by Jack Martin
In previous posts, I have put links to articles from PetaPixel. Again, this is a very good source of photography information and I signed up for their daily email.
One of the articles from the other day was The Best Cameras for Beginners in 2022, https://petapixel.com/2022/01/29/best-cameras-for-beginners/
Along with a good website there is also a very good podcast done by a photographer, Mike “Sharkey” James. I have been listening to him for a few years and get a lot good information from it. One of the points Sharkey has pointed out is the rise of mirrorless cameras and the decline of DSLR’s along with Point and Shoot cameras. In 2010 there were 120 million digital cameras sold, in 2020 8.9 million. The cell phone cameras have come a long way and are replacing the camera of choice for many people.
So what’s my point? If I were starting from scratch, I would definitely opt for mirrorless, DSLR’s are going the way of film cameras. Having invested in a lot of DSLR glass, I will be using this format for some time but I don’t plan on buying any new lenses. So you need to evaluate what equipment serves your particular wants.
My next camera just may be my cell phone. The sensors and lenses keep improving and I have to admit I’ve gotten some pretty nice shots with my iphone. As these cell phones cameras keep improving along with post processing programs, it will be interesting to see what the future brings. If FCC members recall, we had a cell presentation on cell phone photography by Jerry Hugg. I see Jerry’s images at MAPS and am impressed. On top of all this there are lenses you can buy to attach to your phone. Considered one of the best companies is Moment. They make a cover for your specific model phone, then the lenses attach to the cover. Buy a new phone and you only need to buy a new cover, check them out, https://www.shopmoment.com/.