📷 Camera

Part 1. Purchase.

I got so into photography that I decided to buy a full-frame mirrorless camera — Canon EOS RP 85mm F2.0

It's important to note that this is my third camera in life and it's the first time it's NOT a Sony. The first one was a long time ago, about 12 years ago — a Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 Kit 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (10.8 MP), about 1.5 years ago I tried a budget and technically outdated used Sony NEX 5 Kit (16.1 MP), I only took it for its compact size.

After understanding the topic, and on the advice of experts, I realized that the main mistake is to buy a camera with KIT lenses (those that usually come in the kit). They ruin the whole impression of the camera. The second mistake is to look at a system with a small budget (cheaper than the cost of a new iPhone), it will most likely not be full frame and mediocre lenses, which means it won't differ much in quality from current smartphones.

Armed with this knowledge, I started looking at options from Sony, Nikon, and Fujifilm. I even looked at the Ricoh GR III, for its compactness, but it's a crop sensor and a fixed lens (and when I held it in my hands, I was even more convinced that it's not for me).

So, I'll tell you, you need to go to a camera store (which are very few even in large cities, let alone here in the North) and touch and look at all the options with your own hands; choosing by parameters on the website doesn't work. After such a trip, the most comfortable for me turned out to be Canon, which I hadn't even considered. It's comfortable to grip, lighter, has a convenient menu, and in terms of budget, with its full frame, it pushes out the crops from the above list, and that's even though it's new! The downsides, perhaps, are the limited selection of lenses, only Canon's own, and the slow autofocus.

I chose a fast lens F2.0 with a focal length of 85mm, since I most often use the telephoto lens on my phone. As one photographer noted, a wide-angle (16-35 mm) is good if you want to capture an interesting cityscape in the capital, but in the regions, you most likely won't find such a background. Therefore, a narrower shot will be cleaner from visual noise. But I'll still think about a 35mm for natural landscapes — I only go there very rarely.

For myself, I derived this recipe for choosing a camera:
- as compact as possible, but with a comfortable grip (Fuji retro and Sony high-tech are beautiful, but how uncomfortable)
- full frame (higher image quality, more cropping possibilities)
- a good, fast lens for your purposes (beautiful bokeh and night shots)

the rest is a matter of taste regarding brands and models within the budget
#photo