Different Cameras to lens

[Thomas Casey]

Ok so when you buy a camera is it all about the camera you buy or is it all about the lens?

 

[Light Guru]

Unless your starting out most photographers buy the camera body and lenses separate.

 

[soufiej]

I think you might want to specify the type of camera you are considering. If the camera is a fixed lens type, there are no options in the lens so you would likely place a certain amount of weight on whether the single lens can achieve your desired results. If the camera is a "bridge type" super zoom, for example, the lens is rather important in achieving good results with the typical small sensor include in this category of camera.

If the camera allows for interchangeable lenses, then you are likely looking at a larger sensor which will provide the capacity for superior image quality. Additionally, the kit lens which comes with the camera isn't likely to provide the highest image quality and will eventually be replaced. Therefore, I would, in that situation, consider the lens to be secondary in that it will be replaced at some point. You should, in that situation, select the camera body which will best suit your needs at your budget. Personally, I've used entry level Canon Rebels for a few decades. They accept most of the lenses available for Canon cameras and the step up to another expense in body did not gain enough to fully justify my needs and uses. That would be your diminishing returns curve of benefits to cost.

In the end though no camera can be better than the lens. It then becomes a chicken or egg question.

 

[SCraig]

Both. Plus the abilities of the person behind the camera.

 

[KmH]

Yep. It's about the camera and the lens, but mostly it's about the knowledge and skill the photographer adds to the system.
Many don't consider the importance of light quality, light direction, and the artistic control the photographer exercises that go into making a high quality photograph.

 

[Overread17 5]

Ok so when you buy a camera is it all about the camera you buy or is it all about the lens?

Both. Which is the "more" important depends on what your budget is and what you want to do.

In some situations you will have a budget enough to get quality in both - in other cases you might have to weight your selection toward one over the other more significantly. In addition there are other factors such as the subject, lighting, lighting modification and other support items that might be even more important than the camera and lens.

So really its a question that has no general answer (save that you certainly need a camera and lens to take a photo - well certainly a camera at least since you could always punch a hole in its lend-cover and make a pin-hole-camera out of it). You have to put your criteria on the table to weigh up the pros and cons against.

 

[soufiej]

Since the op placed no specific qualifications on a very broad topic and the responses have mostly been weighted toward image quality, it might be worth mentioning the simple, practical physical issues of a camera. If the camera is meant for travel, well, do you have the space and weight capacity to carry a heavier, more complex camera which might have several interchangeable lenses involved in its operation? Does everything fit in an overhead compartment? Are you willing to pay for extra baggage and do you trust the carrier to get your equipment delivered safely? Do you prefer looking as though you are carrying all your earthly possessions around with you on a daily basis? Can you simply fit all that gear into the bus seat, the lift car or onto the back of that camel? I drive a Fiat 500 and for me this latest purchase said no to carrying around big bags of stuff everyday.

Carrying a heavier DSLR (or even more sophisticated) rig with all its associated accessories will be both tiring, at times awkward and especially conspicuous if you are needing portability, accessibility and some degree of candid operation. For instance, do you trust the situation enough to show the world you own rather pricey equipment which could easily be lifted at an outdoor restaurant or on a side street?
If you are shooting fast action, then you probably want a relatively fast lens system yet the large super zoom lenses (like those seen on sports photographers sitting on the sidelines) with higher speed and high quality glass can be quite large and quite expensive. Yet, if you intend to do primarily low light level shots, you will need to ascertain how to accomplish that without all the gear required to properly do the task. Now you may be discussing which is more important, the camera, the lens or the required accessories?

Certainly, establishing your priorities is where I think most people should begin when they intend to make a purchase.

 

[Braineack]

Ok so when you buy a camera is it all about the camera you buy or is it all about the lens?

its all about both.

 

[greybeard34 7]

The two are dependent on each other. Without a lens, the camera body is nothing and without the camera body, the lens is just metal, plastic, and glass. But, you put the 2 together and you have a camera.

 

[480sparky41 40]

When I build a house, it is all about my hammer or all about my ladder?

 

[jaomul]

Its all about the photograph