Often, friends and I debate that you do not need the most expensive camera when taking photographs. As there will always be that one person in your life who still has their cheap, outdated digital camera but produces better images. Maybe you are that person who carries around the digital camera equivalent of a FunSaver.
Well, whether you are thinking about replacing the camera someday, or you are attached to it for life, you have to live with it for the time being, and make sure you are taking the best photos that you can with it, quality notwithstanding. Here are some of the best kept secrets of taking perfect photos, even when your digital camera isn’t. Put simply, reasons Why You Do Not Need the Most Expensive Camera to Take Good Pictures.
Table of Contents
Proper handling of the camera
The quality of the images that you will take with a low-quality camera will depend on how well you handle the camera itself. For instance, most older cameras will have a problem when it comes to keeping battery charge. To deal with the fast battery draining problem, make sure that you charge the camera well and turn it off whenever you are not using it.
When it is sunny outside, use the camera flash to keep away the shadows which form around the eyes and other parts of the face when the sunlight is coming from directly above. On the other hand, when it is dark, avoid using the flash because the images will come out ashy or red-eyed.
Proper light regulation
Maybe you have heard about the importance of proper light exposure in determining camera image quality and are wondering what’s an F-stop? And what role it plays in determining image exposure. Well, the F-stop is the aperture setting, which is one of the three components that make up the camera’s exposure triangle. The F-stop is a command which controls the opening which allows light into the camera. There are a few ways which you can manually manipulate the F-stop to get the image quality that you want:
- For Canon cameras, you can set them on manual mode, locate the AV button on the top right-hand side of the display, and adjust the slider with the numbers to control lighting settings.
- If your camera is a Nikon, put your camera in a programmable mode and depress the shutter till an activated meter appears.
- Sony cameras are pretty easy to locate F-stop settings for. You just need to put the camera in manual mode and depress the shutter release till a meter appears. Turn the dial left or light depending on the amount of lighting that you want in your images.
Image steadiness
Another common problem that low-quality cameras have is lack of image stabilization. This means that even the slightest shift in your hands when taking the image will lead to a blurry image. The only remedy for this problem is to make sure that you hold the camera very steady.
Check to see that the image has cleared up before shooting. If the images are still coming out a little shaky, tell the person whose photo you are taking to ensure that they hold still, and also try leaning on a stable object.
Going easy on the customization settings
If the basic composition of a camera is inferior, chances are that the advance settings will be even worse. It therefore makes no sense to try and improve the quality of the image which you will be projecting with the camera using the advanced settings. The best thing that you can do in this case is to make sure that the light is always behind you when you are taking the photos and that you take wholesome images. Move around till you are in a position where you will not be taking photos with missing limbs and other mistakes.
You Do Not Need the Most Expensive Camera
Those are just a few ways in which you can use a bad camera to take a good photo. Other intuitive measures that you can take to ensure that the camera does not compromise the images quality and photo session is buying an extra set of batteries and adding an SD card for maximum image storage. Proper cleaning and maintenance of the camera will also ensure that the lenses and other parts are clean enough to take images which will not end up blurry.
Finally, always check the final image that is on your screen before pressing the shoot button on your camera. Knowing techniques in photography means you do not need the most expensive camera to take good pictures, like they say, it’s the archer not the arrow. 🙂
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I think it’s a misnomer that the camera is the most important thing for taking good pictures. It really is about the lighting and the lenses you use.
You’re absolutely right! More expensive does not always equal better. You can maximize using what you already have. We use a Sony 3000. 🙂
Less is more, my mom always says! To get great pictures, it’s more about technique than the actual camera itself.
Great tips! It’s not the camera, it’s how you use the camera to shoot the subjects and such. I’ve seen great images and photos taken from old/outdated phone cameras.
Sometimes I miss my old, simple digital camera. I often don’t have the patience to lug around my Canon and mess with the setting all the time. Great tips!
These are all good tips. I have a medium-quality camera. I’d love a nicer one. I can’t get good action shots of my son playing ball.