Don’t Buy a Camera With These Features

Technology has come a long way over the last ten years, and it makes photography easier. There are features beyond the basic exposure settings that every interchangeable lens or bridge camera should have and others that should be consigned to the bin. Here are some considerations to avoid disappointment.

This article is mainly aimed at first-time buyers of cameras who, understandably, look for budget and second-hand models.

I handle many cameras ranging from the cheap and not-so-cheerful crap you find on supermarket shelves to sophisticated flagship beauties that cost thousands. Similarly, I get to use a wide variety of accessories too. Consequently, when a client comes to me with a camera that lacks a feature that I take for granted, I groan inwardly. If only they had spoken to me first.

Furthermore, photographers' lives would be so much easier if manufacturers considered their needs instead of churning out poorly designed second-rate gear that is lacking in some basic way.

All the camera companies, large and small, are multi-million-dollar businesses and could easily put a bit of thought into the development of even entry-level cameras and accessories. All of them have things they could do better. Here are some features that just don't cut the mustard.

Just One Command Dial

If you've ever used a camera with just one dial to control the exposure settings you will know what a faff it is fumbling for the +/- button to change the function from, say, adjusting the aperture to the shutter speed. It's so much simpler to have a command (control) dial at the front of the camera for your forefinger to operate and one at the back for your thumb. All entry-level cameras should have this basic design feature as it is so much easier for a novice to understand and use.

A Dial That’s Also a Button

If you have ever used a camera with one of these, you will know the issue I have with them. To get around the issue of pressing the +/- button they install a single command dial that changes function by pressing it inwards.

Annoyingly, it's almost impossible to rotate the command dial without accidentally pressing it in and changing the dial's function. That is especially so if wearing gloves. It's worse when the camera has been used, and the spring becomes a bit loose. One moment you will be changing the aperture and the next moment you have accidentally pressed it and are unwantedly adjusting the exposure compensation settings.

Vertically Orientated Command Dials

Vertical dials on the back of the camera are frustrating to use. They are almost impossible to turn when wearing thick gloves. It's even worse if they also double as a button.

I've tried several of these from different brands and they are all awkward. They either rotate too easily and thus lack precision, or they require too much pressure and can be pressed accidentally. Many people I've spoken to find them difficult. Again, a camera is much easier to use with two horizontally orientated command dials at the top of the camera.

No Eye Switch

Automatic switching from the viewfinder to the LCD screen on mirrorless and bridge cameras is commonplace now. However, I was handling a client's camera earlier this week and there was no change when the camera was lifted to the eye, it required a button to be pressed. Any good mirrorless camera should have either the quick menu/control panel or live view available on the rear screen with the viewfinder automatically activated with the scene you want to shoot when the camera is lifted to one's face. Not having that and requiring a button press is ludicrously cumbersome.

No Diopter Adjustment

A couple of years ago, I helped a beginner who had a cheap DSLR and she could not see clearly through the viewfinder. I told her that she could use the little wheel alongside the viewfinder to adjust it to her eye. "What little wheel?" she asked. Sure enough, it didn't have one. Consequently, she struggled to compose photographs because she couldn't see what she was shooting.

I met her a year later and she told me she had given up photography because she was struggling so much with seeing through the viewfinder. Perhaps there is another lesson here and that is to not buy cheap cameras from online marketplaces, as she had.

No In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS)

Most entry-level lenses don't have image stabilization. However, some do have that feature built into the body.

IBIS works by moving the sensor to offset the unwanted movements of the camera. Consequently, it can greatly increase the chances of getting sharp photos at slow shutter speeds.

As many beginners don't understand the relationship between shutter speed, focal length, and camera stability, being able to shoot with the shutter open for longer and still get a sharp shot is a big helping hand to getting better photos. More advanced photographers can benefit from IBIS too. I enjoy shooting with vintage and fully manual lenses, and that feature is a boon. It also enables handholding a camera in low light. For many photographers, IBIS is an essential basic feature.

Poorly Set Up Optical View Finder

Another client, a beginner I taught a while ago, had an entry-level DSLR. I was running a workshop about basic composition and started with the rule of thirds. No matter how hard she tried, her horizon ended up running through the middle of the frame. I tried her camera and, sure enough, although I placed the horizon on the third in the viewfinder when I looked at the resulting photo the horizon ran across the middle of the frame.

That example was the worst example I have found. But it demonstrates the sort of issue that entry-level DSLR cameras can have. Many DSLRs don't show 100% of the frame, although most mirrorless cameras do have 100% coverage. So, to avoid that sort of error, buying a mirrorless camera will give you better accuracy when framing the shot.

Moreover, many DSLRs have ridiculously small viewfinder images that make it impossible to accurately see what is in the frame. It's something that could easily have been fixed in the design and build of the camera at little cost and would help the photographer enormously.

Fixed Live View Screen

Years ago, I went into a camera shop with my heart set on a Canon 5D Mark III. It was, and still is, a smashing camera. However, it had no articulated screen. I am often shooting at knee or ankle height or putting the camera in a position where it's impossible to look through the viewfinder. Furthermore, although I am fully mobile, many hobbyist photographers are older and are unable to crouch or kneel. (Actually, most can do that, it's just getting back up again that's the problem.) Therefore, a fully articulated screen is an absolute must for many photographers.

Tripod Failures

Those are the most common frustrations experienced by my clients’ cameras. However, other equipment can have shortcomings too. For example, most tripod manufacturers have universal Arca Swiss quick-release plates. They enable you to swap your camera between tripods and other mounts such as Peak Design's Capture Clips that allow you to suspend the camera from your bag strap. Having an Arca Swiss mount also means that should you lose the QR plate it is easily borrowed or replaced. But not all have that. Some have mounts that are specific to just that one brand or even one model.

Lower-quality tripods have diagonal stays that stop the legs from extending outwards. Often, you want to be able to move the legs further outwards to either increase stability or get the tripod closer to the ground. There are now reasonably priced tripods that do not have that restriction, so if you are buying a tripod, look out for that.

Stupid Nomenclature

I've written at length about this before. However, it would be so much easier if every camera company labeled their mode dial with an S for shutter priority, and called continuous autofocus just that, instead of using some hifalutin technical jargon.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the one thing that depends on you. You can pick up a camera and find it fits your hand perfectly, while someone else will find it uncomfortable to hold and the buttons difficult to reach.

What About You?

Those are the big problems I've come across that repeatedly frustrate my clients. Perhaps you are happy with some of those things. Features like a fully articulated screen are less important to a studio photographer. I also know someone who likes the vertically orientated command dial, but they never go out in cold weather wearing gloves. Furthermore, if you are on a restricted budget, you might be prepared to make these compromises.

Nevertheless, they may be things to consider avoiding when you spend your hard-earned money on new gear. My advice for those thinking about delving into the fabulous world of photography: please do not just buy the cheapest possible camera. You will soon find it is lacking and it will lead to disappointment.

Do shop around and ask people with different brands and different models what they like and don't like about their gear. But beware, everyone will tell you that you must buy the brand they use.

If you are an experienced photographer reading this and have found there are features on your camera equipment you wish were changed, It would be great if you could share your knowledge to help others choose their new gear.