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Buying the best Camera for You & Terms You need to know

Updated: Jun 27, 2021

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Buying your first real camera + Photography terms to know while shopping for and learning to use your camera. Basic plain everyday English Description.


Here it is! Sorry it took so long to get this out. With a couple of weeks of bad back days and being very limited in what I can do, I was unable to release this in a timely manner. But the wait is over lol. Its time to get caught up.


We all know by now that it can be a little intimidating when buying high tech equipment. Especially if we aren’t familiar with the terminology. And this can be even more difficult buying a camera and other gear. Which to buy? with what lens? What do these words mean? and what is the difference between this camera and that? So I wanted to give a quick basic answer to these questions in hopes that it may help you find the right fit for you so that you can feel more confident in your purchase. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at a reputable photo house like Samy’s. Them guys love to talk shop and educate people. I’ll talk more on this below the terms section. If your a guru then you can skip the terms and Scroll to the bottom for the Buying Tips.


I tried to be as basic as I could with the Definitions below. If you would like more detailed info on basic camera operations, terms and where the controls are, please click below to read my Basic Camera Operation Blog.


How to use a Nikon D7500
Basic Camera & Lens Operation

Three Basic camera types that I have experience with:


DSLR - digital single lens reflex (type of camera Most common now) Basic to Professional. Uses a prism and mirror in the viewfinder. Usually has a display on the back.

SLR - Single lens reflex, (old school film) Basically the same as above accept it uses film. There is No display on the back but may have a digital readout in the viewfinder.


Mirror-less - The newest and most high tech of camera types. Typically does not have a mirror or prism. It uses a tiny digital display for the viewfinder. The cameras usually have an option to use a manual shutter (quiet shutter) or electronic shutter (no shutter sound, It's really weird for me to shoot silent.) sometimes the electronic shutter may have some type of side effect related to viewing or exposure, check on your specific camera. Almost every brand makes these and they are the future of photography. Boasting incredible performance stats across the board on some of these. If you want to shoot allot of low light stuff. This is the way to go. ISO performance is outstanding. On the downside they are pricey and use about twice the battery power as an equivalent DSLR.


Terms: Basic Descriptions


Prime Lens - A lens that is one focal length. It does not zoom. To compose an image you must physically move the camera closer or further from your subject to your liking. They usually are better lenses and produce the best sharpest images. EX: 50mm f1.8


Zoom Lens - A lens that can change it's focal length. You can get closer or wider with a zoom. They are great performing lenses these day. Still not quite the same as a Prime but some can get close. EX: 70 - 300mm f4:5.6 70mm on the wide end @f4 and 150 on the zoom or close end @ f5.6.


Tamron 150-600mm g2 best affordable Wildlife lens
A Zoom Lens Description

After market Lens - I only put this to say that after market lenses like Tamron and Sigma make lenses that are just as good as the main makers so give them a chance and it can help your wallet. The above lens is a Tamron 150-600mm g2 after market lens and is incredibly popular.

Nikon DX lens focal length
Focal Length

Focal Length - In the most basic, it’s The distance in which the lens is focusing. Or the Magnification at a specific focal point. But it might be easier to look at it like this. Human vision is approx 40-50mm in comparison. If we are looking at our subject and it is a bird on an open branch about 30 ft. away. I’m looking through a zoom 24mm(Wide) to 150mm(low med zoom). With the 24mm you’ll be lucky to actually see the bird. With it’s wide angle it will make everything in the image smaller because it sees more. At 150mm The bird can actually be composed. With the higher magnification we get closer by 150mm, sort of. Then when we go to 400mm and 600mm We can get the detail in the feathers and pretty much compose a great portrait lol.

Aperture/f-stop - The Aperture is the actual mechanism in the lens that controls how much light is let in. f-stop is An estimation of how much light the lens is able to allow the sensor to detect. This is very important buying a lens. How “Fast” the lens is makes a difference. (Fast meaning more light or lower aperture) Typically the lower the aperture/f-stop number the better the lens will be. The price will also be higher. You will typically see the aperture stamped on the lens with an lower case f before it. Like f2.8 that is an aperture of 2.8 . Almost always the aperture is adjustable to a higher aperture. Usually like f22 and even much higher. Honestly I really don’t pay to much attention to the slowest aperture spec. Maybe I should. A fast lens is around f2 or lower; a slow lens would be around f8 to f10 and higher. Zoom lenses can be a set aperture or a different aperture at different focal lengths. For example, My Tamron 150mm-600mm is f5 @ 150mm and incrementally climbs to f6.3 @ 600mm Which is not bad for this size of a lens at such an affordable price in comparison to a $10,000 f4 canon or $8000 Nikon. Way Way out of my price range but if you can they are awesome!



