The best..?

[ClintLloyd]

In regards to cameras, is there a brand that is the best? Are there people out there who believe that is the case, or is it a level playing field these days..?

Is there a brand that you just really dislike?

Want to hear your opinions.

 

[Jeff15]

The only good camera is the one that you have with you when opportunity provides the inspiration.

 

[smoke665]

Something very similar just went a few rounds on another thread recently. As noted above any camera in hand is the best when a photo of opportunity arises. Beyond that, once individual needs are met, cameras are like car brands, there are price points from cheap to luxury, but the basic auto need (transportation from point A to B) is the same for all and just like car manufacturers camera brands have their own good/bad models over the years.

I started in the late 60's with Pentax. In the early 70's my business required dependable "workhorse" type cameras, something that could withstand rough handling and less than ideal conditions. Nikon and Canon of the time didn't hold up, but the Pentax K1000 was built like a tank, and took it all. I've been with Pentax ever since. Add to that Pentax over the years has maintained their commitment to forward/backward lens compatibility, because of that I've accumulated some great legacy glass.

 

[Ysarex]

In regards to cameras, is there a brand that is the best? Are there people out there who believe that is the case, or is it a level playing field these days..?

Is there a brand that you just really dislike?

Want to hear your opinions.

There are people out there that believe that's the case. The best is usually the camera they own.

In terms of image IQ it's closer to a level playing field. The sensors in the cameras tend to be very similar as all the brands buy the sensors from just a few manufacturers. I don't at the moment have a Sony camera but my Nikon, Canon, Fuji and Leica cameras all have Sony made sensors in them with pretty similar performance.

Usability/features is where you may find more variation. Which is often not a brand difference as much as a type difference. For example I won't go back to a DSLR. All my cameras are now mirrorless and I've adjusted my working methodology to match. I much prefer what I can do now without that pesky mirror in the way. Cutting edge feature performance can still be an area where the brands compete with some variation -- you need the camera to auto focus track on a flying raptor while you take 3 dozen frames at 8 frames per second. If you need that it's probably worth investigating and comparing brands.

A brand I dislike? No, I'd be happy to use just about any of them; Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax/Ricoh, Fuji, Leica, Olympus, Panasonic, even Hasselblad. I would adapt to any quirks in the camera pretty quickly.

 

[Marc Hildebrant]

Ysarex,

Could you add more detail and your preference for Mirrorless ?

Marc

 

[Strodav]

No, there is no "best", and the top end cameras from the major manufacturers are all very competitive with similar sensor technology. However, there is a best for you depending on what you shoot and your physical abilities. A lot of seniors, like myself, are moving to smaller and lighter like mirrorless or micro four-thirds cameras. If you are shooting landscapes, you might want to look for a higher resolution sensor camera. If nature / wildlife / sports, you might not care too much about resolution, but you want a great AF system. If it's portraits, you may care more about the lenses available than the camera. If you shoot in low light, ...

The best advice I can give is, do your research and pick what's right for you at the time of purchase, and never, ever, become a fanboy.

 

[Ysarex]

Ysarex,

Could you add more detail and your preference for Mirrorless ?

Marc

Sure, Mirrorless cameras allow me to nail exposure without bracketing, without uncertainty. I can quickly adjust the exposure settings, click the shutter and know I just nailed a perfect exposure. What makes that possible for me is the mirrorless camera's live-view highlight alert. Here's the most recent photo I took with my Fuji X-T2 -- Spring crocuses in our yard two weeks ago. Below that is the RawDigger histogram for that raw file.

The histogram indicates a perfect exposure. One third stop more exposure and the green channel clips. Using digital cameras I define a perfect exposure as the exposure that fully utilizes the sensor's recording capacity. Any more exposure and highlights are blown; any less exposure and the sensor capacity is left partially unused -- SNR is reduced. My goal is the same exposure for every photo I take: fully utilize the sensor's capacity. Mirrorless cameras let me do that with certainty and negligible effort every time. If you download the photo of the flowers and check EXIF you'll see that I used a +1.7 exposure comp when taking the photo. The camera metered the scene and I used the EC control to increase exposure over the camera's meter reading by 1.7 stops. I used the live-view highlight alert to do that and I got a perfect exposure. I love digital, it's so easy.

