Choosing Your Equipment

If you haven't bought your equipment yet, you need to make some basic decisions about what kind of photography you plan to do and then how much you can afford to pay.

I suggest that you check out the local second hand market before rushing off and buying new equipment.

Compact Cameras

Consider getting a compact if you want to travel light and you favour convenience and speed of use. These can produce excellent results even from slide film, which shows how sophisticated the exposure systems can be. They can share many features of the SLR - such as shutter-priority and aperture priority automatic exposure and sophisticated flash modes. The zoom lens ranges are improving too. Limitations are that you cannot change lenses and you have limited creative control - but that suits many people.

Digital Cameras

Consider getting a digital camera if you have a computer and want the benefits of the compact camera without the wait for film development or indeed the costs. This is a great form of instant camera. You can check the results on the spot and reshoot if unsatisfied with your first efforts. The drawback tends to be that your print quality is dependent upon that of your computer printer or you will need to use the DPE shop for making prints. The print quality can be excellent. You'll need image editing software to make the most of your pictures.

SLR System Cameras

These are the most versatile cameras in terms of capabilities and options, but they are also heavier and bulkier. I have been very satisfied with Canon Eos models 1, 5 and 100. They are light, strong, quiet and good value for money. You can buy a single very versatile zoom lens from 28-300mm, or various lenses from 16mm to 500mm at reasonable prices. Focal lengths outside this range tend to be extremely expensive.

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