Choosing your next camera can be as exciting as it is stressful. Although buying a camera is not cheap, if you have already made the decision to invest in a new equipment, it will only be enough to do a little research to find the one that suits your needs.
At this time you may end up being a victim of both your own anxiety as well as the brands and sellers who, in order to sell a camera, may not dedicate the time you deserve to answer all your questions.
But don’t worry, in today’s article I will show you a powerful tool, available for free on the internet, so that you can know everything that a camera offers, and even compare them with each other and thus be able to make the best decision when it comes to buy your next SLR camera.
What camera to choose?
Once the decision to buy a SLR camera has been made, the most difficult part begins: Which one to buy?
When evaluating the different proposals, it may be difficult for you to decide between one model or another due to the large number and variety of cameras available on the market, so choosing between one or the other ends up almost being a matter of faith. : It is very likely that you will lean towards one or the other camera only because of the brand of this one.
Imagine you need to hammer a nail into a wall, but when you go to the store for the right tool, you end up buying a screwdriver. Although the situation is a bit exaggerated, it is useful to exemplify what could happen to you if you are not very clear about what you want to do and try to get the necessary tools to do it. Never forget that the camera is just a medium and it is the camera that must adapt to you, and not you to it.
Choosing an SLR camera is much more than comparing labels. In order to be successful in buying your next SLR camera, which may well be the first, you need to know in depth what its advantages and disadvantages are, what features it offers you and how they can help you take better photographs.
That is why in today’s article I am here to introduce you to a tool that will be of great help to you: Snapsort.com
A powerful tool: Snapsort
Snapsort is a free site that will allow you, in a very simple and fast way, to make comparisons between the different cameras that you have in mind to acquire and thus help you make the best decision. Although there are more complete alternatives, none is as simple and easy to understand as Snapsort.com, so it will become a luxury ally in the search for your next camera.
By comparing only technical data, it becomes really very objective and very useful for you to end up leaning towards one or another camera to buy, or at least, so that you can discard those that do not fit what you expect from your next reflex camera.
When it comes to making comparisons between this or that camera, Snapsort becomes a very efficient tool thanks to its simplicity. In a few minutes, you may have a good idea of the technical advantages of one camera over the other. How? Pay attention:
How does it work?
The operation of the page is simple: a large database with data from thousands of cameras that, with just a couple of clicks, you can easily compare. Just go to www.snapsort.com/compare and fill in the brands and models of the cameras you want to compare:
Once you have completed the data of the cameras you want to compare and click on the “compare” button, you will see the result of said comparison:
(1) Score: Each of the specifications of the cameras compared has a score that, added to its popularity (number of user queries), results in a final score. The better its features and functionalities, the higher the score obtained. The camera with the highest score will be the winner.
Keep in mind that some of the specs that are important to Snapsort (they add up to a lot of points), such as the rotating screen, may not be important to you. Do not stay alone with this “summary” since the scores are assigned according to the technical specifications (objective aspect) and not to the use that you can get to give it (subjective aspect).
(2) Store: If you’ve been completely overwhelmed by the score you just saw and it’s enough for you to instantly choose your next camera, you can take advantage of Snapsort’s sponsored links and head straight to the store to place your order. Don’t give in to temptation! Much remains to be seen.
(3) Reasons to buy one or the other: here you can quickly see those “highlights” features of each of the cameras with respect to the other.
Sections
After the quick “summary” of score and outstanding features, you will find a menu in which you can appreciate the different sections that the page offers you regarding said comparison:
- Differences: here you will be able to observe those characteristics that differentiate one camera from another, but with one peculiarity: it will show you the advantages that each camera has over its competitor. Later I will explain the meaning and importance of each of the items that you will find in this section.
- Recommendations: Again, Snapsort.com makes the buying process a little easier by offering you different ones in which you can quickly acquire each of the cameras consulted.
- Similar: In a simple list you will be able to observe the strengths and weaknesses common to both cameras with respect to the rest of the cameras that are offered on the market.
- Competitors: The comparison is not strictly limited to the two models you have chosen, but also offers you a list of advantages and disadvantages of these models compared to other cameras offered on the market and that directly compete with them.
- Appearance: As you can imagine, here you can appreciate the aspect of each camera with respect to the other. The image is not everything: this section will also be useful to get a complete idea of how the buttons and knobs are arranged, the size of one with respect to the other, etc.
- Discussion: At the end of the comparison, you will be able to read the opinions of those users who have had experience using one or another model and have decided to share their experience with the rest of the community.
References
If you stop to analyze the differences between one camera and another or their similarities, you will notice that there are a large number of items through which said comparison is made. Each of these refers to functions and features that one camera has built-in and the other does not, or both have them or maybe even none of them has it, in which case Snapsort will recommend cameras of a similar segment (Professional, advanced and beginner) that if they have them so you can evaluate and why not, make a new comparison.
At first you may feel a bit lost among so many specifications, numbers and scores, but after performing several analyzes you will see that it is much simpler than it seems. In any case, here is a list of the main features that you should pay attention to if you want to get the most out of this tool:
Amount of noise at High ISO: ISO sensitivity is something like an indicator of the “amount of light necessary to be able to take a picture”. The higher this is, the greater the noise that will appear in your photographs. The more responsive a camera is to photos taken at high sensitivities, the better sharpness you’ll be able to achieve and the better quality your photos will have.
Maximum ISO Sensitivity: This is the maximum value to which you can raise the ISO sensitivity of your camera when taking your photos in low light situations. The higher the sensitivity of a camera, the better it will be able to take photos in low light situations where others would be unable to. However, the limit to ISO sensitivity is set by you: this will be the amount of noise you are willing to put up with in a photograph. Correct measurement and exposure will be key to making the most of this value.
Sensitivity Boost: The maximum ISO sensitivity that SLR cameras bring acts as a limit that you can violate using the “boost” or “forcing” said limit to be able to take pictures in situations where your worst enemy, darkness, is lurking. There are certain cameras that allow you to raise the maximum ISO sensitivity of your camera through their menu, but be careful that if you force it too much, the quality of your photographs will be greatly affected.
Video quality: It goes without saying that the better the video quality and the more frames per second (fps) the chosen camera is capable of processing, the better results you will get when recording your videos. You may not be 100% interested in taking full advantage of this functionality, but as the saying goes, “better have more than not”. If you want to learn everything about video recording with your SLR camera, take a look at the following article: “The Whole Truth about Video Recording on SLR Cameras”.
Continuous focus on video: Many of the SLR cameras currently on the market do not have the ability to autofocus in video recording mode, which means that you will have to adjust the focus manually during the entire recording. If you are a video lover, it may be that if the camera you are comparing has such functionality, it will make you lean towards it when making your long-awaited purchase.
External microphone: The possibility of connecting an external microphone to the camera will allow you to record the audio of your videos with much better quality than if you only used the built-in microphone in these. External microphones will allow you to filter out ambient noise in a much more efficient way since they do not capture the noises that the camera itself emits, such as when zooming or focusing.
Image quality: you can assess the quality of the images resulting from a certain camera by paying attention to this value. The same is the result of the score obtained based on the three fundamental parameters to obtain quality in your photos: color depth, dynamic range and performance in low light. To support its metrics, Snapsort relies on another well-known tool: DxOMark so your objectivity is almost guaranteed.
Color depth: Color depth is the ability of your camera to distinguish different shades of the same color. Measured in bits, the better the color depth the camera is capable of capturing, the more color nuances you will be able to distinguish in your photos. If you want proof of the importance of capturing as many colors as possible in your photos, be sure to check out the “Colorful” challenge.
Touch screen: the tendency…