CAMERA & LENS DECISIONS

You can choose your body!

We are going to start quickly with this tough decision-making process. Everything said here is about finding equipment that will be light weight so it is not a burden to carry the camera and lenses in your arsenal as covered in our Size Matters article. With that said, let's start by going with a mirrorless camera. That saves weight right off the bat. Now you have three choices:

1. Full frame - the full frame bodies from Sony, Nikon, Canon, Sigma and Lumix can all be quite light. The problem is that most of the lenses you select will rapidly add pounds. Your camera bag, filters and tripod are may also need to be larger and weigh more. Unless you are a young, professional photographer, I encourage Photoboomers to look toward one of the next two choices. 

2. APS-C - Most of the major manufacturers produce camera bodies in this category. Fujifilm is a leader in this market, but by no means the only choice. The sensor is approximately two-thirds the size of a full frame sensor. Larger sensors can mean larger pixels on the sensor which are able to capture light better. You can expect your eventual lens collection to weigh about 2/3 of a full frame system.

3. Micro Four Thirds (MFT) - These cameras have sensors about half the size of a full frame camera. The system will also weigh about half the weight of a full frame system. The leaders in this market are Olympus and Panasonic Lumix.

For whatever system you choose, the more features in the camera, the more the body is likely to weigh. Because there is so much to learn, there is no reason for a beginner to half to pick a high end model. Instead, consider an entry level model especially if that means you have more to invest more in your lenses. If you have been comfortable with photography for quite some time, by all means consider more advanced features such as image stabilization, in camera focus stacking, and eye tracking. Consult your local camera dealer to pinpoint the right level of camera for you. Or if you have narrowed it down a bit more, watch a few YouTube videos that compare models. Also, know that as you progress to a higher level model, this purchase may become your backup camera, always a nice thing to have. 

A first lens

Many photographers will choose a single starter lens. This is often a zoom lens. If you are interested in landscape photography, choose a wide angle zoom lens with a fairly wide range of focal lengths. If you are a travel photography or street photographer a mid range telephoto zoom may be appropriate. if you sole interest is wildlife photography, choose a longer telephoto zoom. Many cameras bodies are sold with a kit lens. With some exceptions these kit lenses are fairly low quality and you will discard yours if you advance in skill and expectations. It is a good idea to upgrade to a higher quality lens if you can afford it. The higher quality zoom lens will serve you for years and years.

Understanding focal lengths

Focal length refers to the degree of magnification that the lens provides. It is a measurement of the distance from the lens elements to the sensor inside the camera. A camera with a smaller sensor means the lens must be closer to the sensor to create the same image on the sensor as you would with a full frame camera. The following chart provides equivalent lens lengths for the three sensor sizes. Note that the APS-C equivalents are 2/3 the full frame size and the MFT equivalents are 1/2 the full frame size.

	Full Frame	APS-C	MFT
Super wide angle	18 mm	12 mm	9 mm
Wide angle	24 mm	16 mm	12 mm
Standard (natural view)	50 mm	35 mm	25 mm
Short telephoto	85 mm	56 mm	42 mm
Long telephoto	300 mm	200 mm	150 mm

Understanding aperture (just a bit)

Wider aperture (lower f/stop) lenses let more light in. But a smaller pixel sensor requires more light. So an f/2.8 lens on a full frame camera is not equivalent to an f/2.8 lens on an APS-C camera. But you would need an even wider aperture lens to capture the same light. This is somewhat balanced by the lighter weight camera being easier to hand hold at lower shutter speeds. Lenses usually produce a softer image and distortions at their extreme ranges...you may not want to use the last f/stop very often. For now, that's enough. 

Advancing to a more complete system

Most photographers will choose a system of two to four lenses, depending on their genre. Initially, you are likely to build on that first zoom lens. So if you chose a mid range zoom lens to begin with, you might next add a wide angle zoom and a short telephoto zoom. This is what I did with my full frame system, eventually adding a long telephoto zoom. More advanced photographers may prefer prime lenses...those lenses with a fixed focal length. Each prime lens would likely fit into one of the zoom lens ranges. These lenses provide a sharper product. On the downside, a collection of prime lenses can add quite a bit of weight to your camera bag. Certain genres may prefer a specialty lens. For example, a floral photographer might want a macro lens for closeups and Lensbaby (also for closeups) that intentionally blurs the edges of the photo. An architectural photographer might include a tilt-shift lens to help control perspective. The following chart show the "magic' lens combinations for various photographic genres.

	…	Full Frame	…	APS-C	…	MFT
Wide Angle		16-35		12-24		8-25
Mid Range		24-70		18-55		12-40
Short Tele		70-200		50-200		40-150

These choices will differ depending on your favorite photography genres. This list will give you an idea of how these choices may vary. Two asterisks are placed on the lenses I would buy first if I had to choose only two. When possible, choose initial lenses with autofocus. This is especially true when you are hand holding your camera or when your subject is moving. Autofocus lenses have electronics and internal motors that will increase the weight of the lens. They also make it possible with cameras that have built-in focus stacking to take a series of shots at different focus distances 

	Wide Angle	Mid-range	Short telephoto	Other considerations
FF	16-35	24-70	70-200
APSC	12-24	18-55	50-200
MFT	8-25	12-40	40-150
Landscape	**	**	*	Wide aperture not as critical if tripod used
Travel/Street photography	*	**	**	Wide aperture so tripod does not need to be carried
Night sky	**	**		Wide aperture is important; *prime super wide angle (12-14 mm FF equivalent)
Architectural	**	**		**Tilt shift lens
Wildlife/Birds			**	**150-600
Still  Life		**	**
Macro/Floral		*		**Macro/*Lensbaby
Sports		*	**	Wide aperture for night or indoor sports
Weddings/Events	**	*	**	Wide angle is for group photos
Portraiture		*	**	**Prime lens 80-110 mm with wide aperture

These charts should help you narrow your choices quickly. If you want to do further research into the lenses qualities and comparisons consult one or more of these websites. Happy shopping!

Camera Decision compare cameras and lense here
The Digital Picture for full frame lenses only
Optical Limits