The Best Camera Is the One That Fits the Job — Not Necessarily the Most Expensive One

There is no such thing as the best camera — only the best camera for what you are trying to photograph.

Ask a group of photographers which camera is "best" and you can very quickly find yourself in a discussion about megapixels, sensor sizes, autofocus systems, lenses, frame rates and prices.

But there is a much more useful question:

What are you actually trying to photograph?

A camera that is superb for a carefully lit portrait in a studio may be completely unsuitable when I am standing beside a river in pouring rain.

A camera that produces beautiful high-resolution photographs of a product may be unnecessarily large and cumbersome when I simply want to carry something while travelling.

And the camera I choose for conventional photography may not be the camera I choose when I want to photograph something through a microscope.

That is why I think the search for the "best camera" often starts with the wrong question.

The best camera is the one that enables you to get the picture you need.

Start With the Photograph, Not the Camera

Before choosing any photographic equipment, I would ask several questions.

Where will I be?

What am I photographing?

How much control will I have over the subject?

Will the subject be moving?

How much light will there be?

How close can I get?

Will the equipment be exposed to water, dust, mud or bad weather?

Am I taking still photographs, recording video, or both?

And perhaps most importantly:

What is the photograph actually for?

An image destined for a website banner may need something very different from a photograph that will eventually become a large exhibition print.

A product photograph may require precise lighting and careful colour reproduction.

Wildlife photography may depend far more on focal length, reaction speed and patience.

Scientific photography may require the camera to connect physically to a microscope, telescope or other optical equipment.

The job should drive the equipment choice — not the other way round. 

Can I do this with a phone, or is there a better choice?

Portrait Photography — Control Matters More Than Price

Portrait photography is one of the situations where a larger interchangeable-lens camera can be extremely useful.

Here I can control much of the environment.

I can choose the background.

I can position the subject.

I can control the lighting.

I can place the camera exactly where I want it.

I can select an appropriate lens.

In these circumstances, something such as my Canon R5C can make a great deal of sense. I have access to interchangeable lenses, extensive manual control and both serious still-photography and video capabilities.

But the camera is only part of the system.

Put an expensive camera in a badly lit room with an unsuitable background and the result can still look poor.

Put a more modest camera in carefully controlled light, position the subject well and pay attention to the background, and the result can be excellent.

That is an important lesson for anyone thinking about photography.

Good lighting can often make a bigger difference than buying another camera.

A Practical Portrait Experiment

Photograph the same person three times.

First, use the normal room lighting.

Second, move the person close to a large window.

Third, use controlled photographic lighting.

Keep the camera and lens approximately the same.

The difference between the three photographs can be far more dramatic than the difference between photographs taken on two different camera bodies.

That begins to demonstrate why photography is a complete process.

Event Photography — Sometimes Getting the Photograph Matters Most

An event creates a very different problem.

Things happen once.

You cannot normally ask a speaker to repeat a spontaneous expression.

You cannot necessarily reposition people.

Lighting may be poor.

People may move unpredictably.

And you may have to photograph from wherever you can physically stand.

For events, reliability and flexibility become extremely important.

A camera such as my older Canon EOS 7D may not represent the latest generation of camera technology, but that does not suddenly make it useless.

If the camera does the job required of it, works with suitable lenses and allows me to capture the moment, then it still has value.

This is another reason I dislike the idea that photographers must continually replace perfectly usable cameras simply because something newer has appeared.

The important photograph is the one you actually capture.

Wildlife Photography — The Lens May Matter More Than the Camera

Wildlife introduces yet another set of priorities.

Now I may not be able to approach my subject.

In fact, I may not want to.

Getting closer can disturb wildlife, alter its behaviour or simply cause it to disappear.

A longer focal-length lens therefore becomes extremely valuable.

This is where a camera such as the EOS 7D can still be useful. Pairing an interchangeable-lens camera with a telephoto lens gives options that a small compact camera or typical phone cannot easily reproduce.

Wildlife photography also demonstrates why headline camera specifications can be misleading.

Imagine two cameras.

Camera A has an extraordinary sensor and superb image quality but only has a short lens available.

