal for candidly photographing people and wild critters in discreet, non-behavior-changing ways.
Digicams Costing $500 or More
Because entry-level dSLRs are now roughly equivalent to high-end digicams in terms of size, weight, and price, my regard for high-end digicams has cooled considerably. For me, the faster, cleaner ISO speed, faster shutter release, faster autofocus, and faster shot-to-shot speeds of digital SLRs turns the tide in their favor.
Entry-level dSLRs
Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D with 18-200mm (27-300mm equiv) lens
What has caught my eye about this camera is it incorporates image stabilization into the body of the camera thereby adding valuable image stabilization to any compatible lens. This is the proper and sensical way to implement image stabilization. The Maxxum 5D with 18-200mm lens weighs around 2 lbs. This light weight, together with image stabilization, large, practical wide-angle to telephoto zoom range, clean ISO 400 speed, and fast shutter response makes this camera well suited to handheld travel, backpacking, and event photography.
Important Maxxum 5D Update:
Konica Minolta has recently announced it is quitting the camera business, and is turning over its camera assets to Sony. An extensive Web check indicates the Maxxum 5D has become chronically backordered. Given the uncertainty and tight supply, I no longer recommend the Maxxum 5D.
Nikon D70s with Nikon 18-200mm (27-300mm equiv) AF-S VR lens
Nikon has recently released its first ultrazoom (11.1 X) lens for a dSLR, the Nikon 18-200mm (27-300mm equiv). It comes equipped with a high-speed autofocus (AF-S) motor and image stabilization (oops, Vibration Reduction) built in.
Like the Maxxum 5D, the light weight, image stabilization, large, practical wide-angle to telephoto zoom range, clean ISO 400 speed, and fast shutter response makes this camera an excellent choice for handheld travel, backpacking, and event photography.
With a combined street price of $1,500, though, this camera/lens combination costs at least $400 more than other recommended entry-level dSLRs. Is high-speed autofocus and Vibration Reduction worth the extra money? For me, these features yield additional handholding capabilities that are well worth the cost.
Canon Rebel XT 350D with Sigma 18-200mm (27-300mm equiv) lens
On the one hand, the Canon Rebel XT 350D puts out a very fine, clean file, and offers a superb range of high-quality lenses. On the other hand, there are currently no low-cost, light weight, sub $1,000, image stabilized, 18-200mm zoom lenses for this camera. This restriction alone causes me to place the 350D in the "Worthy Alternative" category.
Pentax *ist DL with Sigma 18-200mm (27-300mm equiv) lens
Like the Canon 350D, this camera lacks image stabilization options in the 18-200mm zoom range. Offsetting this, however, the *ist DL/Sigma 18-200mm lens costs around $740. To me, this makes the Pentax *ist DL a high-end digicam killer, and the industry "Bang-For-The-Buck" leader.
A Weather-eye on Four Thirds
For almost 4 years now, certain manufacturers have taunted us with the promise of a robust multi-vendor camera market based on the "digital from the ground up," Four Thirds camera specification. Until now, though, Four Thirds has remained a virtual Olympus proprietary format with terribly overpriced lenses.
Recently, however, Four Thirds canera and lens introductions by Panasonic, Leica, Sigma, and yes, Olympus have essentially integrated all the 11 criteria on my list, and then some. This could signal the breakout of Four Thirds as a mainstream camera format, and establish it as the defacto successor to the venerable but dying 35mm format.
Olympus Evolt E330
Here are some of the pros of this brand new Four Thirds camera.
- A real-time, flip-out view finder on a digital SLR.
- 14-1000mm zoom range (135 equivalent) with just 3 relatively low-cost lenses.
- Built-in anti-dust mechanisim.
- The first image stabilized Four Thirds lens now available (Leica D Vario-Elmarit 14-50mm/F2.8-3.5).
- Identical areal pixel resolution as the Nikon D2x. (33.3K pixels/sq mm--see the Nikon D2x description below for the significance of this).
- 1/2 the weight of the D2x.
- 1/5 the price of the D2x.
Some Evolt 330 cons, caveats, we'll-sees, and would-like-to-haves.
- Still too new to be proven.
- The Olympus 7-14mm (14-28mm equivalent) lens weighs 2-lbs. and costs $1,550. How about a 7-14mm lens that weighs half as much for a third the price?
- How about a 14-210mm (28-410mm equivalent), 15X, image stablized, macro super zoom?
- How about a dual axis flip-out viewfinder?
- Note to Sigma: how about a faster, lighter, less expensive, made for Four Thirds, image stabilized 50-500mm or 60-600mm lens instead of your rehashed, made-for-35mm 50-500mm offering?
All in all, the Olympus Evolt 330 appears to be a superb match to my entire list of 11 purchasing criteria, and I'm starting to muse, "Maybe in a couple of years when my current equipment approaches the end of its service life..."
Mid-Range Professional dSLRs
Nikon D200 with Nikon 18-200mm (27-300mm equiv) AF-S VR lens
This camera is the archetype for the newly emerging and ill-defined mid-range professional dSLR category.
The salient features of the D200 are environmental sealing, light weight for a professional dSLR, heavyduty shutter, lightweight/high capacity LiIon battereries, high-speed autofocus electronics, and a $1,700 street price. The closest environmentally sealed competitor is the Canon EOS-1D Mark II which is significantly heavier and bulkier, costs $3,750, and runs on old-fashioned, 2001-era, NiMH batteries. To be fair, Canon also has worthy non-sealed competitors in the EOS 5D and EOS 30D models. Both these cameras, however, use sub-professional electronics and mechanics for autofocus, light metering, and shutter, and again, they lack environmental sealing. Furthermore, the EOS costs $3,300, and has a full-frame sensor—detriments in my book.
