The perfect camera does not exist, the camera is just an instrument in our hands. The best camera in the world is the one that gives you what you need , its performance and characteristics depend on what our needs are and what importance we assign to them, evaluating advantages and disadvantages.
What kind of cameras are there on the market?
- Compact : Compact cameras are the smallest and most economical, have a built-in zoom lens and usually do not allow manual exposure control. No technical complications: no aperture, shutter speed , ISO, everything is controlled by the camera in automatic mode or through preset scenes to choose from.
Although the manufacturers have created machines that achieve high resolutions, the sensor is still small. For their practicality they are good to keep in your pocket and to be taken anywhere , but with the increase in the performance of the cameras of smartphones are starting to make less and less sense.
- Bridge : they are the middle way between the compact and the SLR cameras, they have a bigger sensor and the bigger dimensions and weight are bigger. You can control most of the settings like in the most advanced cameras, some are really good quality, but have the disadvantage that you can not change the lens they mount . They are ideal for those who want to take a step further in digital photography, but without making a huge expense of money.
- Reflex : excellent image quality thanks to the sensors they use, they allow you to use different lenses for every need and always have more settings and better technical features. Another of the strengths of the SLR is their ergonomics, because the buttons are strategically positioned at the most suitable points.
Around the SLRs there is also a huge market that covers the many accessories that can be used. For those who are not used to carrying the camera often, weight and size can be a problem. With a few hundred euros you can buy the basic models of SLR , which still ensure a very good quality, up to the most advanced and complex models that can cost several thousand euros.
- Evil and Mirrorless : this latest genre of cameras combines the convenience of compact cameras with the quality and technical performance of SLR cameras. They have no mirror or optical viewfinder, but an electronic viewfinder, so they can be smaller and lighter. The quality of the sensor is equal to that of the SLR and you can change the lenses, which are also smaller as the camera body. Their biggest advantage is precisely in the small size , which allows you to take them anywhere and go almost unnoticed.
Choose the camera as necessary
The choice is always a compromise, as no camera is perfect for every situation and for every photographer. Let's look at some typical cases that can help you decide which camera is best suited to our needs.
A camera to always carry with me, even while traveling
Think about this quite likely situation that could happen to anyone: buy a digital SLR to take beautiful pictures in your travels ; the first day you carry a bag full of accessories and lenses, the second only the SLR with a zoom that could go for everything, the third leave directly at the hotel because you're tired and take pictures with your phone.
Exaggerated? Not really, it's a fairly typical case.
It simply means that the SLR is not the ideal tool for many people , even if the quality of the photographs will certainly be better than those of the phone. In this case we give up the quality in favor of comfort , it is a compromise that allows us to have good photos, without becoming a slave to a camera that can be a nuisance.