T-stop - Usually on cinema lenses. This is an actual accurate measurement of how fast the lens is or how much light the lens lets in. Unless you are a film maker you will most likely not see these.


Bokeh - The background blur that a lens creates when you are focused on your subject and the background is blurred. Different lenses create a different style of bokeh. Some you may like and some, Probably not. I personally don't like the swirl effect in the Nikon Z Kit lens 70 - 200mm. But it only does it on wider shots.


Nikon Z bokeh
Bokeh in Nikon Z Kit lens

Exposure - basically, it’s The amount of time the sensor is exposed to the light of your composition after it passes through your lens. That light is your image and how much or little is let in in a specific amount of time determines how bright or dark (over exposed or under exposed) your photo will be. A short exposure lets in less light and may darken an image while a long exposure can be very bright. The Exposure is actually a Trio of your Shutter speed, Aperture and ISO. The result is then recorded as your Exposure by the sensor.


Shutter speed - This is how fast the Shutter opens for then closes. When the shutter opens it lets in light and exposes the sensor or film.(recording the exposure). The shutter speed controls the time the light is allowed to hit the sensor. If It is day time and sunny I can use a fast shutter speed like 1/2000th of a sec or faster allowing me to expose the sensor very quickly to the light. This allows for freezing images in place sharply. Like for photographing sports I would want a fast shutter speed because my subjects are moving. If I were to use a slow shutter speed like say 1/200th of a sec, my subjects would blur.


ISO - Is not an abbreviation. That is it’s actual name pronounced like “ice-oh”. This is the sensitivity setting of the sensor. Example range of ISO settings is ISO range of 100-56000; this varies on cameras. Essentially the the higher the number is on the right the more sensitive the sensor can be allowing better low light photography. This is not consistent throughout camera’s. Mirror less cameras dominate the ISO setting and allow Noise/grain free low light images at higher ISO than DSLR’s would get the same noise free image. I usually try to keep my ISO between 100 and 1250 for my day shots. You want to keep your ISO as low as you can. The higher the ISO/sensitivity is the more likely your image will have Noise. SLR a use film and Film Has an ISO/Speed Rating. A fast film is 1000 to 2000 speed a slow will be 100 speed. Film is made with a crystalline substance. A fast film has larger crystals that absorbs light quickly which is great for low light, but can produce allot of grain because the crystals are larger(its like 16 bit Lol). The slow film, 100 has fine crystals and they cannot absorb the light as fast but it will give you a brighter smoother image without grain because the crystals are fine like HD.


Sensor - All digital camera have an image sensor. They Can make and break a camera model so do your research on the specs. There are many different sensor sizes but I'm going to focus of The two basic categories you’ll encounter. When you take the lens off you will see it there right in the camera. It might be behind a mirror. This is very sensitive and you want to avoid touching it. It will need to be cleaned sometimes. It’s very important to do it properly or you can damage the camera. I will be releasing a Blog and video on the proper way.

FX (Full Frame) Sensor - All cameras are marked what type of sensor they have. If you see FX it’s the full frame sensor. The sensor is the size of a 35mm analog camera. Basically it’s a larger sensor which is better, It has more pixel area and it costs more.

Crop Sensor - A crop sensor Like Nikon DX is a smaller cropped sensor with less pixel area and is more affordable. With FX Lenses on a Crop camera you get the illusion of a larger image, 1/3 larger usually.

Medium Format - A larger sensor than FX but is a lets say… Special camera. Look it up Really great ones being produced but with amazing results comes amazing prices that will make the average photographer never want to look at them.

Filter - A filter is a special piece of glass that is usually round or square. They are screwed onto the lens to create a specific look or block light etc. I used to love messing with filters. But now everything can be done in post. Although I still prefer doing everything I can in real, there is really no need to purchase many filters. Especially since you really need High quality filters if you use them. A low quality filter can ruin a photo. Unless you are protecting your very expensive lens with a very expensive high quality UV filter, Just get the camera and lens with an extra battery and a cleaning kit.


