Identification of Need
Today, selecting a camera the buyers are likely to rely on a variety of different criteria some of them may be the quality of shots taken by the device, the quality of video and sound recording capacity, speed of continuous shooting, aperture, resolution, and some external properties such as price, color, shape, size, and weight. Fortunately, contemporary technological development is speedy enough to be able to satisfy the needs of all kinds of consumers regardless of their goals and motivations in choosing a camera.
The variety of cameras available to the modern buyers is so large that often it can be frustrating for both the experts and the enthusiasts since choosing the most suitable product they have to take into consideration multiple qualities, factors, and capacities of the devices and weighing all the pros and cons to identify the optimal option. The selection and analysis procedure is complicated by a variety of different kinds of cameras available.
Some of them are DSLR (digital single-lens reflex), bridge cameras, compact cameras, and mirrorless ones with replaceable lenses. Each of the camera types has its weak and strong sides. That is why the consumer is to have a clear idea about the kind of properties they need and do not need to be able to select the most appropriate device.
Choosing a camera for myself I relied on such requirements as good quality and universal application, meaning that I would prefer my camera to produce high-resolution video and photographs and to be relatively affordable and compact. Since I am not a professional photographer, I would not want an extremely complex device. The size and weight of a camera are also very important for me as a buyer as I would like to travel with it. The search and the decision-making process concerning the final choice of a device were based on all of these factors. Besides, I discussed my decision with my friend who is rather knowledgeable when it comes to photography.
Search Description
Not being a photography expert I had to rely on the opinions of other people with deeper knowledge about cameras in my search. I tried to be objective and not let the well-known brands such as Canon and Nikon confuse me or impact my decision. Therefore, the first step of my research was to identify the cameras that are considered the best this year. The website called TechRadar specialized in testing and researching technology was of great help as it provided a list of ten different devices with detailed descriptions and prices.
The list contains cameras of various kinds and for different purposes and emphasizes that it was created to help the photography experts and enthusiasts make up their mind and select the best combinations of price and functionality (Lawton par. 2). I chose two cameras from the list –Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100.
For further research, I visited the official website of Panasonic and read the overviews for both devices for the most precise data. There I found out that both cameras have wide-angle Leica lenses, high video shooting capability, and limitless creative opportunities, but while LX100 is manually controllable and allows capturing the tiniest details, FZ1000 has a much better zoom capacity and a more sensitive sensor (DMC-LX100 par. 2; DMC-FZ1000EB Digital Still Camera par. 3).
Next, I decided to compare the two cameras using a specialized website called SnapSort. The comparison pointed out the strengths of each camera: wide aperture, high-quality video shooting option, and small size for LX100, and the ability to create panoramas, a high-quality microphone, and a built-in flash for FZ1000 (Snapsort par. 1). LX100 camera was announced as the winner of the comparison even though it had no flash. The prices of the devices did not differ much – 639 (for LX100) and 679 (for FZ1000) euros, which is around 720 and 765 USD accordingly.
Sifting Process
As mentioned above, looking for the camera to purchase I viewed a list of the best devices of 2015 provided on the website called TechRadar. The primary stage of the sifting process was based only on the prices of the cameras. The price range defined for the selection was 600 to 800 USD. As a result, all the options that did not match this condition were dismissed right away. The list included prices in euros, British pounds, and American dollars; thus, some calculations had to be performed. Only two options fitted my parameters, although I had another favorite item there, the camera called Fuji X-T1.
Even though it was a mirrorless digital device, its performance and picture quality was described as equal to the one of the DSLR camera. Digital SLR cameras are known for their great depth of field, speed and adaptability, manual control option, as well as high image and optics quality (Rowse par. 4). The price for this item is above 1500 USD, so it had to be dismissed.
After the choice had been made, my options were ranked the following way: 1. Panasonic LX100, 2. Panasonic FZ1000, 3. Fuji X-T1. The rating was based on the price of the cameras, the functions I deem the most important for me (image and video quality, small size, convenience for non-expert photography).
Discussing the choices with my friend, I explained my criteria to him and presented the list of cameras found on TechRadar. My friend looked through the descriptions and pointed out to me that the camera that I ranked first had no inbuilt flash. That meant that I had to buy it separately if I wanted to take evening pictures. As a result, the overall price of the camera and its size were to increase as I purchase an external flash that may cost me a few more hundreds of dollars.
Final Selection
After all the research and comparison that were based on some conditions and criteria, my final choice of a digital camera is Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100. This device was chosen due to its relatively lower price (around 720 USD). Secondly, the camera was selected due to its good picture and video quality. Thirdly, LX100 has an option of manual settings for various types of photographs. Finally, the size and weight of this camera are impressive as it is practically pocket-sized and very easy to carry around while traveling.
My friend who reviewed the choices I made disagreed with my final decision as well as its argumentation and stated that LX100 is not the cheapest one of my two final options taking into consideration the cost of the external flash that will also add to the weight and size of the camera. I found his input very professional and valuable, since he provided an insight that did not occur to me, but stuck with my choice regardless of his comment because a portable flash is a convenient option for me since I rarely take night pictures, and my main targets are landscapes and people in natural light.
Panasonic FZ1000, my second option is an excellent camera as well, and it allows advanced photography with 16x optical zoom, 1-inch sensor, and 25 mm wide-angle lens. I chose Panasonic LX100 over it not only because of its much smaller size but also because most of the capacities of Panasonic FZ1000 had lower importance for me.
Conclusion
Cameras seem to be ever-present in the contemporary world – they are built into our smartphones and laptops, they are also bought for a specific use such as filming videos or taking pictures (Staff par. 1). Researching digital cameras and selecting the best option for me I obtained some valuable and new knowledge. First of all, I practiced my research and data collection skills by visiting several different websites to find the information that interested me. Secondly, I had a chance to apply critical thinking providing a practical evaluation of the cameras based on numerous criteria to select a product that matched my requirements. Thirdly, I acquired a practical experience of learning through the research, so now I know about various types of digital cameras, their characteristics, and properties. Finally, I realized that adequately formulated search requests allow one to find any type of information and have an answer to any kind of question.
Works Cited
DMC-FZ1000EB Digital Still Camera. Panasonic. 2015. Web.
DMC-LX100. Panasonic. 2015. Web.
Lawton, Rod. 10 best digital cameras you can buy in 2015. 2015. Web.
Rowse, Darren. How to Choose a DSLR Camera. 2013. Web.
Snapsort. Snapsort. 2015. Web.
Staff, Verge. Buying a camera: everything you need to know. 2013. Web.