How to Pick a Camera Brand like an Expert

If you are here, it is certain that you want to pick the right camera brand for you.

You want to buy a camera but you don’t want to pick the wrong brand and waste your money and your time on trying to work the wrong system.

You are also tired by all the articles and YouTube videos that are just trying to sell you what gives them the most commission.

If that is the case, you are in the right place.

In this article, I will share with you exactly how to pick a camera brand like an expert. I will teach you how to pick the right camera for YOU.

I have been a photographer and filmmaker for over 7 years now.

During these years, I have used a lot of camera brands. And by use, I don’t mean just testing. I mean extensively using it as a primary camera.

From the popular brands like Canon, Sony, Fujifilm, Nikon, GoPro to not so popular Pentax, Ultimaxx, Kodak, and many more.

Let’s begin.

Does Camera Brand Matter?

Some people will say that it doesn’t really, because you can always tweak an image to look like any other camera. But is it really sustainable?

I’d argue not.

While yes we can make any photograph look like any other camera’s photograph, doing that would take away from the simplicity of the process.

Once the simplicity is gone and taking photos and videos become complex more than they need to, it becomes difficult for us to do what we love: photography and fiilmmaking.

So yes, camera brand does matter.

The dilemma of niche

When we read guides or watch YouTube videos, the most repeated line we hear is “…it depends” and I get how frustrating that can be.

When we are just starting to build our gear kit, most of us don’t really know what niche category of camera usage to prioritize.

What we want to have is flexibility and the ability to cover most things properly.

Yes, there are some of us that know exactly what we want to do with our cameras.

But most of us would like to cover most grounds.

Different Camera Brands

Sony Camera Brand

I never liked Sony cameras that much.

That is because when I was starting my photography journey back in 2015/16, Sony’s colors were really bad. But since then, Sony has come a long way.

The reason why Sony is the first brand I mentioned here is because they are always trying to innovate.

Through their consistent effort, they have not only created some of the best camera hardware but have redefined how good their software and color can be.

But since they are always coming out with new cameras, they are not really good at firmware updates and supporting old cameras.

Many existing users of their old cameras feel left out when new features come to the new cameras.

They have really good camera for both photography and videography, and of course they also have some hybrid cameras that are good at both.

Why choose Sony?

You should choose Sony if you want to play it safe or you are into wildlife or sports photography.

Sony cameras have really fast autofocus, sLOG is really good too. And the release of the Sony α7 III brought a lot of attention to the camera brand.

Because of that, you will find a lot of tutorials on the internet to do almost everything you can think.

Sony has great and selection of lenses. They have great G-master lenses but they also have support for third-party lenses which is incredible as it makes the lenses more affordable.

Canon Camera Brand

They have always been a safe option for most people.

They have great cameras, great lenses, and great colors. Their autofocus competes with Sony.

Their interface is very usable and everything seems to flow comfortably.

Canon publicly announced that they would not be supporting third-party lenses. That makes it difficult to recommend Canon cameras unless you have a very high budget.

Sigma and Tamron make really good lenses but you won’t be able to use them on Canon unless you use an adaptor. So that sucks.

Canon used to be the king of autofocus and colors but Sony has taken it away in a lot of ways.

FujiFilm Camera Brand

If you love beautiful colors, FujiFilm is the way to go.

They used to develop cameras and photographic films in the past when film cameras were the only option.

So since they already had the research and results of it, they added “Film Simulation Mode” to their cameras which brings most of the original film camera colors to the digital shooting experience.

They also allow sharing of “film recipe” across users so you can use color settings used by other great photographers on the internet.

Their colors are amazing straight out of the camera, in both photos and videos.

They look retro and work beautifully.

They cover a wide variety of genres of Photography. For example if you want a sexy portable camera, they got you covered.

When it comes to their APS-Cs, if you want a rangefinder style of camera, you’ve got it. If you want a vintage retro inspired camera, you’ve got it. If you want a more DSLR shooting experience, you’ve got it.

They also have some really good medium-format cameras. They have really great lenses too.

Their menu system needs a overhaul. Currently their menu system is unnecessarily time-consuming to use.

Nikon Camera Brand

Nikon has always been a photo first camera brand. They have a wide range of telephoto lenses at different price ranges.They are primarily used by sports or wildlife package.

Many regular people don’t like the colors of Nikon. But since they are used by a lot of photographers, it is not an issue.

Most, if not all, photographers edit and adjust their images in post. Nikon has great raw image quality.

And recently, they also acquired the cinema camera company RED, so there’s a good chance that their video game will improve too.

The problem is that they focus hard on the flagship expensive cameras. But it is hard to recommend them for anything less than $4000. Their APS-C cameras which are affordable are not really that great.

Their full-frame cameras are, but they are expensive.

Leica Camera Brand

Leica is a photographer’s camera, and they know who they are.

Leica cameras are EXPENSIVE, but they don’t make apologies for that.

They are not super versatile but they support the photographers community.

They cameras and lenses are works of arts. The images that come out of it are just beautiful.

If you are fortunate enough to afford it, Leica can give you the shooting experience that no other camera brand can. They are just straight out premium great cameras.

Panasonic Camera Brand

Panasonic, in a lot of ways, dominates the video field for professionals (if not on cinema camera).

They have a lot of lenses that are optimized for video. Their video files have really good quality and their V-Log is easy to grade.

Recently, they also have great firmware support. They keep updating cameras with improvements and feature additions.

Updating firmwares regularly shows that Panasonic cares for its customers and it also extends the life of those cameras.

If videography is not your primary objective, Panasonic is not for you.

Olympus (OM System) Camera Brand

They are really good for travel and adventure photography and videography.

They are rugged, the lenses are compact. Even the lenses are weather sealed. So you can take them anywhere.

OM system or Olympus cameras have great on camera computational photographic technology.

They have a live ND filter, so you don’t need a tripod to do long exposures. They have something called “live bulb” where you can watch an exposure build in front of you and when you’re happy with the exposure, you stop it and take the photo.

They have great multi-shot mode where you have motion correction, great stabilizations.

Hasselblad Camera Brand

Hasselblad is a photographer’s camera, and their autofocus is BAD.

However, their interface, their touch and UI is really good.

They also have good colors and image quality.

Hasselblad has something called “leaf shutter lenses” because of which you can shoot directly in sunlight and you don’t need any ND filter or high speed sync.

Pentax (Ricoh) Camera Brand

Pentax is also a photographer’s camera.

They have really good pocket-size cameras. They are rugged too.

While most camera brands are moving away from DSLR and towards the mirrorless technology, Pentax celebrates DSLR. They continue to make new camera designs and lens lineups.

My round up

This is entirely my opinion, so take it for what it is.

I recommend only 3 camera brands.

1. Canon: If you want a cinema camera or a wedding photography camera, go Canon.
2. Sony: If you want a video-making camera, or for sports or wildlife photography, go Sony.
3. FujiFilm: If you are doing photography for the art of it, go FujiFilm.