Focus - I’m sure you know this one but I gotta say it lol. When something is in focus it has sharp edges and detail becomes viewable. If the image is a little fuzzy it is considered soft focus if it is detailed it is Sharp focus. Then there is out of focus. Yeah It’s not in focus.


Lens Hood - A hood that mounts on the end of a lens blocking the sun to help keep sun flares out of the exposure.


Back focus - When a Button on the back of the camera is programmed the be the focus button allowing you to snap images without affecting focus. This can be handy.


Stabilization/VR/OS - There are a few different versions of the name but You will find Stabilization among the best features of new cameras. Vibration reduction or optical stabilization Is a big deal especially if your shooting with long lenses. Stab can be in the lenses, Camera body or in both. If you have tremors or shake slightly. Look for cameras that offer the best stability. I have tremors and shake because of my spine. I can say that It is a must for me.


Viewfinder - This is the eyepiece you look through. Inside you will see an exposure Meter an most of your current settings.


Rear Display - The digital display on the rear of the camera. Usually touch or controlled by the controls on the rear next to the display.



Exposure Meter - The displayed line meter in the viewfinder or on the rear display. Depending on your exposure area settings this meter tells you weather you can expect your image to be under exposed or over exposed an by how much. If your indicator falls below center or moves to the left the image is being under exposed. To the right of center is over exposed and the further the tick mark the more the image will be over exposed. You will see the tick mark on the meter move if you adjust any of the trio; ISO, Shutter speed or Aperture. It will also change according to the light in the subject area changes. If a shadow is cast and the scene gets darker you will see the meter change and you should make the necessary adjustments to get a correct exposure.


Flash - Some cameras have a small flash built in. The built in flashes are surprisingly good for snap shots and emergency situations. But for more control, Power and range look into speed-light. A larger directional flash that mounts to the Hot-shoe. They just slide into the fitting and then you usually flip a locking lever on the flash itself and Viola. Your a pro lol.


Flash Diffuser / Softbox - This is attached to the flash to direct or diffuse the hard bright light that is emitted when the flash is triggered. This creates a softer light that illuminates the subject more evenly. Some allow for bouncing light to better fill dark areas.


Bounce light - light that is being directed to your subject via a reflection from a reflector, bounce board or flash bounced off of a wall to be used as a fill.


Fill Light - Light that is being used to fill in darker areas in your composition.


MF AF - Manual focus and Auto focus. On MF you will need to focus with the focus ring on the lens manually. In AF the lens will focus on the Auto Focus Point location you have selected in the viewfinder or display.


Focus Point / Auto Focus Points - The point in your display or Viewfinder that you have the the little square on. It can be moved around the composition to select a new focal point for the auto focus to focus on. You will do this allot. Get used to the functions of the focus system, Focus area and Metering area settings. This will really help you get quicker and better results.


Auto (on the dial “OTD”) - On the top of the camera there is a dial that has letters and descriptions. The “Auto” usually green in color with a little cam icon is the cameras fully automatic mode. Switch to this to let the camera do all the work and get great snapshots.


A OTD - Aperture priority. The camera will change ISO and Shutter speed to keep the prioritized Aperture selected.


S OTD - Shutter Priority. The camera will change ISO and Aperture to keep the shutter speed setting.


U1 U2 U3 OTD - User programed modes. Program these modes to settings you use frequently so you can select them quickly.


P OTD - Program Mode. The camera controls Aperture and Shutter speed. Flexible program. I Have never used “P” to be honest.


Scene OTD - Scenes to choose from in which the camera sets the ideal settings for specific situations like sunset, low light, sports etc.


Bulb - a shutter speed setting that allows to hold the shutter open with the shutter release, as long as you hold it down. When you let off it will close the shutter. This allows you to do super duper incredibly long exposures.


Well I think that's most of the Basic Terms you’ll want to know when you first get your camera. If there is something you want to know please let me know in the comments or contact me. Continue below for a little info on Purchasing the camera that is right for you.


It’s very hard to find the right camera for the right price. Cameras are expensive and like me most cannot afford what they want. It would be nice though. But no fun in the selection because it would always be the most expensive best camera. But I shall digress back to my humble humble budget.