Camera B is technically less sophisticated but is fitted with the right telephoto lens.

If the bird is on the opposite bank of a river, Camera B may produce the far more useful photograph.

The whole photographic system matters.

Camera.

Lens.

Support.

Lighting.

Position.

Timing.

And the person operating it.

Product Photography — The Camera May Hardly Move at All

Product photography is almost the opposite of wildlife photography.

The product does not normally run away.

I can put the camera on a tripod.

I can arrange the lighting.

I can change the background.

I can move reflectors.

I can take test photographs.

I can examine the results and try again.

That means other considerations become more important.

Sharpness matters.

Colour matters.

Reflections matter.

Depth of field matters.

Lighting matters enormously.

Consider photographing a shiny mug or metal object.

The greatest problem may not be the camera at all.

It may be that the object is reflecting the photographer, the studio lights and half the room.

The solution is not necessarily to buy a better camera.

The solution may be to alter the lighting, change the position of the lights, soften the light or modify the surroundings being reflected in the surface.

This is where photography starts becoming problem solving.

And that, to me, is one of its most interesting aspects.

Travel Photography — The Camera You Leave Behind Takes No Photographs

It is very easy to choose a theoretically wonderful travel camera that becomes so large and heavy that you eventually stop carrying it.

Travel photography forces us to consider convenience.

How much equipment am I prepared to carry?

Will I actually take the camera with me?

Do I need several lenses?

Do I want something that can survive being put in a bag repeatedly?

Will I be photographing in the rain?

Do I want to carry a tripod?

There is always a compromise.

A large camera with several lenses may produce technically superior results.

A much smaller camera may be with you when the photograph appears.

And that leads to a simple rule:

The camera sitting safely at home cannot take the photograph in front of you.

Beside the River — Suddenly Waterproof Becomes a Major Specification

One of the cameras I have available is an Olympus TG-6.

Put it beside an R5C and it would be easy to assume that the larger camera must automatically be the more useful photographic instrument.

Until it starts raining.

Or I am working beside the river.

Or I want the camera very close to the surface of the water.

Or I am photographing something where mud, spray or accidental immersion is a genuine possibility.

Suddenly the ability to use a camera confidently in wet conditions becomes enormously valuable.

The TG-6 is not simply a smaller substitute for a larger camera.

It solves a different problem.

There are occasions when I would be much happier putting a waterproof compact camera into a risky position than placing a much larger and more expensive camera there.

And sometimes taking the camera somewhere unusual is precisely how you obtain the unusual photograph.

Underwater Photography — Access Becomes More Important Than Sensor Size

Take the argument one stage further and go underwater.

Now most conventional cameras cannot even enter the environment without additional protection.

A waterproof camera can.

That immediately makes it the better camera for the job.

A technically superior camera sitting above the water is of little use if the photograph I want is beneath the surface.

This illustrates an important photographic principle.

Access often matters more than specifications.

Can the camera physically get where the photograph needs to be taken?

If the answer is no, everything else becomes rather irrelevant.

Video — A Camera Is Now Only Part of the Production System

Modern photographic cameras increasingly have to perform two jobs.

We expect them to take photographs and record video.

But good video introduces a completely different collection of considerations.

Audio suddenly becomes critical.

Camera movement matters.

Stabilisation matters.

Continuous recording matters.

Framing may need to remain consistent for extended periods.

Lighting has to work while the subject moves.

There may also be several cameras involved.

My Canon R5C fits naturally into this kind of work because still photography and serious video production can overlap.

But once I begin making a film, I stop thinking of the camera as an isolated object.

It becomes part of a production system involving cameras, lenses, tripods, microphones, lighting, switching, monitors and post-production.

A technically excellent picture accompanied by dreadful sound rarely feels like a professional video.

Again, the camera alone is not the answer.

Scientific Photography — When the Camera Becomes a Measuring and Recording Tool

This is where photography becomes particularly interesting to me.

A camera does not have to be used simply to produce attractive pictures.

It can also record evidence.

In a laboratory, I might want to photograph a chemical reaction, a biological specimen, the deformation of a material, an electrical experiment or the reading from an instrument.

