20 Things to Consider Before You Buy a Camera Whether You Are a Landscape or Wildlife Photographer

It’s daunting buying a new camera. Some cameras have features that others don’t, and they are often things that photographers only realize they haven’t got after they have spent their money. Here are some features to consider when deciding what camera to buy.

Some of these features may be important for your photography, while others are surplus to your requirements. For example, shooting 120 frames per second (fps) will appeal more to wildlife than landscape photographers. Either way, choosing cameras with the functions you need will help you keep your camera for many years.

Subject Detection

AI-driven subject detection has revolutionized autofocus, making the hit rate far higher than previously possible. If photographing birds is something you want to do, you are going to be disadvantaged if the camera does not have that facility.

Typical subject detection possibilities include people (useful for weddings, events, and sports), birds, animals, planes, trains, and motorsports.

Custom Modes

Most experienced photographers will head out to shoot one subject at a time. They will fit the appropriate lens and change the camera’s settings before they head out. Many other photographers will jump between different genres of photography. One moment you may photograph landscapes, the next birds, and soon after portraits.

It takes time to change from the settings suitable for one subject to another. Furthermore, it’s easy to get it wrong and forget you are on single autofocus when the yellow-bellied sapsucker flies overhead. Then, moments later, baby Jamie starts to smile for the first time, and you miss the focus because the camera is looking for birds and not human faces.

Programming the custom modes ahead means you can change the settings with a single click of the mode dial. In a fraction of a second, your camera has changed from being perfectly set for that glorious sunrise to photographing the shorebirds that fly overhead.

Programmable Function Buttons

Similarly, most good cameras have buttons you can program to perform different functions that save you hunting through the menus.

In-Body Image Stabilisation  (IBIS)

IBIS was first introduced in Panasonic camcorders way back in 1988. Although lens stabilization became the norm, IBIS led the way with the amount of stabilization possible. Top-quality cameras and lenses allow both systems to be employed simultaneously, reaching up to 8 or 8.5 steps on some models. That means if you could previously handhold a lens at 1/250 seconds, you possibly could manage handholding a second-long exposure in low light.

I’ve handheld wide angle shots and avoided camera shake with shutter speeds as long as five seconds, thanks to IBIS.

Build Quality

Despite the occasional disadvantage of a rolling shutter, electronic shutters are becoming the norm for many photographers, so mechanical shutter life is becoming less of an issue. Nevertheless, when that figure is published, it is a good indication of the camera's build quality. 200,000 actuations should be considered the bare minimum.

I would never recommend buying a camera without discovering whether it feels well-built and can withstand the occasional knock, fall, or drenching. Are you likely to use your camera at the beach where airborne sand and salt water can ruin cameras and lenses? If so, consider a camera with weather sealing. But beware. Most camera companies claim weather sealing on some cameras without giving any empirical definition. Ingress Protection (IP) ratings are a real measure, but sadly only one company dares to include the rating for their gear.

Watch the following excellent video from four years ago by Imaging Resource explaining the level of testing an IP53-rated camera goes through.

Ergonomics

There’s another reason for picking up a camera and feeling it. You can find out whether it feels well made, if it’s comfortable to hold, not too heavy to carry around all day, and if your fingers reach the buttons. Years ago, I had my heart set on a camera and was all set to buy it until I picked it up.

Frames Per Second and Maximum Exposure Times

Different genres of photography require different shutter speeds. Therefore, if you are pursuing a subject that requires a 1/8000 second shutter speed or using an ND1000 filter and taking 60-second exposures, then you want a camera that can access those in manual and semi-automated modes. You may also like more than 20 frames per second with continuous autofocus to help you capture the action. If you are an avid bird photographer, then you may want more than that.

Sequential Count Restrictor

For action photos, it’s too easy to fill up a memory card with huge sequences of images. A useful feature is restricting the number of frames when pressing the shutter button. I find this particularly useful for group shots as I can also reduce the frames per second and fire off six frames over a second. In at least one of those shots, everyone’s eyes will be open.

Buffering Images Before You Fully Press the Shutter

Human reaction time slows between 2–6 milliseconds per decade of age. Even in my youth, it was difficult to press the shutter release button at exactly the right moment when a small bird took to the wing. Having the feature that buffers the images when your finger is half-pressed on the shutter button takes away the reaction time as it records the buffered images. This is not so vital for landscapes or still life photography, but for moving subjects, it will help you get the shots you previously always missed.

A Large, Clear Viewfinder

A few years ago, only the top-grade cameras had large, bright viewfinders. Many of the low and mid-range cameras were difficult to use for manual focusing and composing. Furthermore, what you saw through the viewfinder didn’t necessarily correspond with the photograph the camera took. One of my clients had a popular entry-level camera and when she tried to apply the rule of thirds, the horizon appeared in the middle of the picture.

