Which camera should you choose if you want to start taking photos?

Now, first of all, you should think about what you want, what needs you have and, above all, how much money you want to spend.

I suppose you’re all smart enough to know that the crawling with a smartphone is completely different from taking pictures with a real camera and just want a camera because you want something better than what a phone offers you! Of course, there are some “small” advice from the cheap corner that you’ve already got here…

You basically have the choice between 3 different ways

1. A system camera with mirror (“mirror reflex”)
2. A system camera without mirror
3. A compact camera

basically you have certain advantages and disadvantages in all three…

1. A system camera with mirror has been on the market as a digital camera for more than 20 years, which means you have a lot of accessories for most manufacturers and even before that there have already been analog mirror reflex cameras, and a lot of the accessories that have already been adapted to the analog cameras still fits wonderfully with the digital cameras. This means that you have the advantage here that you can also strike very cheaply on the used market, which is simply huge. Again you get very good cameras and accessories (objectives) at very good prices.
2. A system camera without mirror has a display in the viewfinder that you do not see directly through the lens on what you photograph but on a display. Whether the pre- or disadvantage is everyone has to decide for themselves, you can already see how the picture will become in advance, but it does not have the “live view” on the real world but on a display and possibly also a very small bit of delay. The greater disadvantage is that these cameras are somewhat newer on the market and that they are also simply more expensive to purchase. Especially with regard to the used market, the display in the viewfinder is a problem, because here the technology has naturally also developed and the older a camera the stronger you notice that the display in the viewfinder is simply not the true one, which have become better today in playback, but this is a very clear disadvantage in used purchase because they were not so good earlier. The cameras also have a lower battery life because the sensor and display are permanently on. Depending on the manufacturer, accessories and objekitve of older cameras can also work here, but usually only with adpaters. Then you pay extra

Whether with or without a mirror, you have the possibility to screw different lenses to the camera and thus also to determine how the camera captures the images. As a starter, you’ll probably be best served here if you first buy the “Standard Kit-Objective” with you, which is just great for most normal things as a beginner. If you want to start by looking at how this develops and don’t want to spend so much money then you can buy a DSLR (i.e. with mirror) and then if necessary, and if you know better how that works with the photographing everything and also know what you need a new lens or even a new camera you can “upgrade” and then you have the advantage for example. As far as the manufacturer is concerned, you might just go to a store and try out what’s best for you personally. Of course, the cameras also differ in operation. Images make them all, usually also relatively similar…

If a manufacturer is sympathetic, you can just look around the used market and keep in mind that the camera doesn’t have too many triggers yet. And the best thing is to buy from the dealer, even if it is perhaps a bit more expensive than private, but then you also have warranty and a return right, so you can then also test the camera for 2 weeks and if it doesn’t return

Likewise, the camera should not be too old, especially with cameras without mirror, this makes a big difference because of the display, with cameras with mirrors you can also go back a few years longer and save a few euros

The third option would last compact cameras.

Here you have the advantage that you can get them relatvi cheap (some good models are also quite expensive) and that they are relatively small and compact, that is simple to take along, but also some drawbacks, on the one hand (and above all) you cannot change the lens with the cameras. It’s solid. There are cameras with small sensors and those with larger sensors, for pictures with unsharp backgrounds you need a larger sensor. There are also cameras with zoom lens and also those with fixed focal length where you can’t zoom anywhere.
Personally, I think a compact camera is the worst option and just a bit better than a smartphone, but for the sake of completeness you should also mention this possibility. Since there are so many different models with different sensors and lenses in the compact cameras, it doesn’t make the selection easy and you should already know what the cameras are and what you have to look for to get the right one. So my advice goes quite clearly away from such cameras…