Yes, JamesK, people want to see things as they would see them if they were actually there and that is why a good camera is important.
This morning (I saw in the news) a motor home crashed into a house. I looked in Google Maps to find the house. It has a bright Yellow wall. I found a house with a wall that looks like the wall except it is a light Brown, not Yellow. Then when I was moving around and the wall was a distance away, it looked bright Yellow. So the point is that the Google Street View cameras are not very good about color. A better camera would help.
This is such a broad range question. Can you tell us first what kind of photography you're planning to do, and your budget?
Personally I rely mostly on the camera on my phone these days to take photos. It doesn't produce the best quality, but for most of the time it's more than enough.
When I'm out taking simple photos, my phone (OnePlus2) does well, good quality pictures and I can edit them rather quickly if need be in order to make them stand out. If I'm taking more 'professional' grade photos, I use my Nikon D3300. This is mainly used if I'm PLANNING on taking a high quality RAW picture that I'll be touching up later before uploading to Google Maps/Etc. Both Nikon and Canon has great starter DSLR's that are great for starters.
This is a difficult question to answer without more background. What kinds of photos do you intend to take? What do you plan to do with your photos? What is your budget? What kinds of conditions are you shooting in? The question is similar to someone asking, "What is the best car to drive?" In short, the best camera is the one you have with you to capture the moments most important to you. For many of us these days, that's the camera on our phones. Such cameras are great for remaining relatively discrete, capturing images where the lighting conditions are not particularly challenging, and capturing images that are destined for online use or printed in small format. I've been happy with my iPhone 6S and have even used some of the images it takes on my website and for our social media channels. There are some great cameras on other phones too, I just haven't played with too many.
The next set of cameras are the point-and-shoot variety. And to continue with the car analogy, you have options ranging from a Kia to Mercedes. These cameras provide a slight edge over today's phones with sensor quality and zoom capability (especially if you look into cameras with optical vs. digital zoom). They're bigger than your phone, but still easy enough to drop into a pocket. Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sony, and Panasonic are some of the brands I've used or have preference for. Today, if you're investing in a camera besides your phone it tells me that you at least have an interest in understanding some of the nuiances of photography. If so, then I would at least suggest getting a point and shoot camera that gives you complete "manual" control. This will help you understand the relationship of shutter speed, aperature, and ISO and how you can control each of these to get the image you're after. I don't believe in the ideology that only accomplished photographers shoot in manual mode, but I do believe its a capability you'd want to have if you're serious about understanding photography. Note that most of the cameras that allow you to do this cost a bit more than those that only shoot in auto or set program modes (i.e., night mode, portrait mode, etc.). Based on your question, I'm guessing this type of camera might be the best balance for you - a compact point-and-shoot camera with manual capability and optical zoom. Search some of the brands I mentioned with those capabilities and hopefully you'll find something that fits your budget. Nonetheless, I will continue with some of the other camera options and considerations if that applies better to your situation or is useful to other readers.
The next level of cameras branches into the realm of those with interchangeable lenses. These are your DSLR and mirrorless camera systems. I feel these cameras are suited to those that are very interested in photography or even professionals, and are after high-quality images. As before, there's everything from Ford to Ferrari with prices to match. You just have to remember that your investment is now not only in the camera but in the lenses. Many lenses that are included in kits are of average quality and you can spend just as much as you did for the camera or more for a good quality lens. Mirrorless systems are the 'new kid on the block' and quickly proving to be every bit as capable as some of the high quality DSLR's, so it really comes down to three things (besides budget) in my mind: sensor size, lens selection, and weight/size.
Whether its your phone or a professional DSLR, digital images are recorded via your camera's sensor. Without going into a lot of detail, increased sensor size typically means better quality images especially in situations of low light and increased dynamic range (where very bright and dark elements are being recorded simultaneously). Bigger sensors also allow you to achieve more drastic effect with depth of field. Ever see those pictures where one object or person is in focus and the background is blurry? That's called shallow depth of field and the effect is most pronounced with large 'full-frame' sensors (note that doesn't mean you can't do it with a smaller sensor camera, but the quality of that effect on larger sensors is drastically improved). Bigger sensors typically enable better quality images that are fit for very large prints, even billboards! Note that its not just the megapixel count that defines quality but the combination of sensor size with the megapixel resolution (among other factors).
