The Great Camera Debate, Part 1  

Which Camera is the Best?

All camera manufacturers claim that they make the best camera. But really, which camera is the best? It often depends on who you ask! In this article, I will shed some light on the topic of the excellent camera debate.

Which camera is ‘the perfect camera’?

Which camera is the best? Big question!!

There is no such a thing as a ‘perfect camera.’ It comes down to the type of photography you do, your level of experience, and many other variables.

Before getting into this topic, I should make it clear I will not rate the manufacturers in any way. I want to share my experience with different camera groups and classes. As an instructor, I have had the privilege of working with various digital cameras. What I can say with 100% certainty is each camera has some pros and cons. As the saying goes: ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ and a pro or plus for me in one camera might be a con or negative for another photographer. It is the main reason why I will not judge the cameras; I believe it’s more important to have an excellent working knowledge of the menu system and settings specific to your type of camera. It helps when you understand the strengths and weaknesses of the tool you are using.

Establishing parameters of digital camera types

To start with, we need to organize the different types of digital cameras into groups. Just as we wouldn’t compare a Smart Car to a full-size SUV, I’ve classified camera types according to their size from small to large and into one of two groups for having either a fixed (permanently attached) or an interchangeable (removable) lens.

Fixed lens digital cameras

In this class/group, we have digital cameras with one attached lens, appropriately named because you cannot change the lenses, although some of these cameras come with long telephoto lenses (10X or more Optical Zoom).

1- Point and Shoot Cameras:

These cameras are usually small in size, with no interchangeable lens and very few accessories available for this category. Smartphones are in this class. Usually, you aim and shoot with no control over the camera’s settings or a minimal amount of controls. Point and shoot cameras are great for travelling and snapshots. They produce a decent picture in normal light conditions, but the results are often not as good when it is too bright or too dark. With a point-and-shoot camera, you are somewhat limited creatively because the camera makes most of your decisions.

There are several different point-and-shoot cameras, even waterproof ones.

2- Compact digital cameras

These cameras are similar to the point-and-shoot cameras, with the advantage of having some controls for the settings, such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, White Balance, etc. Some of these cameras are even capable of shooting RAW files. The image quality is usually far better than a point-and-shoot camera. However, the picture quality of these cameras can be less than ideal in low light or a too bright scene due to the small sensor size. Overall, the compact digital camera is my choice of small size camera because of improved image quality and various controls, which give me more creative options.

Compact digital camera with lots of controls

The above photo shows a compact digital camera with lots of optical zoom power.

Here is a picture of a fixed lens compact camera

That is all for now. Stay tuned for my next photography Tips. We love to hear from you. Let us know if you have any questions; feel free to send us your questions, and we will be more than happy to answer them. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more Free Tutorials and Tips.

Ted and the Omnilargess Team