Most of us weekend photographers have our needs met by 95% of the point-and-shoots out today. They’re quick and will likely have the shutter speeds and F-stops that meet almost all of our needs.

As our photography bug digs in even more, almost 100% of our needs are met by entry level or slightly less professional (pro-sumer) D-SLR’s. Really. Rarely are we going to need to spend thousands of dollars on photo equipment, unless you’re planning to start your own studio or just plain have the duckets to spend on a hobby like this.

It’s why, I’m so surprised at the bad levels of buying advice that’s all over the blogosphere ranging from the simple buying tips like “balance your MP needs at 8-15 MPs”, “price it around $200-$300″, or my favorite buying tip which is go for the highest optical zoom, with the most MP’s, for around $250…and the pundits say you’re going to get one awesome consumer camera.

Me? I don’t believe general tips like that can help everyone. Sure, if you want something just to get you through, then use price as your best indicator. Otherwise, it’s going to be a unique combination of what you want to use the camera for (or snap the most kinds of pictures with), balanced by your own preferences of features (long zoom, wide angle, panorama, etc), with a good dash of your own budget thrown in for good measure.

That’s the honest truth folks. Buy what fits you best and making that decision might be as easy as going to Costco and picking out whatever is on sale, or it might take a little more research on what you want and what the cameras today can do (a whole heck of a lot!). You might find yourself doing features comparisons, but hey, it takes a heck of lot of effort to get the most for your hard-earned money these days.

A camera is truly an investment as far as consumer gear is concerned. Think about it in terms of cost. TV’s (including A/V equipment) and computers are probably the most pricey items we’ll buy in our gear collection. After that comes the $200-$300 camera that we use almost everyday, fourth to cell phones, TV’s, and computers.

Purchases today has to mean more and for sanity sake, let the professionals (not me) give you best buying advice on camera (or anything else for that matter) that I’ve ever seen. Wise, sage like wisdom, that I know my Father, Grand-father and Great-grand-father have probably told me, but I was too young to listen.

Besides, their message wasn’t posted on-line, so it never sunk in.

Check out Dennis Hays again over at Black Star Rising for a really awesome tip on buying camera equipment, here.

Share on Facebook