I believe its best to pick an interchangeable lens camera based upon the lenses available to you. Again, it really depends on what you want to shoot. Landscapes? You'll want really wide lenses (14-25mm). Portraits? You'll be looking for lenses in the ~50-85mm range. Versatility/travel? You'll want lenses that maximize your zoom range (i.e. 18-200mm) while not skimping on quality or lens speed. Its easier said than done. First figure out what you want to shoot most of, then read up on the reviews of the lenses available. Whichever company has some of the best lenses available for what you want to shoot should be a top contender for the camera as well.
Lastly there's weight & size. Most large DSLRs do take some great professional-quality images, but the likes of Sony and Fuji are starting to show that you can get professional quality in smaller & lighter packages. I'm amazed by some of the Sony & Fuji mirrorless cameras and know some accomplished professional photographers that have traded in their DSLRs for these systems and shoot images from weddings to stories for National Geographic. If size doesn't really matter to you - go with whatever fits your budget and has the best lenses for what you want to shoot. If you travel or are looking for smaller size, I'd give serious consideration to a mirrorless system.
So hopefully that helps shed some perspective on the complexity of your question but sends you down the right path. Note other than mentioning a couple of brand names, I didn't tell you what to buy :). That's a personal decision and there are many great cameras out there (some junk too). First focus on what your want to do with your photography, how serious you are, and then assess your options. I'd also suggest reading online reviews on dpreview and cnet to help you narrow down your options and then pay a visit to a local electronics/camera store to really see how the cameras work and what they feel like.
If you're curious, I'm traveling around the globe for one year collecting thousands of images and use everything from my iPhone to a Canon 5D Mark III professional DSLR. Why not mirrorless? Well, I already had an investment in Canon lenses and my budget didn't support both a new camera and new lenses! Sometimes our best picture for the day was taken with the professional rig (almost always the case when the lighting is difficult), but other times its our point-and-shoot or phone. The main difference is that our DSLR images were shot in a RAW format which allows detailed editing and are high enough quality for us to sell.
Happy shooting and remember that the best camera is the one that you have on you when the moment hits. 🙂
Cameras in phones are amazingly good compared to the past but they have limited zoom in and out capability. You can buy economical cameras and the zoom in and out capability is an important feature to look for. Another feature that seems useful is the ability to upload over WiFi.
The advantage of more expensive cameras is exchangeable lenses. You can purchase separate lenses such as "long" lenses for taking pictures of things far away. I have a Canon EOS but for Google Maps I only need the regular lens, I don't need the long lens for that. So an economical camera that is capable of optical zooming in and out would probably work great.
IvanY is spot on. Invest the money in having a great smart phone with you at all times. THEN, if you still have "money to burn" you will want a DSLR. The lenses that you will want / need will depend on what you want to shoot. For example, if you want to shoot artistic food shots at restaurants, you will want a fixed primary lens that is 50mm. If you plan to be out and about, the basic zoom lenses that come with your kit camera will be sufficient. Because you used the word "affordable" I will assume you are not in the market for a pro camera. When you are ready for that, plan to spend $2000 USD on the body, and another couple thousand on lenses. Until then.... phone camera! And when you need more light, have your friend point their phone's flashlight on your subject!
I think what you're taking a picture with isn't as important as what you're taking a picture of. When people are looking at images on Maps, they want to see things as they would see them if they were actually there. Proffesionally-touched pics are great, but I feel the human perspective is the thing to think about when snapping shots for an area. I'm trying to up my quota of 360 pics for that reason - so people can visit a place they might never actually get to in real life, or revisit a place they've been.
Yes, JamesK, people want to see things as they would see them if they were actually there and that is why a good camera is important.
This morning (I saw in the news) a motor home crashed into a house. I looked in Google Maps to find the house. It has a bright Yellow wall. I found a house with a wall that looks like the wall except it is a light Brown, not Yellow. Then when I was moving around and the wall was a distance away, it looked bright Yellow. So the point is that the Google Street View cameras are not very good about color. A better camera would help.
2022
