Chief Photographer
With the holiday season quickly approaching, people
all across America will be shopping for the hottest item. If you are trying to buy photography equipment
for that shutterbug of the family, but don’t quite know what to get, below is a
list of the must haves for photographers of all levels.
The first camera is the Olympus EM5. It is a little
on the expensive, costing $1,299. However, it will be one of the best pieces of
equipment you will purchase. It has a 16.1 mp sensor putting it up there with
the greats, like Nikon and Canon. The
EM5 has a 3” tilting screen, so you can get a child’s eye view or an eagle eye
view. The screen is also touch screen, helping you select your depth of field
without having to look through the lens. You can also scroll through the
pictures via touch screen. If you prefer the “old school way” of scrolling
through pictures or selecting the depth-of-field by pushing buttons, you can
also do that. If you prefer to look
through a view finder as opposed to staring at a screen, you can do that as
well. Another great feature is that it
is mirrorless, so Olympus was able to put in more photo-enhancing technology. (When
I shot a beach wedding with this camera, it quite accurately and beautifully
showed the sky, ocean, beach, and the wedding party with amazing contrast.) One
final feature is that it has an ISO sensitivity from 200-25,600. ISO up to
32000 is when noise starts to come into play. When you go up to 6400 and even
12800, you start getting some unusable pictures. In short, this is one of the best cameras you
will own. It has an amazing color rendition, very sharp pictures, and amazing
contrast.
A less expensive option is the Nikon D3000. It costs
anywhere from $439 on Amazon or $189-$325 on KEH.com. It is an SLR with a 10.2
Megapixel camera, and an ISO sensitivity of 3200. However, you start to see
noise at an ISO of around 800. It has a pop-up flash, but I would recommend
buying an external flash. It is a good, inexpensive camera for all levels, but
it would be more suitable for a beginner or intermediate shooter, because it
has low megapixels and fewer capabilities than a Nikon D7000 (16.1 mp., ISO of
25600). The camera comes with the battery, a battery charger, USB cable, Rubber
eyecup, camera strap, body cap, and a lens cover along with an 18-55 mm
F3.5-5.6 lens. Some cons are that due to limited space, there is no top LCD to
display the frame content, aperture, and shutter speed.
A competitor of the Nikon D series is Canon’s Rebel
series, and more specifically the Canon Rebel T3i. It is a very easy to use camera
and is great for beginner and intermediate photographer. It can beautifully
capture the essence of what you are photographing. The T3i has an 18 mp sensor, better than the
previous Rebels. It has an ISO of
64,000, not quite as high the previously listed Olympus EM5, but still great.
Noise starts at 1600 for shadows and low light, but in high light situations,
it is not noticeable. The depth of field is amazing and is very sharp. Having
daily access to the whole Rebel series, I can say that this is the best one to
get. It also has a video recording feature, something the previous rebels did
not have. It does not have a built in microphone, so that is an extra purchase
you will have to make. Some cons are
that there is no rubber on the handle, making it a little slippery when taking
pictures. Also, you will have to purchase a microphone since one is not built
in. The kit comes with a battery, charger, strap, camera, and an 18-55mm lens.
Prices are $649 on Amazon and BandH photo.com.