Most models now have better viewfinders than a few years back, but some entry-level cameras still lack this essential feature. There are mirrorless cameras out there with low-resolution, tiny viewfinders. A 0.6x magnification and a 2.4-million dot resolution are inadequate. Moreover, the second-hand camera market is buoyant and those older models with poor-quality viewfinders should be avoided.

Focus Limiter

It’s frustrating missing a shot because your camera is too slow to find the subject. Having a focus limiter speeds up the acquisition of the subject because you can tell the camera the subject will be within, say, 10 and 20mm, or 10 and 20 meters.

Articulated Live View Screen

Having the rear screen fully articulated makes life much easier when shooting on a tripod or at a low level.

Two Command Dials

Although not universally adopted by all manufacturers, the generic term "command dial" is good for the dials controlled by your thumb and forefinger. It differentiates them from the mode dial. Controlling both the aperture and the shutter without using the +/- button first makes shooting more effortless.

There are two types of command dials I don’t like. The first is the rear dial that doubles as a button, so you press it in with your thumb before rotating it to access different functions; it’s very easy to press it unintentionally, especially as the camera becomes older and the action looser. I also find the vertically mounted dials on the back of the camera awkwardly cumbersome. Some may love them, but they are not for me, so you might want to decide whether they work for you.

Metal or Plastic Body

This isn’t an absolute necessity, but metal bodies are stronger than plastic. If you plan to use your camera in a rough environment, then a magnesium alloy body is worthwhile considering. However, polycarbonates are becoming stronger and those used on the better-quality cameras are both robust and lighter.

Plenty of Focus Points

Some cameras are limited to just a few focus points towards the center of the frame. Ideally, for many photography genres, the entire frame should be covered with focus points. For speed and accuracy, look for them all to be cross-type.

Dust Reduction Filter

I have never had to clean dust from my camera’s sensor. That's not because of me changing lenses in a dust-free environment, but its class-leading dust removal system. Some cameras do this better than others, but it is a feature worth considering.

Bracketing and In-Camera Combinations

Bracketing is a useful feature found on most cameras. However, combining exposure or focus bracketed shots into a single file in the camera is great for those who like to work with high dynamic range (HDR) or stacked macro shots.

Bulb Mode With Image Preview During Exposure

Sadly, many cameras are limited to a maximum of an inadequate 30-second exposure in manual mode. For those doing long exposures, that means resorting to bulb mode. This can be a bit of a hit-and-miss guessing game unless you have an external light meter that records longer times. The alternative is to have a feature that allows you to watch the photograph develop on the screen and the histogram move to the right during the exposure. It's a feature I find invaluable when photographing at night.

Video

Do you want to shoot videos? If it’s something you want to do seriously, look for cameras that will produce the quality of video you want. If you want 8K or 4K LOG footage, you need a camera with that ability. Video is a hugely varied topic and much more than I can cover in a small article like this, but it is something you may want to research before buying.

Unique Camera Brand Features

Searching through different cameras’ unique features for this article, some are made out to be unique but are commonplace. For example, a few cameras from various brands now buffer the shots before pressing the shutter and they claim it is particular to their cameras. But that used to be a unique feature of Olympus when it introduced Pro Capture in 2013 and has since been adopted by several brands.

Nevertheless, some new features stand out. Nikon introduced the camera’s ability to be triggered by movement. Now, the camera can be used like a trail cam. So far, this feature is only on its $5,496.95 Z9 model. (If you want this facility on your camera, you can buy a Pluto trigger that does that and much more.)

It’s mostly the smaller, specialist camera companies that shun the mass market that develop and implement these innovative features. Fujifilm, for example, has excellent film emulations and uses an X-Trans sensor. Pentax introduced star tracking using its sensor shift technology when using a GPS module. Meanwhile, OM System (formerly known as Olympus) now has built-in ND and Graduated ND filters and other unique functions.

In Conclusion

All the major camera brands make good cameras, although some have made a few bad ones too. Not all models will be perfect for you because not every camera is right for every type of photography. Cheap, entry-level cameras often fail to deliver and lack features you may soon find invaluable. Meanwhile, some advanced cameras have functions you may or may not need for your branch of photography.

Some brands can lack advanced features even on their higher-end models, which is fine if you just want control over the shutter, aperture, ISO, and focus. After all, we manage with just that when we use a film SLR.

In short, take your time. Do your research, and base your buying choice on what you need. Avoid going for the most affordable or trendy camera. Finally, never ask your friends what you should buy, as they will always recommend what they own.