About camera brands…
I must admit I’ve never shot a LUMIX camera.
My first camera was a 35mm film camera by Mamiya, the NC1000. From there my first decent camera was a Canon A-1. I think I jumped to Nikon after that, then a Leica or two, and Pentax, Contax, Minolta, and Olympus bodies were in there too. I can speak to any of them about their positive attributes. I put the same film in all of them, the bodies were really film holders back then. The lenses made one or the other shine. Not so much today, though lenses still make a huge difference on any camera. But the camera body now holds the imaging sensor. If you read as many camera reviews and spec sheets as I do (please don’t, it’s boring), you’ll discover Sony makes most of the sensors. They may make them to a company’s specifications, or the camera company may write their own code/software to interpret the data that sensor collects, but Sony makes a majority of them. Canon makes their own, Nikon uses multiple vendors, Fuji makes their own… sometimes. It is meant to be confusing otherwise we’d all just buy Sony cameras, right?
Since my first digital camera, a Nikon, I have owned and shot regularly and successfully with Nikon, Sony, Canon, and Fujifilm digital cameras. There are pixel-peepers out there who will disagree with me but if I took a series of saved files from the past ten years and laid them on a table I could not pick out the camera based solely on image quality. I also know certainly that none of clients could either. There are no real “tells” if you process your own images. I do know that in my opinion Fuji sees color the way I like, but I can process a file from any camera to suit my needs. I even have a food photo in my portfolio taken with an Olympus with a much smaller Micro Four-Thirds sensor.
Before you get too hung up on sensor size, this was taken 10 years ago with an Olympus E-M1 with a Micro Four-Thirds sensor and an inexpensive kit zoom lens.
So how do you choose? My photography teacher 40+ years ago told me cameras have souls. “You’ll know it’s your camera when you pick it up” he said. What he was describing is mostly what we call ergonomics. Does it FEEL good in your hand? Are the buttons in comfortable places for you? Are you going to use it with gloves? Do you have small hands? Large hands? But there is more. Some cameras unlock and turn lenses to the right to remove them, some to the left. That lens release button is on the left of the lens sometimes, sometimes to the right. I shoot Fujifilm medium format cameras (GFX100S and GFX 50R, both with bigger sensors than full-frame). The lens release is on the grip side of the lens and the lens turns in a natural rotation… to me. I’m left-handed. Maybe that matters, maybe it doesn’t. It is very intuitive to me to change lenses on my Fujis. Hand me a Nikon and now the release is on the other side AND the lens turns in the opposite direction! What were they thinking! Some cameras can be operated with one hand. All functions are on the right side of the body within reach of your thumb and index finger, even powering on the camera. Some are not so simple and maybe that doesn’t matter to you.
That same teacher also taught me, “the best camera is the one you take with you” and that comes from you and it having a good relationship. The sound of that shutter is music to your ears. It makes you look good, it is easy to use and you want to use it more. Something about the color and sharpness you get is exactly how you saw that photo. I have a 6-year-old Fuji X-Pro2 that just gets me. We’re BFFs. I have cameras with higher megapixel counts, bigger sensors, better dynamic range, and even cooler features, but that one camera and I connect.
This was taken with a Fujifilm X-Pro2, introduced in 2016. 24MP of pure joy to shoot.
Your camera can’t just be a purchase, it needs to be a quest. If this is something you want to take seriously, take the tools seriously as well. Unfortunately in this Amazon/Best Buy world, camera stores are few and far between. TRY to find one, even if it becomes a day trip. You need to hold the camera in your hands, put it down and pick up another. Look at the size and weight of the lenses you’ll want ON your camera. In my current quest I’m considering a Sony A7RV because the lens, a 200-600mm, is a great range and cheaper than the other brands. My goal here is a specific lens/range for photographing birds. But now Nikon is rumored to have a similar lens coming very soon, even a new camera or two, so I’ll wait. I have a great long lens for my smaller Fuji bodies, but those cameras also have smaller sensors and the files don’t crop as well. Like I said, it is a quest. Maybe the answer for you IS more than one camera! More than one brand even! Hey… it happens to a lot of us.
What’s the takeaway from this post? Your camera is an extension of your vision, not the brand. Your camera helps you create your art. Your camera will help you leave behind images you’ve made long after you’re gone. Choose wisely and don’t be afraid to adjust along the way, it isn’t like a marriage, more like a friend with benefits. I have newer/faster/more expensive cameras, but my BFF X-Pro2 is sitting on my desk in front of me as I type this. We’re good.