There are others like Panasonic which would be number 4 in my list. I’m only going to focus on the ones I know about, The big three Sony, Canon and Nikon along with others have a tier or number system that distinguishes the performance levels of the items. Example: Nikon D7500 is a mid ranged affordable all around camera good for everything But not great at some stuff. The Nikon D750 is the same camera with a Full Frame sensor and is slightly more expensive. Then we jump to a Nikon D850 or a Z9 Mirror-less (coming soon) and these are considered more pro cameras that come with a pro price tag. So research the camera line from the makers your interested in for the models that are in your price range.


If you were to do some research on the best brand to buy. You’ll most likely find That the Internet chooses Sony as the best, Canon second and Nikon Third. But it is not cut and dry. There are many factors to consider when choosing. The first being Price. Price of the Camera Body and the price of the lenses.


Sony is more expensive on there lenses While their camera bodies are about the same as Canons. For me I would have to buy after market lenses if I switched. The Sony cameras are rock solid and really deserve there ratings.


Canon lenses are usually more expensive than the Nikon equivalent. Probably the most common consumer camera. Canon makes an excellent camera but kind of pricey.

Nikon Seems to still beat the other two in afford-ability. While Nikon may be rated lower than the other two, That does not mean it is an inferior product. Nikon’s are as solid as the others. Nikon also makes some of the sharpest lenses and they share some of the same tech with Sony as they are the same company.


Pricing is changing with the introduction of newer mirror-less cameras. The native lenses for these are about twice as expensive as the DSLR counterpart so watch out for that, and price the lenses you want, before you buy the body.

Next is the camera body. When you decide which brand to go with. Get the best model you can afford. That's my opinion. If you know your going to stay in the hobby or maybe do more then getting the best you can afford will save you some money in the long run.


Lenses are what allot of people overlook when buying cameras. A lens can make the camera or the shot. What are you shooting? You need a lens for it. Wildlife? You’ll need a telephoto lens and maybe a 2x converter. Portraits? You’ll need maybe a 60mm? Well think of what you want to shoot and research the lenses for your best options from the brands. Don’t forget that Sigma and Tamron make some great lenses as well. Also when buying a lens double check the aperture rating if you find one that seems cheaper than the rest. Some makers Have two options on say a 400mm. One at f4 and one at f2.8 .

Weight can be an issue for some, especially those with limited abilities. It may help allot to know the weight stats on the lenses and camera bodies. The current Mirror-less are almost always lighter, and I mean allot lighter. If this is you and you can afford the price jump. I suggest going directly to a Mirror-less Setup.

Nikon Z50 bundle
Great Budget Mirror-less Nikon Z50 or Z5

Handle the models you are interested in. Go to your local REAL Camera store and Handle the bodies. Try them on for size. Be conscious of how the camera feels in your hands. Some models do not fit my hand comfortably and that could be an issue for you. It’s something you could get used to maybe. Try the lenses out on the camera also. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. People love to talk shop and like me, they love to share an amazing Art and Hobby with others. Before you purchase ask if there is a better price on the camera. They will usually drop a hundred or so off the $. Also Used cameras may be a great budget option. Often huge discounts. From a reputable dealer the used selection is certified and warrantied. This gives you plenty of time to try it out with no worries.

Buy an extra Battery! You’ll need it. Buy a Camera bag suitable for your future needs. Then when your ready, buy a solid tripod. Stay away from cheap tripods. Extended warranties are usually offered when you buy from a reputable dealer, and photo equipment is the only time I would buy an extended warranty lol. Especially if your a wildlife enthusiast.


Well here we are again at the end of the Blog. I hope this can help some of you. If I’m missing something you would like to see, please comment or contact. I’ll update as needed. Don’t forget to check out the slide Shows. You guys get out, Have some fun, stay snappy and until the next time, keep Snappin!



Using the links below will help me out.


Capture One offers a great editor and a free trial to test it all out here:


Please use the link below to check out a great denoise app:


Lightroom offers a built in slideshow creator if you need to render a slideshow.


Now get out there and experiment, have allot of fun and I hope this helped you out a little. Take care and have a Snaptastic day. See ya in the next blog.


More to come! let me know if there is a subject you would like me touch on.




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