What Gear Should I Buy

Hey everyone, Today, we're diving into probably the single most asked question I get asked, I see online, in forums, in comments, everywhere: "What camera should I buy? What lens?" It's the million-dollar question, isn't it? And if you've ever asked it, you've probably gotten the same first response I always give: "Well, what kind of photography do you actually do? Or what do you want to do?"

Because let's be real, that's where it all starts. But today, I want to go a bit deeper than that standard answer. We're going to talk about the gear itself, the reviews, the hype, and maybe cut through some of the noise.

Letʼs take cameras first. The market today is incredible. We have cameras with such a wide breadth of features and capabilities – cameras that are truly outstanding in some areas and genuinely great in almost everything else. Think about the hybrid category heavy hitters: the Nikon Z8, the Canon R5 Mark II, the Sony A7R 5. These are powerhouse machines. Honestly, they can cover pretty much anything you could realistically want to do with a camera, whether it's stills or video.

Yet... you go online, you watch YouTube, and you'll inevitably find someone, probably many someones, telling you why one of these amazing cameras isn't quite right. Maybe some specific feature isn't as good as another camera, or the quality in one niche scenario isn't perfect.

Let's zoom in on the Sony A7R 5 for a second. This camera? It can handle what the vast majority of photographers want to shoot, and deliver absolutely extraordinary results. But listen to the online chatter, and you'll hear the critiques. You'll hear about its supposed issues that, apparently, promise itʼs not the right tool for you. And what are these deal-breakers? Often, it's things like, "Oh, the menu system is too hard to navigate," or, and this one gets me, "Using the camera doesnʼt inspire creativity because of its physical design."

Really? Too many times, a camera's design, its button layout, or its menu structure becomes the scapegoat, the excuse for perceived shortcomings that often have little to do with the final image. Now, Iʼll be the first to admit, some cameras do feel better inthe hand than others. Some might even inspire me a bit more just by holding them. But for me, it is always the image quality it delivers that comes first. Always. Great ergonomics? Thatʼs fantastic icing on the cake.

But so many people get so hung up on the camera's physical design, the button placement, the menu depth... they forget that photography is about images. In the end, the viewer sees the photograph. That's it. They don't see the menu you navigated or the button you pressed. Itʼs incredibly unlikely youʼll ever hear someone say, "Wow, I love this image, but you know, it would have been so much better if the camera that took it had a more intuitive menu system."

And this ties into another online phenomenon: the relentless pursuit of perfection. Not image perfection, mind you, but optical perfection in lenses. Oh, the countless YouTube videos dedicated to this! Some folks are out there shooting brick walls, others are shooting resolution charts taped to their walls. Everyone's testing, in their own way, searching for that mythical, absolutely perfect optical lens.

The first problem? Most of these setups are... let's be generous and say 'informal'. They're rarely truly scientific and can't possibly provide a definitive, scientific outcome. There are too many variables. The next issue? Manufacturing tolerances. Each and every lens model can, and occasionally does, have slight fluctuations in optical performance from one copy to the next. It's just the reality of mass production. And finally, lenses perform differently depending on the camera they're attached to! Different sensors interact with lenses in unique ways. So, you end up with this confusing mess online where one reviewer proclaims a lens is optically perfect, while another insists the same lens model has issues. Who do you believe?

Then we get to the other side of the lens coin: the lenses with obvious optical imperfections that get kindly rebranded as having "character." Now, this is where things get really subjective. There's no right or wrong answer here; what one person sees as charming flare or unique bokeh, another might see as a distracting flaw. Everyoneʼs opinion on what constitutes desirable "character" is different. And what's really funny, or maybe telling, is when you see an outrageous price tag slapped onto one of these "character" lenses, especially if it's hard to find. Suddenly, its flaws become even more special, more desirable. Often, though not always, these older "character" lenses were maybe short production runs because of their flaws, or simplybecause they didn't sell well back in the day. They were, at the time, undesirable. But now? Magically, these rare, expensive, flawed lenses are perceived by some to perform "better" optically – in terms of character – than other cheap, flawed lenses. It's a fascinating bit of market psychology.

Okay, that was a long journey, a wander around a very large bush, I admit, to get back to our original question: "What camera or lens should I buy?" But I think it was a necessary detour. Because the short answer, the real answer, is this: You are the only one who will ever truly know what camera and lenses you like and which ones work best for you. And you'll only know that after you've had the chance to actually use them.

Now, the initial breakdown does matter. Thinking about what you want to shoot is crucial. Are you into fast-moving sports? Expansive landscapes? Intimate portraits? Wildlife? Each genre has specific demands, and yes, some cameras or lenses will genuinely come up short for certain tasks. So, absolutely, narrow down your primary field of photography first. That's step one. Then, select gear within that category that seems to fit your needs based on features, specs, and yes, even initial thoughts on design and handling. Watching videos about a camera's features, its layout, how it operates – that's certainly a great way to start your research and help with this narrowing-down process.

But after that? After you've done the research? It's you who needs to make that final decision. Don't get paralyzed by the conflicting online reviews or the chase for unattainable perfection. There will rarely, if ever, be a unified conclusion online about cameras or lenses that perfectly matches what will work best for your specific needs and preferences.

So, do your homework, understand the basics of what you need for your chosen genre, watch some reviews to get a feel for the options, but then, trust yourself. If you can, rent or borrow gear before buying. Get it in your hands. See how it feels, see if you like the results you get with it. Because ultimately, the best gear for you is the gear that you enjoy using and that helps you create the images you want to create.