You are about to acquire a camera, of those «SLRs» that open a world of endless possibilities as a photographer. The times of blurry photos, full of grains, dark are over. This time we are going for a "SLR", a real camera. Finally you will take the big leap. You have been saving time and depriving yourself of whims. This is going to be a great economic investment, so you want to be sure to make a good purchase, it has to be the best SLR camera for your budget. The best possible brand. Which one is that? Canon, Nikon, Sony? But we are all tormented by choosing. It is much easier to give us a reflex, brand and model already decided, than to put ourselves to investigate, search and have to make the decision. And if I'm wrong, then what? Today is an article in which I explain one of my criteria to choose and recommend SLR cameras. This criterion will help you answer the question "What is that best brand?" . And yes, today I'm going to get wet, I'm going to give you an answer in which I'm going to quote certain brands clearly, you'll see later. The reason why I will opt for a brand to the detriment of others will not be so obvious. You will see Keep reading.
DO YOU WANT A QUICK RECOMMENDATION?
In the rest of the article I explain this "particular" selection criteria that I have and I reveal to you what in my view is the best brand in terms of SLR cameras. That said, I know there are readers who would like to save all this literature and get straight to the point. If this is your case, if you have landed in this article looking for a good SLR camera to acquire right now, a camera already tested and backed by recommendations from thousands of users, a camera made for the amateur photographer, with modern features and affordable budget , surely you already know my famous article with the best SLR cameras that I recommend, you can read it here . If instead you want to find out what I usually rely on to choose a camera instead of another when they ask me for an opinion, in «Mastering SLR Photography», the new online photography course that we teach from the Photographer's School revealed my 5 criteria to succeed when buying a good SLR camera. Today, however, we are talking about a criterion, as I said before very "particular", since it is not very common to mention it among photographers in their recommendations, but based on the humble experience of a server it is a factor that can make a tremendous difference as far as to the photographic results that a photographer can get with his camera. Let's go to the mess.THE BEST BRAND OF SLR CAMERAS
First, I am a Nikonist, in case you didn't know that. Having said that, I try to be impartial in my recommendations, that must also be said. Being a Nikonist does not mean that I only have eyes for Nikon. The best brands of SLR cameras, in my opinion, are comfortably Nikon and Canon. But by far. Occasionally I can recommend some Sony, Pentax, Olympus, but Canon and Nikon account for 90% of my recommendations. At the same time, I don't think Canon or Nikon SLRs have much better quality than SLRs of any other brand . Quite the opposite. Canon and Nikon SLRs for the amateur user usually have the same quality and photographic results as SLRs of any other brand . Hey, but ... what weed did you smoke today Mario? First you say that Nikon and Canon are the best, but then you say they are not of better quality than the other brands. What are we? Dear reader. I have not lied to you at any time in the text. Do I already have your attention? Let's decipher this comeTHE MYTH CANON AND NIKON
Two brands that deserve all the respect in the world. My current cameras are all Canon and Nikon, so I can't say anything bad about these two brands. What happens is that history has been building a myth around the quality of the cameras of both brands that have become the two best known brands. They were the two most popular brands, for decades, and as I write these lines remain. And although it might be true that the beginning of its popularity is due to the quality of the construction of its cameras, in the past, the truth is that today any competitor of Canon or Nikon, any brand, however small, is capable to create cameras with the same quality and with very similar technologies. Gone are those times when industrial knowledge was exclusive only for one brand, today everything is manufactured in China or in Asian countries, all mobiles do almost the same, all new cars start to park by themselves, and All SLR cameras begin to gradually acquire the same features. And if not, I would like to see a single current SLR camera, of whatever brand, Nikon, Canon, or another, that does something that no other SLR camera can do. I don't know There was once a brand of cameras that made their devices have Wi-Fi, the following year the cameras of all other brands had Wi-Fi. Once, I don't know what brand incorporated GPS into their cameras. Amazing. Who would imagine it? A revolutionary technology that no other brand could imitate in decades. Lie! And so I could go on. Will I leave something important? Oh wait, maybe it's the quality of the photo itself. Regardless of the buttons and extras, is there a camera of any particular brand whose photographs are simply wonderful, not because of the settings, or the shooting mode, or the lens or the photographer, but because of the brand itself. I don `t believe. I have seen wonderful photographs taken with Sony, with Pentax, with Canon, Nikon, Fuji, and with virtually all brands. It is not true that any brand has a "secret formula, locked up, in pure Coca-Cola style, that makes the colors of its photographs have a fascinating tone, unattainable by any other camera." Such statements are closer to a belief in metaphysical and supernatural powers than to a true finding. In terms of quality, and speaking in a "general" way, leaving aside specific models or exceptional cases, Canon and Nikon are generally good brands, as good as any other camera brand. That's how crude the matter is. There is nothing in the name Canon or Nikon that influences for better or worse the quality of the photograph . A photo will never be better or worse just because of the brand name or logo. Yes, it could be due to a better sensor, or a better internal treatment, or better performance, but that is not exclusive to Nikon or Canon, that is common to all brands. There have been "mythical" cameras of all brands throughout history.SO, IF CANON AND NIKON ARE A MYTH, WHY IS THE BEST SLR CAMERA (CANON) OR NIKON STILL?
Their popularity makes them better. The simple fact that there are more photographers users of Canon and Nikon than of other brands, only that, makes them very good candidates for a successful purchase decision. As a user of an SLR camera, you are interested in having a camera that is as well known, common, popular and "used by other users" as possible . The fact that it is so common opens up an immense range of resources that you can consult, use, and that will help you in your use of the camera. You will very easily find forums with users who own the same camera model as you, with similar problems, same concerns, etc. That of all the buttons and controls of the camera there is one that resists you and you don't know how to use it? You simply search it on Google and most likely you will find something mentioned by other users about it. What have you lost the user manual, or just want to have it in digital PDF version? You search on Google and if it is a very popular camera, it is normal to find it without much difficulty. One day you turn on the camera and an error message appears. Again, you put the search and you will find something. With a less popular camera you may get the same quality in your photographic results, but being less popular, the ecosystem around that camera model will be much more limited . You will meet less people in life with that camera, you will exchange impressions with fewer users, it will cost you to find places or forums of other similar users, and when you find one of those forums, this one will possibly have fewer users than the other one of the most popular camera. If within a while your camera breaks out of warranty and you take it to an independent technical service, you will have a better chance of knowing what happens to it, finding replacement parts, and having it fixed correctly if it is a very model popular, while if it is a less known model, it may be difficult to fix it.CONCLUSION
This is just ONE more criterion, there are more factors that you have to take into account before opting for a SLR camera. As is evident, this criterion is relevant only in equality of the other conditions. Between two very similar cameras in almost everything, I most likely lean towards a Nikon or Canon for the reasons mentioned above. However, there will be times when an Olympus or a Sony are cheaper, better performance and therefore more appropriate. There is a camera for each photographer, and there are no brands. Only you will know what your soul reflex reflex is.