The Layman's Guide to Buying a Digital Camera

I've been fielding a lot of questions about digital cameras and photography lately so I thought I'd compile the information I've collected and post it here.

I am, by no means, a professional photographer. At best, I'd call myself an enthusiastic amateur. As such, I look at lots of images and have slowly learned some the subtleties of the art of photography. This has earned me a reputation among my friends as a "camera junkie" so I am often called upon to provide advice for camera purchases.

1. Photography is both a craft and a tool. I once heard David Carson talking about how he visually curates his world – he sees a texture he likes, he takes a picture; he sees a sign he likes, he takes a picture. At the time he was using disposable cameras so quality wasn't top of mind and he does seem to enjoy that whole "grunge" thing but that's neither here not there. The concept cemented in my head. As designers, illustrators and photographers, we should never be without the means to document and save something we find visually interesting – from a book cover to a color combination and that's where having a digital camera comes in handy. As much as I miss the idea of film cameras, for my day-to-day life, its time-consuming, expensive and takes too long to get from my camera to a form where I can view, curate and share what I see. We are required to work too fast to have to sort through envelopes of prints or negatives trying to find that "type idea". Buy a digital camera!
2. Start small -- physically and/or financially. Something that you are comfortable carrying around and that will not bankrupt you. If you discover that you love taking pictures but need more control, more power, more flexibility, you can upgrade. If you start out with a huge Nikon D3x with battery grip and a bevvy of lenses, you will get tired of lugging everything around with you or worry that it will get scratched or damaged. Alternately, an $80 no-name brand point-n-shoot will take crap pictures that will just frustrate you or turn you off of photography altogether.
   
3. Stick with the big brands. In the area of ease-of-use, I often say "Nikons are to PCs what Canons are to Macs." If you are a tinkerer by nature, then a Nikon will be a many-layered treasure for you to explore. If you like smaller and simpler, Canon may be your preferred brand. I often see the line divide between the brands based on gender as well. Not to say that Canon is girlie but I think Canon focuses its products to be smaller and sometimes that's just too hard to hold for a big guy. Nikon makes 'em big and tough and there's a reason anyone might want that (photojournalists, naturists, and sports photographers to name a few). And yes, I know there are other camera manufacturers out there and they all make good cameras but these two make up the majority of the market. Its a good way to start to narrow down an overwhelming selection. If you're buying your first digital or trying to find a daily shooter, start here. You can always branch out later.
   
4. Fight the urge to think bigger. Megapixels are not the end-all be-all measure by which digital cameras should be held. Sensor size, optics, focal length or zoom range, and the purpose for which you plan to use it should precede any judgment regarding megapixels. For most, images are posted online or printed in 4x6 size which can be done with a 5MP camera perfectly well and that even leaves room for cropping.
   
5. Do your homework. dpreview is my go-to for camera reviews. They have extremely thorough reviews, so much so that it took me several visits before I plumbed its depths sufficiently. Narrow your choices down to a few models then do a blanket search for that model and get some cross-reference reviews from other users, web sites and forums.
6. Hold it in your hand. Find somewhere that will allow you to handle the cameras you're interested in purchasing, preferably without a giant brick attached to the bottom of it. You want to verify that the camera fits in your hand, is not to heavy or awkward to handle and you want to be able to play with all the buttons and controls. This might require a trip to a camera-specific store. The advantage is that there is usually more expertise at a camer store than you'll get from your local Best Buy or Costco. Often, if you've done your homework on prices, you can talk a camera shop down a bit on the price. They will charge more but they also know more and will provide you with customer service long after you've made your purchase. Remember, you get what you pay for.
   
7. Buy from reliable sources. I don't order cameras or accessories from anyone online that does not also publish an ad in Popular Photography. They have a fairly strict policy that advertisers meet certain requirements regarding procedure and legitimacy that I use as a benchmark. Amazon is also a decent option but they a lot of marketplace sellers who may have dubious products so go forward cautiously.
8. Learn how to use it. Finally, (with a shout-out to Bryan Bedell) even the most expensive, bells-and-whistles camera will produce crap results if you don't know how to use it. Practice, read the manual, experiment. Learn about lighting, ISO and exposure compensation. The great thing about digital is you can take as many pictures as you want; so do it. Just remember to edit them before you post them to Flickr.