CAVEAT: The metering systems in all our cameras are adjusted to make a good JPEG. If you do that you will (various reasons) typically get a raw file that underutilizes the sensor's capacity. To avoid that and make my camera's highlight alert match my raw files I get nuked to hell wastebasket JPEGs every time. I couldn't care less, but that doesn't work for everybody.

 

[webestang64]

From someone who has worked in camera stores for 40 years you buy for the lenses not the camera. And brand loyalty is in the past, a Boomer thing, as most sales today are all about price and features. Personally I love every camera ever made BUT I only care about film cameras so I can't say anything about digital.

 

[Marc Hildebrant]

Ysarex,

Thanks for the reply.

Marc

 

[Rickbb]

Any of the top brands are the “best”. As has been stated, buy the glass, then whatever camera fits it.

Decide what you want to shoot, then match the lens, then camera to that.

As far as brand loyalty is concerned, most of us “boomers” stick with one brand because we have invested thousands of dollars in glass and don’t want to start over.

 

[ClintLloyd]

Great replies! When I'm shooting and showing people images on the back screen or just in general after viewing my images, quite regularly I get comments like 'you must use Canon', 'you must use Nikon' or 'why do you use Sony, Canon is the best'. They'll be gobsmacked by the detail but then go on to tell me that they'd never use Sony or they didn't think Sony was very good. Little do they know that as stated above, their camera probably has a Sony sensor in it...

I have a background of racing motocross. One thing I seen transfer over to photography is the demographic that believes one brand is clearly the best, it's a very interesting view point I think and one thing that has always left a funny taste in my mouth. I have long said about motocross bikes to basically choose the one you like the look of the best, then set the bike up to suit you. Performance wise they are all pretty much identical.

I generally see photography equipment in a similar way. The equivalent piece of equipment from any good brand operates pretty much the same as the other once you set it up correctly and get used to it...

 

[Grandpa Ron]

I have made this statement before. Once you get above a certain price point, you enter a world where "best" take on a new meaning. Top quality cameras, lens and accessories all perform well; however,
* They do not feel the same.
* Do not operate the same.
* Finding and using the menu functions can be frustrating.
* Good and bad are opinion, not fact.

My so-called best camera is an entry level Canon Rebel. It has met every situation I have used it for, including,
* Coupling it to telescopes.
* Cranking the ISO up and shooting scenes my moon light.
* Adapting it to a number of my old film camera lenses.
* Using it with a light table to digitize my 4x5 cut film negatives.
* The only down-side is, it is like a wearing a large brick around your neck.

My go-to camera for everyday photos is an old 10X zoom Olympus C-740 I can drop in my pocket. My "Let's have fun" camera is a 4x5 format film view camera. It makes you earn your good photographs.

The best camera is the one that you like to use the most. Usually that means you will have other cameras for specific tasks. Rare is the photographer that only owns one camera.
Good Luck

 

[Marc Hildebrant]

Ysarex,

On the Rawdigger histogram, how did the software know where the EV0 setting was placed? Is it in the Raw Camara data?

I'll have to check out this "Rawdigger" program, as it looks very useful.

Marc

 

[nerwin]

There is no best camera. Just personal preference. That is why there are different brands. Some folks enjoy shooting with Leica or Hasselblad..mainly doctors and dentists. But the rest of us have many options including Pentax/Ricoh, Fujifilm, Nikon, Canon, Sony, OM Systems, Panasonic, Sigma and there's probably more out there but these are the most common and honestly getting a camera from anyone of these manufactures will yield great photos. The MOST important thing is getting a camera that is comfortable to you, has the features you want and lenses available for that system if you get an interchangeable lens camera.

 

[Ysarex]

Ysarex,

On the Rawdigger histogram, how did the software know where the EV0 setting was placed? Is it in the Raw Camara data?

I'll have to check out this "Rawdigger" program, as it looks very useful.

Marc

Default is three stops down from the MAX value (14 bit raw file = 16,384) but it's user adjustable.

RawDigger: the best $20 bucks a photographer can spend. Indispensable!