Which Camera Is The Best?

With all the great options for your camera, it’s easy to get lost. There are compact cameras (point and shoot), SLRs (single-lens reflex), and mirrorless cameras, each good for their own thing.

Point and Shoot

Point and shoot cameras are the most common ones today, and are great for people who like to snap a quick pic of whatever they see. These cameras are very affordable, with most of them coming in at around $200-300, however there are some pro-level ones that cost over $1,000. The major pro’s: they are very light and compact, user-friendly, and they offer pretty good image taking capabilities. Cons: they don’t have a range of modes and offer limited capabilities, which are enough for the normal person but not anyone really interested in photography. For even an amateur photographer, these camera’s won’t do. For a normal person who just wants to take better pictures than they can get with a phone, this is perfect.

SLRs and DSLRs

DSLR’s are professional-grade cameras that are good for both amateur’s and professionals. In these cameras you can control almost every aspect of an image. These cameras usually come with different modes, with some full-auto modes that make it act like a point-and-shoot. The major pro is that you have complete control over how an image turns out. In order to take good photos, you will need some experience in using different settings and basic exposure knowledge. Another pro is that these cameras have an optical viewfinder, meaning you can look directly through the camera and see what you are taking. The main downside is that these cameras can be big and heavy, while being expensive too; a “beginner” (know that beginner DSLRs are still used by professionals) camera can be upwards of $600, while “pro” camera’s can easily be more than $2000. Fortunately, there is a cheaper alternative to the DSLR, one that is much cheaper, the mirrorless camera.

Mirrorless cameras

Mirrorless cameras are now becoming the most popular types of cameras, thanks to their small size and cheap price. Mirrorless cameras are most simply DSLRs without mirrors and other parts. The lack of these parts helps reduce the size and price of the camera while keeping image quality the same. The pro’s: they offer just as much control over images as DSLRs, are light, cheap, and perform at high standards. The cons are that because of the emphasis on the small size and cheap price, the battery life goes down significantly. Also, to conserve space, there is no optical viewfinder, only an electric one, meaning that you will have to view your images on an LCD screen, which is notoriously battery-draining. The lack of a mirror also means that some features that DSLRs have are not available on mirrorless cameras. However, a mirrorless camera that is comparative to a “pro” DSLR will go at around 2-4x as cheap, with mirrorless cameras that have “pro” features coming in under $1000.