Cameras for Beginners

We are discussing the benefits of mirrorless cameras, SLR cameras and digital compact cameras below. When choosing a camera, these are essential.

It cannot be said that one camera brand is clearly better than others. The choice therefore depends more on how the manufacturer's offer meets your requirements.

This is a mechanism which is used to attach the lens to the camera body. At the same time, you attach yourself to the brand with the bayonet, because when you buy additional lenses for your current SLR camera, you will be able to use them with another camera of the same brand in the future. However, you should keep in mind that bayonets can also vary within one brand - typically SLRs and mirrorless cameras feature different types of bayonets, even if they are from the same brand. Adapters may be a partial solution in this case.

Sometimes also referred to as a chip. This is the main part of a camera that takes care of conveying the information to create an image. The most significant difference is the size of the sensor. More advanced cameras come equipped with the following sensors arranged from the smallest to the largest: 1”, 4/3”, APS-C and Full Frame. The larger or newer the sensor, the higher the resolution or light sensitivity, or both. This has a positive effect on the quality of photos.

From this point of view, cameras differ mainly in their resolution and overall video quality, speed and accuracy of autofocus, number of frames per second for video, the so-called bitrate and also optical stabilisation. The more the camera excels in these areas, the better it is for recording videos.

It depends on how you want to use the camera. It is always useful to be able to tilt the display up and down at least, and some cameras also enable tilting it to the side. Cameras that are suitable for taking selfies or shooting vlogs allow 180° display rotation.

There are two main parameters: luminance and focal length. Luminance is expressed by an aperture number (e.g. f/2.8) and indicates the maximum amount of light that the lens lets pass through. The lower the "f" value, the more light the lens lets through and the better (but also more expensive) it is. The focal length then determines the zoom level. It is given in millimeters and the higher this value, the closer the lens can zoom in on an object. It can be fixed or variable – such lenses are called "zoom".

You will definitely need a memory card for your camera, as well as a carrying case, as this is a safe way to store the camera both at home and on the go. A tripod may also come in handy, for example when taking group photos with a timer shutter release. Less essential, yet recommended accessories include filters, spare batteries, and if you want to record videos, microphones and stabilisers, too.