A question that I have been asked a lot of times is what camera shall I buy? The simple answer to this question is that I cannot tell you what camera to buy, its down to you. You need to find a camera that you feel comfortable shooting with and fits with what you are looking to do. All I can do, and will try to do, is give you tips and pointers that will be of use to you when buying your camera.

Film or Digital?

These days digital is taking over, and slowly traditional photography, where by using a manual SLR (Single Lens Reflex) and film are being lost, which is a really big shame. What I loved about photography, and miss, is being able to go back into the darkroom after shooting a role of film, developing and then printing the photographs.

A lot of people these days who are new to photography go directly for a Digital camera, simply because it offers them the chance to see what they have taken directly after they have shot it, the ability to delete photos if they go wrong and are able to upload them to a computer and share the photos instantly or easily edit them.

Film Photography

With film photography you don\'t get all the joys of being able to preview photos after taking them or ability to instantly share them. Instead you have the challenge of learning the technical side of photography, and being able to develop and print the photographs yourself. You will most likely find this way to be a longer process to start off with, but when your photography improves, the quality of the prints you can get compared to some digital cameras are really worth the time and effort put in.

Digital Photography

Digital photography is the way most new people starting photography will take these days, simply because this is the quickest, easiest and most hassle free way for them to learn. It gives them the freedom to go out and take lots of photos, and then check the photos over either by looking on the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or on the computer.

This way they can quickly identify any changes they need to be making, delete some photos to clear some space if needed, and then continue on taking more photos.

So what do I want to go for?

For the new photographer I would suggest starting out in digital photography, as if you don’t know how to use an SLR camera or different photographic techniques, you may find yourself put off photography, so digital is your best option.

But if you are someone who does like a good challenge, wants to learn more of the technical side or wants to build upon what they know, then I would suggest giving film photography a go as it gives you a chance to do things the way they used to be done with some great results.

On the next page we will be looking at finding the right camera for you.

Finding A Camera Right For You

No matter what method of photography you choose, you need to find yourself a camera that is right for you. Thing I tend to look for myself in a camera is:

• What functionality does the camera provide me with?
• How much it is going to cost
• How heavy is the camera?
• How well does it hold in my hands
• What other lenses and accessories are there for this camera, and are they easily got hold off?
• Does the camera come with editing software (for digital cameras) ?

It is always worth before heading out to look for cameras thinking about what you want to get out of your camera and what situations will you be using it in, that way it will make trying to find your camera much easier.

If you do know someone who owns the camera you are looking at buying, ask them if you can take a look at it and give it a go to get a feel for it and to see if you like the camera yourself.

Finding Film Cameras

The first thing I would do if I was looking at getting a film camera is ask around my family, friends and neighbours. You would be amazed at the number of people who have film cameras lying around in boxes gathering dust, that would be more then happy to lend or sell you their camera.

If you have found that option hasn’t worked, your next best bet would be to go around the local camera shops, most places you will find have a few second hand cameras available for sale for good prices. Lastly there is also local for sale ads in newspapers or magazines that may have people selling their old film cameras in.

Finding Digital Cameras

These days you can find digital cameras for sale anywhere. Most big electronic stores will sell a range of point and shoot digital cameras. Usually if you want to buy a Digital SLR you will have to go to specific camera shops for those, but it really depends on the shops.

Again you could always ask around family to see if they have second hand cameras, or shops to see if they have them, but personally I would refrain from buying a second hand digital camera, as you don’t know the full extent of the condition the camera could be in, so it is usually best to spend that little bit more to have a new camera that will most likely have warranty with it, so if something did go wrong you can always go back to the place you bought it to get it fixed.

The last section I am going to talk about is what cameras are out there on the market.

Finishing up

Currently out on the market there are so many different makes and models of cameras, with new ones being added each week, so it would be quite mad for me to write some reviews on the top cameras as they keep changing all the time!

If you know what camera you are after then there are plenty of websites dedicated to bringing reviews on different cameras, so they would be the best place to find more about the camera you are interested in.

If your not so sure about what you are after, if you have friends that do photography then start off by asking them what they think would be best, or if your in college or school, ask a teacher who I am sure would be more then happy to give you a hand.

If your still reading this, then thank you, and I hope this article has helped you, Matt Godwin