High-End Professional dSLRs
First I must disclaim I've excluded digital camera backs on medium format SLR systems from this category. For my purposes, these camera systems fail short against my zoom range, weight, size, and environmental sealing criteria. Stratospheric prices are also a big negative.
This leaves the environmentally sealed offerings from Canon and Nikon. Here again, though, I am forced to disqualify Canon's offerings (1D Mark II N and 1DS Mark II) because of their heavy, clunky, old-fashioned NiMH batteries.
This leaves the:
Nikon D2x with Nikon 18-200mm (27-300mm equiv) lens
Do I really choose the Nikon D2x because of its LiIon batteries? It sounds crazy, but it's mostly true. Over the years, I've waged what amounts to a private little war with NiMH. Once, in the wee hours of the morning, I nearly ran off the road and killed myself while trying to drive and resuscitate my mutinous NiMH batteries at the same time. On several backpacking trips, my heavy NiMH batteries froze and prematurely lost their charge—not a happy camper. Modern LiIon batteries have essentially eliminated all these problems.
Another little understood and little appreciated advantage of the Nikon D2x is it offers the highest areal pixel resolution of any major professional digital SLR. Areal pixel resolution is simply the number of pixels in a given amount of sensor surface area.
Why is this important? If you do a lot of ultra-long telephoto
work, higher areal pixel resolution is tantamount to adding
precious focal length to your lenses.
To illustrate how this works, I'll use this photograph
of a surprisingly tiny green-winged teal
taken with a 1600mm lens (Sigma 300-800mm with
2X teleconverter) and the 12-megapixel D2x. Note
how in this particular case a full-frame, 17-megapixel
sensor would have added no magnification—it
would not have made the duck any bigger in
the frame, and the extra pixels would have simply
gone into more foreground and background material
around the edges of the image.
This enlargement of the above photograph demonstrates how the high areal resolution of the D2x allows fairly extreme enlarging and cropping while still maintaining decent image quality. In effect, this image was taken with the 135 equivalent of a 6,840mm lens. Paradoxically, in this particular application, the lower areal pixel resolution of a full-frame, 17-megapixel sensor would have resulted in diminished capacity to enlarge and crop. So the upshot is, in applications involving "maximum pixels on target," higher areal resolution can be a significant advantage.
Are You a Nikon Borg?
In looking over my list of likely choices, it certainly looks that way. However, other than paying full retail prices, I have no business relationship with Nikon. I'm simply applying my 11 photography-first purchasing considerations, and letting the chips fall where they may.
This brings up the whole point of this article. Your chips may easily fall in completely different ways so the solution is to come up with your own prioritized list of purchasing criteria. It's an approach that allows you to confidently and definitively answer your own questions about what equipment to buy.
Update: I'm starting to regularly hear from Canon owners taking mild exception to my apparent Nikon bias. I can only say these things run in cycles. Right now, it appears the current cycle belongs to Nikon, but next month (or even next week) it could leapfrog back to Canon, or to something entirely different like Four Thirds cameras. Over the years, I've put numerous photographers onto Canon cameras (including my dad) so it really boils down to a matter of timing.
This brings up a couple of other important points. First, don't take it negatively if your current equipment falls short on my criteria. In the digital camera industry, technology moves so fast that, to some degree, you'll always be using "older" technology. For example, I used Nikon D1 series cameras for over five years which means I coped with balky, mutinous NiMH batteries for almost that long. Back in 2000 and 2001, D1 NiMH batteries were state of the art, and they enabled me to create much of the best photographic work of my life so I have zero regrets. However, today, in 2006, I would have unpardonable regrets if I upgraded to another NiMH-based pro camera. I'd be condemning myself to another 4 or 5 years of NiMH strife.
The point is I use my purchasing criteria not to second-guess or denigrate past purchases, but to identify the technologies I'll be living with for the next 3-4 years.
The second important point about my criteria is I don't necessarily use them only when I'm in "buy-now" mode. Rather, I constantly use them to evaluate equipment and technologies over long periods of time. This gives me perspective, and an excellent sense of; (a) when to time purchases; (b) what technologies will likely yield the best results over the longest service life (e.g. CompactFlash, LiIon batteries, environmental sealing); (c) what technologies are still immature (e.g. Four Thirds); and (d) what technologies are at risk of dying out (e.g. smart media).
Fine, I Hear You, So What Digital Camera Should I Buy?
Sigh.
If right now, at this very moment, If I had to choose a single camera and lens combination, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the
Nikon D200 with Nikon 18-200mm (27-300mm equiv) lens
For me, this camera clearly offers the best balance of the 11 criteria on my list of purchasing considerations. The only completely lacking feature is a flipout viewfinder.
I can easily see myself living and working with this camera for the next 4 years. I can also easily envision myself taking it anywhere in the world I'm likely to travel—steaming Amazon jungles, acidic South American rivers, scorching, dust-blown deserts, long backpacking trips, jarring boat trips, freezing cold mountains, salt-laced coastlines. In looking at all my other choices, I can't think of a single camera that offers as much flexibility, nor instills as much confidence in the future, not even my Nikon D2x.
If you're new to digital photography and you just want to get your feet wet, or if you're a casual snapshooter, go with the Canon A620. It offers plenty to grow into.
If, however, you have even the slightest ambition of becoming an accomplished photographer, I have no qualms in urging you to make a stretch for a professional dSLR.
For one thing, provided you take reasonably good care of it, a professional dSLR will retain surprisingly high resale value. You can heavily use such a camera for years, sell it, and end up paying less than a string of lesser cameras.
Beyond the financial considerations, though, you'll have a camera you can respect, have confidence in, feel good about, grow into, and ultimately live up to.