With choices as plentiful as never before, shopping for new photography equipment can be overwhelming and confusing. It is not only the various different sensor formats and resolutions, camera form factors, lens mounts and brands, and an ever growing list of what cameras can do (in addition to taking pictures), it is also the speed at which the technology evolves and the pressure manufacturers and influencers put on consumers to always trade up to the latest model.
While it is still true that cameras and lenses are only tools, and that it is really the photographer’s vision and skill that determine the image, the technology we use has an impact on the way we work, and subsequently on the images we produce. I am a typical example of that. When my trusted Canon EOS 5DIII gave up after many years of use, and after an anything but positive experience with Canon's customer service department, I decided to switch brands. Over the five years that followed that decision I went through a number of outfits - Nikon, Sony and Fujifilm - and didn’t feel comfortable with any. I was still able to do my job, but was rarely excited by the work I produced, and eventually I considered giving up photography completely (not being happy with the equipment I was using was not the only reason, but that's another story). This was just before Covid brought the world to a standstill, and while the world was in limbo two things happened. During the lockdowns I began to miss photography, and Sigma, a company mainly known for their lenses, released a strange little camera, the Sigma fp l and a series of small prime lenses. Why I actually bought into the system I can’t really remember, but what I remember is that the first day out with the new Sigma outfit was absolutely wonderful. I had fun and came home with a few really good images, and all of a sudden photography was exciting again. Before you run off now to buy the Sigma fp l, some words of warning: This camera is very different to the average digital camera, it’s a little brick, scaled down to the essentials, has a really bad autofocus system, and some other quirks. For me, however, it was the right camera to rekindle my passion for photography. And I still use it today.
So how do you choose the right equipment for your needs? Just going out and buying a camera on a hunch worked for me this one time, but usually this approach doesn’t end well…
For many, one major deciding factor is of course the money available for new purchases, but budget considerations aside, the first question to ask yourself is what kind of images you plan to make with your new camera(s) and lens(s). The answer to that question will steer you in the right direction.
If you only want to photograph landscapes, the best tool will be a camera with a high resolution sensor, which nowadays is a sensor with 40MP or more. The more pixels a camera has, the more detail it will record, and landscapes hold more details than most other subjects. What also comes into play is the sensor size. A larger sensor can hold more pixels. A larger sensor can also hold larger pixels, and larger pixels produces a cleaner image with little or no artifacts and image noise.
The sensor, however, doesn’t produce the image on its own. If you put a low quality lens in front of a high resolution sensor, the outcome will be shaped by the lens, and you can loose the very detail you hoped to capture with your high pixel count. In other words, to get the best out of your high megapixel sensor, you will need a lens that can resolve all these pixels.
Having said that, you don’t need a high resolution sensor to make good landscape images. The previously mentioned Canon EOS 5DIII had 22MP, the Sigma fp l has 60MP. Still, many landscape images I have made with the Canon have stood the test of time and are still wonderful to look at.
For wildlife and sport photography factors other than resolution should be looked at first. Because of the fast nature of most animals and sports, a reliable autofocus, a clean high-ISO performance, the ability to record as many images per second as possible (a high frame rate), and a large buffer - the in-camera storage space for images before the files get written to the memory card - are important. A high resolution sensor usually gets in the way of achieving these features, so cameras built with wildlife and sport photography in mind usually come with 20MP or 24MP sensors. The only time where sensor resolution enters the equation is when you plan to crop images in post production to get closer to your subject. With a 60MP sensor it is no problem to cut away half of the image, and still have an animal portrait with a more than decent resolution in the end.
The lens choices when working in this field are also important and many wildlife and sport photographers prefer fast lenses, lenses with a maximum f-stop of between f2.8 and f4. This not only allows for fast exposure times even when lighting conditions aren't the best, but also for the subject to be separated from the background and create a blurry backdrop, the infamous “bokeh” so many photographers are after. For landscapes, where you want everything from the foreground to the distant background to be in focus, this isn’t important, and you usually work with f-stops of around f16.
Close-up and macro photography neither needs high resolution sensors (unless you plan to print incredibly large) nor fast autofocus (unless you are targeting flying insects). What is worth considering here is the camera's LCD screen. It is likely that you will often work close to the ground or in other awkward spaces, and an LCD screen that can tilt whichever way, will be very helpful. Macro lenses are generally very good. To get frame-filling images of tiny subjects make sure your chosen lens provides 1:1 (“lifesize”) magnification (there are macro lenses that provide even greater magnification, but these are not easy to work with). Most macro lenses are 100mm lenses (which also works very well for portraits), but if you plan to work with jittery subjects, like insects and other small animals, a longer lens, which allows you to keep a greater distance to your models, might be worth considering.
