Tuesday, 3 June 2014

Cameras For Blogging


One of the questions I get asked most often is “What camera should I use for blogging?” There are so many different answers, it depends on budget, what your source of lighting is and what you’ll be using the camera for other than blogging, for example do you want to be able to film videos as well?

For blogging all you really need is a camera that has at least 12 megapixels and a source of good natural light. Most of the time images on blogs have been edited in some way, whether that is adding effects, brightening or making the colour more vibrant. All these pretty tools can make it a little hard to know what was the camera and what was the operator.

If you are a beginner and want to start out with the basics of photography then go with a compact. They come in a wide variety of prices so they are perfect for any budget but they are limited on features, especially if you need to take pictures in low light. Despite the lack of features they are compact (hence the name compact camera) which means if you need something that will fit into your handbag and be inconspicuous then this is your man. If you twisted my arm and said I had to recommend a compact camera, I would say look at the Canon Powershot series. Canon cameras are good quality, reliable and usually have other great features hiding in the menu. They do a range of compacts to suit all budgets so maybe have a Google to find out which one suits you.

If you have a bigger budget and want to really splash out for amazing quality and endless features, then you might want to take a look at a DSLR camera (the really big fancy looking ones) These beauts come with interchangeable lenses, something that is very handy when it comes to diverse photography, and have amazing depth of field. This just means it’s really good at giving you that blurry background effect and makes your images seem more 3D and alive. They are also the best if you have poor light; the options on the cameras allow you to change a number of settings to make your images brighter without adding extra lighting. Again I would recommend Canon, many bloggers have the amazing 600D/Rebel T3i including me and it is doing me proud. You can also look at Nikon, the other top brand when it comes to DSLRs.

Now if you want something that can take awesome pictures and films top quality HD video then all of the above recommendations still apply. When you’re looking for a compact camera you need to look out for HD video in 1080p ideally 60fps. You can find this info in the specifications on any website. For DSLRs it’s the same, but these tend to have a range of different fps you can film in so don’t worry about that too much.

So as you can see it’s not quite as black and white as you may first think. Hopefully this has helped identify which TYPE of camera you should be looking for, but the rest is up to you. Good luck! 


14 comments:

  1. Really helpful post as I'm looking into improving the pictures on my blog. I'm using my phone camera at the moment which is 13MP, but I think I might start looking into getting a compact for my blog because it'll have more features than my phone. Is there any good and budget friendly editing software/sites that you'd recommended? x

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    1. I'm glad you found it helpful! The only one that I've tried is Gimp which is a free editing software, it's pretty similar to photoshop :) x

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  3. So helpful as I am just getting ready to buy a new camera. I think Canon 600d would be perfect! Hopefully it will be mine soon. x
    Živa from Nothin' Fancy. Really.

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    1. I love my 600D it is my prized possession! I've had it for nearly 3 years now and it is still performing like a dream :) x

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  4. I have the Samsung camera and it's perfect for videoing, I love it :)

    Frankie Boo Blog

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    1. I've got the WB150F Samsung which I use for vlogging but it isn't 1080p so it doesn't look quite as clear as I'd like it to but it does me for vlogging :)

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  5. I use a 5d MK III but I usually need to have someone with me when I film youtube videos, because there is no way to see if it's in focus or not, haha!
    lexi @ thelittlebrunette.com

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    1. haha I film with my glasses off so it's a nightmare to get focused but once I've done it I can just muddle on through. Unless I'm stood really far away from the camera, in which case a remote is your best friend haha

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  6. Ahh there is such good information here!
    But I often find its the photographer with most of the power, I see many bloggers use their iphone to blog and it looks gorgeous - whereas some have high end camera's and they're not so great!

    Kelly from | Daydreams & Daisychains

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    1. I think no matter what your doing you need a good base to build up from, there's only so much an editing software can do to a poorly lit and poorly framed image. BUT saying that, if your images are dark or the colours a bit naff, it's pretty easy to rectify on your PC. :)

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  7. I really liked this post as it has helped me understand which cameras are preferable. I still use my iPhone for photos which is good...for now but I really want to take higher quality photos soon

    splasheswithfabulosity.blogspot.com.au

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    1. I do like my iPhone camera, you can get some really clear pics from it but I think just for ease, it's best to have a proper camera :)

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Thanks for looking! I try and get back to all of my comments so why not leave me a message! :D