What Camera Should I Buy?

People often ask what camera they should buy. I have two simple criteria: the largest/heaviest camera you are willing to carry, and the camera that has the best optics for the amount of money you are willing to spend.

I use a Horseman VH, 6cm x 9 cm view camera. The 6 cm x 9 cm image size is about five times the size of a 35 mm image, which means (all else being equal, which it isn't, but that's getting more complicated than we need to get here) that each 6 x 9 image has approximately five times as much detail as a 35 mm image. I have chosen the Horseman camera as my principal tool because I believe it offers the best compromise between image quality, portability, and cost. I have discovered many images miles from the nearest road; in some cases, I found them during a several day backpacking trip. In addition to the large size of the original image, a view camera allows me to shift the plane of focus by tilting the front or back standard of the camera. The result of shifting the plane of focus is that it is possible to keep everything, from foreground to background, in sharp focus. This enhances the illusion of three dimensionality. My backpack, including tripod, camera, four lenses, two roll film backs, and other accessories weighs approximately 25 pounds (including the pack), which I consider very light considering the functionality it provides.

You can use any camera that works for you. If you are interested in developing your photographic craft, then my advice is to start with a 35 mm camera because it offers the widest range of options. New cameras can be excellent; older, less automatic, cameras can also be excellent and can often be had at a bargain price. For the type of work I do, automatic focus serves very little purpose. Automatic focus might be more important for sports, fashion, or candid photography. On the other hand, the newest cameras (Canon in particular, although I suspect Nikons are very good on this count as well) have excellent matrix metering systems, which can make it a lot easier to get the correct exposure. In fact, I keep thinking about buying a Canon Rebel 2000 with a cheap Canon consumer lens. I wouldn't use the Canon to shoot images but rather as a light meter and to help me decide how to frame the image before setting up my view camera.

When I shoot 35 mm film, I currently use a Canon A2E (it's about a six year old camera design but still offers excellent metering) and one lens, a 28-135 mm image stabilizing lens. If I buy a second 35 mm lens (I've had various lenses through the years and sold them) it will be a 100-400 mm image stabilizing lens. In my opinion, although Nikon gear is great (I used to own an F3 and 4 or 5 very nice Nikon manual lenses), Canon offers the best of what 35 mm has to offer. The point of 35 mm is ease of use and flexibility. The image stabilizing lenses are perfect for travel and street photography. If you want to explore landscapes more seriously, then Canon's three tilt-shift lenses set the Canon system apart from any other 35 mm system. I started using a 6 x 9 cm view camera because I had a Canon 24 mm tilt shift lens and realized that I wanted to have the same freedom that I obtained with the 24 mm lens with every shot I took.

If you already own a 35 mm system, then don't sell it to get another 35 mm system. Your money would be much better spent on a medium or large format system.

Digital cameras still have tremendous limitations, as of January 2001. For about $2,000.00, you can buy a pretty good consumer digital camera (I'm thinking of the latest 4 megapixel Olympus high end consumer offering). However, this will still only give you a 12 MB image, which isn't nearly want you can obtain with a middle of the road 35 mm film system. The digital systems also have a lot of limitations related to battery and storage space capacity. If you want to "go digital," you're still much better off, in my opinion, getting a very good 35 mm scanner and scanning your best shots into the computer. I'm not at all against digital cameras. (In fact, all of my printing is done with digital methods, see Digital Imaging.) I'd love to have a 3 or 4 megapixel high end, consumer digital camera for playing around with quick snapshots and being able right away to examine the image. But if you're serious about photography and want to know whether to invest in a "dinosaur" 35 mm system or the latest digital camera, buy a 35 mm camera. In two or three years as prices continue to drop and the quality and features of digital continue to improve, I may change opinion. But not yet.

So start with a 35 mm camera. If you want to explore exposure more, shoot slide film. If you really want to begin understanding light and film, buy a spot meter (I use a Pentax digital spot meter). Although you'll make more mistakes than you would using a new 35 mm camera with matrix metering. You will hopefully learn from your mistakes (I at least try to learn from mine) and, your mistakes may, from time to time, help you to see light and form a little differently. Take notes of each shot and try to jot down a few words of what you found interesting about the image when you tripped the shutter. If, after a few years, you want to buy a medium format or large format photography, you should, by that time, have developed a serious enough commitment such that you will not become too easily discouraged with the technical hurdles and expense that larger formats may require you to overcome.

Your first purchase should be a camera and one lens. Your second purchase (even before you buy a second lens) should be a good, lightweight tripod. Tripods are a necessity. They permit you to control, and experiment with f-stops, and exposure times. It's very difficult to begin learning about light until you buy, and use, a tripod. They're also a pain to carry. The best and lightest tripods are the Gitzo carbon fiber tripods. The best ball heads are made by Arca Swiss and Linhof. The only really good pan-tilt head I've found (which I prefer to a ball head, but when weight is an issue I prefer to save a half pound by going with a Linhof Profi II ballhead) is the Linhof 3 way leveling head.

Now, aren't you sorry you asked what camera to buy?