Portrait & family photography is a surprising versatile field. For family photography, especially when children are involved, a fast autofocus and a high frame rate are very helpful to capture the little ones in the right moment. For traditional portraits, where the subject sits still, this is less important. And just like in wildlife and sport photography most photographers prefer fast lenses - f2.8 is fast enough for most scenarios, but there are even faster portrait lenses - that allow the subject to stand out clearly from the background.
If you want to photograph all of the above, you’ll probably have to make some concessions or have a lot of money to spend. I already mentioned that you don’t need large, high resolution sensors to make stunning landscape images, and equally you also don’t need the best autofocus and fastest lenses to capture unique wildlife pictures. What is more important than all of the technical marvels is skill and experience. Learning how to use your camera and get the best out of it, and - even more important - learning about your subjects, being able to visualise the image you want, and then plan accordingly, are much more valuable than the latest equipment with the best technology.
Once you are clear about what you want to photograph and have hopefully narrowed down your options, you can consider other factors.
Surprisingly significant when choosing a camera outfit is its handling and weight. While most cameras follow the same basic design, subtle differences in the way the hand-grip is shaped and how the camera balances with different lenses, can have a huge impact on the user experience. This is a very personal decision, and it is very helpful to visit a camera store to hold a few different cameras and see which one suits you the most. Weight seems to become more important the older you get, and that is not only the weight of the camera, more importantly it is the weight of assorted lenses. Some 20 years ago I didn’t even think about this and lugged two camera bodies, three heavy tilt & shift lenses (for landscapes) and a long zoom lens (for wildlife) up and down mountains. Today I am hiking much, much lighter, otherwise I wouldn't make it up the mountain.
Having a look at the lens and accessory environment is also important. What lenses and other equipment, e.g. cable releases, flashlights, etc., are available for the camera you would like to buy? Owning the perfect wildlife camera, but then not being able to get a suitable lens, would make the camera pretty useless. Here it is also worthwhile to investigate 3rd party manufacturers. Especially when it comes to lenses, these are on average considerably cheaper than the ones from the big brands, namely Canon, Nikon and Sony. Sigma in particular have built an excellent reputation for high quality lenses that cost a fraction of the comparable brand lens.
Warranty and repair options are also worth looking into, especially here in Ireland where only few manufacturers have an actual office and workshop for repairs. The need to send faulty equipment abroad can lead to very long turnaround times, and could leave you without a camera or lens for weeks, unless you are given the option for loan equipment while your gear is being fixed.
A mostly overlooked factor when exploring new cameras is colour science, meaning the way the camera processes colours. Even when you shoot in RAW format, each manufacturer has its own way of interpreting and recording colours. Some go for an overall warmer tone, others have a cooler tint, some try to stay as close to reality as possible, others prefer a more punchy colour palette. Of course the photographer can adjust and tweak colours to get their preferred look, but this could mean a lot of additional work. For example, I never liked what came out of Sony and Nikon cameras very much, and I needed to put in a lot of time to get the result I wanted. With the Sigma and Panasonic cameras I am currently using, I hardly have to do any post production work. But just like camera ergonomics, colour is very much a matter of taste. Dpreview and other photography sites offer sample files from most cameras to download, so you can get an idea of the colour science before you buy.
Last but not least there is, of course, the budget. If you can’t afford the €8000 camera and the €9999 lens for bird photography, you can’t. Few actually can, including me. While expensive high-end equipment might make your life a bit easier, not being able to afford it, doesn’t mean you won't be able to make the images you want. It will just take a bit more effort, which will reward you with invaluable skills and experience, as well as great images.
In addition to camera and lens(es) there, unfortunately, are a few other bits and pieces you might need. Storage cards you won’t get away without and most manufactures have lists recommending which ones to use with any particular camera model. Spare batteries are also a must. Digital cameras consume a lot of power and it gives tremendous peace of mind to have at least one extra battery as a backup.
Having and using a tripod is a judgment call. I rarely go without one. For landscapes it allows me to fine tune the composition more precisely and wait comfortably for the right moment. For long exposures a tripod is also a necessity. For wildlife photography I find it helpful when I am stationary because don’t have to hold camera and lens all the time. But I know photographers who feel a tripod slows them down, and they still produce wonderful images. So you just have to try and find out what kind of photographer you are.
At last you need something to carry all that stuff through the landscape. Backpacks are the choice of most landscape and nature photographers and just as with cameras, the differences between models are subtle, and the ‘try before you buy’ advice applies here as well.
I am of course only scratching the surface here. If you would like to learn more about photography I will be running nature and landscape photography courses at Bannerbooks in Kilrush, County Clare and Ennistymon, County Clare from November 2025, or keep and eye out for new blog posts.
Carsten Krieger, September 2025
