When it comes to buying a new camera, the big question is: "How much should I spend?"
Potato Jet is a fantastic YouTuber, and this new video from him talking about how much to spend on a camera is no different. He goes in depth into every price bracket you can think of, and thankfully, he includes the lenses in the prices. The last thing you want is a price guide pointing you towards a camera without a lens, forcing you to add on to an already limited budget.
This video is a good reminder at just how good of a camera you can get for super cheap. The Canon M50, for example, is under $600 for the camera, lens, memory card, and camera bag. We are at a point where good cameras are cheap and cheap cameras are good.
Something that the video delves into that I want to reiterate is to invest more in your lenses than your camera body if you can. This is because a camera lens depreciates in value more slowly than a camera body. You can often see the difference between a cheap lens and an expensive lens faster than a cheap camera and an expensive camera (within reason, of course).
I have to commend the guy. One of the first things he mentions is budget and what you do with the camera. When I see this sort of title for a video or a textual commentary, it's about "it's not the gear, it's the photographer" which is like nails on a chalkboard for me.
Anyway, a good video. And I like the first few seconds. Sort of a blooper thing. :-)
The first question to ask is whether you really need a new camera in the first place. Will a new camera really have any effect on improving my photography. Gear is overrated.
Does anyone really know the limits of their equipment? I suck at golf and a high dollar club not going to help if I don't know the basics.
The only thing that can improve my photography is between my ears. But, improved tech can certainly make more things possible, more convenient so I can concentrate more on color, shape, line, texture, quality and direction of light etc. and not have the camera get in the way of recording it the way I want to. Cameras can't take better pictures.
Nailed it! Can't agree more with you about knowledge over tech. I learn more and more the more I use it and more I listen to the professionals and take their advise and apply it. I invested a lot into what I have and still learning all the tricks. A new camera will not do me any good unless it can turn it's self on and take the perfect picture.
I have four digital cameras which work just fine; the clear answer is "nothing".
£200 for me, that’s the cost of a Samyang fisheye, that’s what I’m spending on my camera in 2020.
You should spend as much as you want to or feel you need to. Is that ok?