No, you do not need to upgrade your camera
Canon recently released their latest mirrorless full frame camera, the R5 and R6, targeting professionals and enthusiasts. Nikon just announced an entry-level mirrorless full frame the Z5. Later this year, Nikon will also release upgrades to their existing line-up, the Z7s and Z6s. Are you excited? As an enthusiast or amateur photograph, do you feel the urge to upgrade to the latest camera in hope they will improve your pictures? Please don’t.
From film to digital camera, the technology has been improving at an accelerated rate in the recent years, bringing more frequent incremental updates, sometimes overwhelming the photographers. Do you fancy wider dynamic range? Increased resolution in your pictures or videos? More in-body features or integration with external devices? Every new iteration of a camera body promises that, but do you really need them? The better question is, will those improvements translate directly into your pictures?
A brief history of cameras
The first mass market camera called the “Kodak” was first offered for sale in 1888. It was box shaped with a fixed-focus lens and single shutter speed. In 1900 the more affordable “Brownie” further popularized photography for the public and introduced the concept of spontaneous photo (snapshot).
The first compact camera was commercialized in 1925. The Leica I captured stills on 35 mm film and its immediate popularity cemented the position of 35 mm as the format of choice and the brand notoriety.
Several technological evolution followed, introducing Twin-Lens Reflex (TLR) and Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras, in more practical forms. The first commercial Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera was the Nikon QV-1000C and was only sold as a complete kit for 2 million yen in 1988:
- Nikon QV-1000C camera body
- QV Nikkor 10–40mm f/1.4 lens
- QV Nikkor 11–120mm f/2 lens
- QV-1010T transmitter unit
Nikon introduced the D1 in 1999, a 2.74 megapixel camera with F-mount lenses, providing professional photographers with a wide range of lenses they can choose from. The link below shows pictures taken on the Nikon D1H, which has the same sensor as the D1 — resolution isn’t everything.
Professionals and enthusiasts have been capturing award-winning photos for decades, without owning Today’s latest and greatest in camera gear.
The 2020 World Press Photo of the Year was taken on an Advanced Photo System type-C (APS-C) sensor camera, which is typically a 1.5 crop factor of Full Frame sensor (35mm).
What is the ideal camera gear?
The best camera is the one you carry with you all the time, wherever you go, no matter the weather conditions. It is the camera you enjoy taking out of your bag to take a snapshot, or enjoy playing with the controls to frame the picture you want. Nowadays, it is most likely your smartphone as modern software can feature exposure compensation, focus zone, shutter speed and ISO.
You can learn to frame and basic editing by using your smartphone capture app. When you are ready to step-up to more creative shots, portraits, sports and wildlife, landscape or astrophotography, that is when you start considering a camera with interchangeable lens. Even then, it is not so much about the camera itself than the lenses.
As an amateur or enthusiast, consider an APS-C sensor camera. The camera and their lenses are more affordable than Full Frame sensor models. Also, they are smaller in size and lighter. All these factors combined will increase the odds for you to carry your gear more often, which is the key to improving your photography skills: take more pictures.
I suggest you avoid Micro Four Thirds sensor camera as they offer too little benefits over your smartphone. Photography is all about the amount of lights you capture, the larger the sensor, the more lights you get, the better control you can have over your picture.
If you already own a interchangeable camera, chances are you also own the kit lens. If that is your only lens, then consider the following zoom range in Full Frame (APS-C) and aperture:
- For street photography, a lens around 35mm (24mm) at f/4–5.6.
- For portrait, a lens within 75–135mm (50–90mm) at f/2.8–4.
- For sports and wildlife, a lens covering 100–200+mm (70–130+mm) at f/4–5.6.
- For landscape, a lens covering 16–25mm (10–24mm), any aperture.
- For astrophotography, a lens around 18mm (12mm), at f/1.4–2.8.
Those are the lenses’ zoom range and maximum aperture I recommend; only get the lens you need for your photography style. For most non-professional photographer, two zoom lenses will meet most if not all your needs. The exception is for astrophotography which require ultra-wide and very large aperture (lower f-stop) lens. If you are interested in macro photography, consider a macro extension tube instead of buying specialized macro lenses.
Quality glasses with the appropriate aperture are key to let more lights into your camera sensor for better pictures, not the camera body features.
Process your pictures
Are you impress by the dramatic scale or colors of the photographs you keep seeing on the internet or the social media? Of course they may be using filters, but more likely, the images were post-processed on professional photo-editing tools, such as Lightroom or Capture One.
Make sure your camera saves pictures in native (RAW) format, otherwise you will be missing out on powerful editing features. Some software are available as free edition, such as Capture One Express. The limited features is more than enough for beginners to add impact to your pictures and learn the basics of photo adjustments.
You will be surprised how your photos can improve just by leveraging a few sliders under, Exposure, High Dynamic Range or Color Editor. Restrain yourself from oversaturating the colors; subtle adjustments can add visual impact while keeping your photo natural.
There is no need to spend tons of money to buy premium gear nor to upgrade to the latest model; you just need a camera that works, the proper lenses for your photography style, and a photo editing tool you are comfortable to use. If you need to buy lens, look for used gear sold by camera stores; they will provide an accurate condition rating. A camera lens is good as long there is no scratch on the lens. Buying used will save you a substantial amount of money and the gear will still last nearly a lifetime. Now grab you gear and go take some pictures!
