Photography terms explained to find the best camera for you

I'm a dog and family photographer. I love what I do. My passion takes me on a daily journey of connecting the story of your pet and your love and ‘painting’ it onto a time piece that will stay with you forever. I’m sharing the best cameras & what to look for when buying photo gear.

I don’t want you to be caught up in the idea that you can’t take great photos because your gear is limiting you. There is so much more to what makes an amazing photo. I’ve seen hobbyists with the best and latest gear make rubbish pics. You can shoot & charge for professional photos with a crop sensor camera. This is what I suggest you get to make amazing photos to suit you. But remember not to let the idea of better gear hold you back from making photos.

“Photography has nothing to do with cameras.
”

— Lucas Gentry

What kind of photos do you want to take?

Ask yourself, “what am I using the photos for”, “do I want to make bokeh/ depth of field photos” (soft focus with blurry circles in background), “how much control do I want over how the photos are taken”, “ am I shooting in low light?”, “do I want it to be small”, “do I always want it with me?”

The image quality of a camera depends on the size of the image sensor. DSLRs & mirrorless cameras have much bigger image sensors, which is why they capture better quality images than point-and-shoot or phone cameras.

>> PRO TIP: don’t buy a camera with a kit lens <<

The biggest mistake people make when buying a camera is getting a kit lens (the lens that comes with a camera). If you are going to get a camera that can take interchangeable lenses, buy a decent lens. Cameras make a difference in your photos, but good glass make the biggest difference to photos. Rather get a a camera body model lower and buy a good lens.

F-stop/ aperture means how blurry the background is or how much of the image is in focus.

A good lens is a lens whose aperture (F) is fixed. So look for something that says f1.8 or f2.8. Stay away from something that says f4.5-6.3. That means that on the one end of the lens the aperture will be able to go down to f4.5 but you will not be able to take blurred background, sharp subject photos people will drool over with this kind of lens. Good glass cost more but is worth it.

You don’t always have to add a Nikon lens to a Nikon body. A lot of Tamron/ Sigma lenses with Nikon/ Canon cameras and cost much less.

Different cameras:

Crop sensor DSLR camera

Entry level camera for hobbyists and pros starting out

Nikon D7500 Camera Body NZ$1679 add lens with fixed aperture

Full frame DSLR professional camera

For photographers or serious hobbyists, you get full manual control & a larger image sensor

Nikon D780 DSLR Camera Body NZ$3980, Nikon AF-S 50mm F1.8 Lens NZ$389, Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 NZ$1875

Mirrorless camera

Newer technology, smaller cameras and real-time image previews. What you see through the electronic view finder is how the photo will look. Could over expose your photos on sunny days. Important to work with the built in light meter. Shorter battery life & great for video. Can’t use DSLR lenses.

Huge range from NZ$1000 add lens with fixed aperture, buy an extra battery

Nikon Nikkor Z 28-75mm f/2.8 Lens $1628, Nikon NIKKOR Z MC 50mm f/2.8 Lens NZ$1247

Prices from Photogear Aug 2024

>> Buy the best camera you can afford. Don’t be scared to buy second hand especially from a camera shop like Photo Gear in Albany or Auckland camera centre. <<

“The best camera is the one that’s with you.
”

— Chase Jarvis

Nikon/ Canon? Sony?

Brands don’t matter, except, if you’re planning on using lenses, you need to make sure the lenses you want to use will fit on your camera.

At the moment I have a full frame DSLR with Nikon, Tamron and Sigma lenses, but if I want to upgrade to a mirrorless camera I’d have to replace all my lenses. I could get adapters between my old lenses and a new camera body but that’ll add weight and take away image quality.

Which lens?

The mm refers to how much of your view fits into the photo.

18-35mm: wide angle is good for landscapes, will distort subjects close to it so fun for animal photography

24-70mm: overall lens, this one is my work horse, good for portraits and things close to you, great travel lens

50mm, 80mm: fantastic prime lenses for portraits with lots of round bokeh, you can not zoom, you’ll have to move yourself to get more or less into your frame

90-105mm: use for macro photography

70-200mm: zoom lens, focus on subject with blurry background, great for events & weddings

300-500mm: telephoto lens, great for sport or wildlife photography

Best phones for photography

iPhone 15 Pro Max NZ$2 499

The best overall phone for photo & video, really big, battery lasts one day, telephoto lens not as good as others, don’t have manual control over photos, ability to shoot in RAW format so photographers can enjoy fine-tuning the look of their images in a digital darkroom like Adobe Camera Raw.

iPhone 15 Pro NZ$2043

Smaller compact phone, zoom lens not as good as Pro Max. Great piece of kit, especially if you just want to point & shoot, and share great looking shots via social media without doing much post processing.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra NZ$2 448

Well-rounded and feature-complete Android phone. Include fun and practical AI tools that make correcting photos easier.

Google Pixel 8 Pro NZ$1149

The best camera you can buy at its price for photography. You have manual control over the look of your images. One of the best telephotos on the market. Video still can't compete with the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

OnePlus 12 NZ$1669

The best underdog camera phone for amazing photography. Battery life lasts for days and is super-fast charging. Not for telephoto/ zoom shots or macro photography. Isn’t as durable as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 15 Pro and not water resistant like other phones.