Camera Brands

This question, I believe, is not nearly as important as many think. And I will explain why!

Let’s first answer the question:

Whichever one you like best

People will recommend Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus, Pentax, whatever, but what no one seemingly understands is that YOU are the one who will use it, not them. And I will explain this.

But first, let’s help you pick that brand.

When talking about professional cameras, on the high end, there’s very little difference and most would never notice it. And if you do, then you already know which one to go with and my guide is useless to you.

What is more important, however, is

What do YOU think of the company's cameras?

I, for example, find Sony’s cameras a bit uncomfortable. They are a bit too boxy for me and, while I haven’t tried them, I bet I would feel uncomfortable using them for long periods of time. I also prefer the menu that Canon offers, so I went for Canon! It was that simple. (And to be fair that was the best option at the price, beggars can’t be choosers after all).

What I recommend you do is you go out to your local camera store and you just try out the cameras. Look through the menus, feel the cameras in your hand, try taking photos if the store allows it, and try another company. Then another. And another. If one camera sticks out and you, in particular, think that that one is the best for you, then get that one! You’re going to be the one using the camera, so it better be nice to use for you.

Generally, the things to consider for personal preference are how it feels in the hand, how the UI looks, and how many features the menu has. There are some things to consider like the amount of lenses and other gear the company has, which camera is best for you, and stuff like that, but in general, most professional cameras will do more or less the same thing.

But that’s for professionals. For those who can afford to drop 2000€ on a camera body and 1000€ a lens. Most people won’t even dream of getting to that point. And this is where, unfortunately, you are out of luck. The market dictates what you get.

This is how to get the best camera body for a budget user:

• Set a budget - I had mine at 260€
• Decide if that budget is short term or long term - Short term means you will use this budget purely for the start and you are okay with buying stuff as you go, spending more than this initial budget, whereas long term means this is what you have and this is what you are working with. No more.
• Find a camera that is ~3x your budget new and is regarded as “great”, then look for this camera used. Do the same for 9-19 other models at varying price points, find the amount of times the price falls to gauge the resale value coefficient.
• Take this resale value coefficient and multiply your budget by this coefficient. Find which camera new falls within this budget and is the best. Find that camera used.
• Decide if you need it right now or if you can wait and spend time scouring for a good deal.
• If you want it right now, get the best model you can under your budget.
• If you wait, this is where the coefficient is most useful. Look at cameras just barely out of budget and wait for prices to fall. Do this alongside regular looking at deals. If you see something good, apply the coefficient. If the difference is greater than the coefficient, that’s an above average deal. Look into it while you can. If you find an insane deal, meet in person and check if the camera functions. NEVER BUY WHAT YOU CAN’T TEST IN PERSON, especially if the value seems amazing - you might get scammed.
• - In this case, the deal itself matters more than the brand and you will just have to accept that. Beggars can’t be choosers, as I learned.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this guide and found it helpful. Most of this information was what I learned from my own experience.