I might want to record something too fast, too small or too inconvenient to observe comfortably in real time.

Now photography and science begin to overlap.

And that can completely change the definition of the "best" camera.

Enter the Microscope

Place a specimen beneath a microscope and the photographic problem changes again.

The most expensive conventional camera is not automatically the easiest camera to use.

What matters now is whether I can get the camera optically aligned with the microscope.

Can I attach it securely?

Can I focus accurately?

Can I control vibration?

Can I expose the image correctly?

Can I record video if the specimen is moving?

The same principle applies to telescopes.

The camera has effectively become another part of an optical instrument.

This is one of the areas I want to explore later in this photography series because attaching cameras to microscopes and telescopes opens an entirely different world of imaging.

Macro Photography — Small Subjects Create Big Problems

The Olympus TG-6 is interesting for another reason: close-up photography.

Macro and near-macro photography reveal detail we often overlook with our eyes.

An insect.

The surface of a leaf.

Crystals.

Electronic components.

Fibres.

The edge of a manufactured object.

But once we get very close, another photographic problem appears.

Depth of field can become extremely small.

A tiny movement of the camera matters.

Lighting becomes difficult because the camera itself may block the light.

The correct camera is therefore not simply the one capable of focusing closely.

It is the one that allows the complete close-up setup to work.

This may involve a tripod, additional illumination, diffusers, reflectors or specialised supports.

Once again, photography becomes a system.

Sometimes the Phone Really Is the Best Camera

It would also be wrong to discuss choosing cameras without mentioning phones.

There are occasions when a phone is exactly the right camera.

It is already in your pocket.

It is fast.

It is discreet.

It processes images automatically.

It can upload them immediately.

For a quick record photograph or social-media picture, that convenience can outweigh the advantages of a larger camera.

But phones also demonstrate the difference between convenience and control.

When I need a particular lens, controlled lighting, dependable physical connections, specialised close focusing or integration into a larger video or scientific setup, a dedicated camera becomes much more useful.

The sensible question is not:

"Is a camera better than a phone?"

It is:

"Which one gives me the control I need for this photograph?"

The Photograph Continues After the Shutter Is Pressed

Choosing the camera is only the beginning.

Images may need cropping.

Exposure may need adjusting.

Colours may need correcting.

Highlights and shadows may need balancing.

An image intended for print may require different treatment from one intended for a website.

This is why I regard post-production as part of photography rather than something separate from it.

Later in this series I want to look at tools such as Darktable, which allow photographers to process images without necessarily buying expensive software.

The complete workflow therefore becomes:

Choose the subject → choose the camera and lens → control the light → take the photograph → process the image → prepare it for its final purpose.

That is a much more useful way of thinking about photography than simply asking which camera has the longest specification sheet.

What Would I Take?

Suppose I had several different jobs tomorrow.

For a controlled studio photograph or serious video production, I might reach for the R5C.

For wildlife where I need a suitable telephoto lens, the EOS 7D could still have a useful role.

For work beside the river, in poor weather, around water or for certain close-up situations, the TG-6 could easily become the better choice.

For a quick photograph where carrying photographic equipment would be inconvenient, I might simply use a phone.

For microscopy, I would choose whatever camera and adapter combination actually works best with the microscope.

None of those decisions says which camera is "best".

They say which camera is best for that particular job.

Expensive Equipment Does Not Replace Photographic Understanding

There is nothing wrong with excellent equipment.

Professional cameras and lenses provide capabilities that can genuinely make difficult photographs possible.

But equipment should solve a problem.

Buying a more expensive camera does not automatically teach someone how to see light, choose a viewpoint, compose an image, work with a subject or recognise the decisive moment.

Nor does it automatically solve poor sound in video, reflections in product photography or vibration through a microscope.

Those are photographic problems that require understanding.

That is why I think learning photography is much more interesting than learning a list of camera settings.

It combines optics, electronics, lighting, composition, practical problem solving and increasingly video and computer-based image processing.

Photography Is Really About Choosing Tools

Over this series I want to look at photography from that practical perspective.

We will explore lenses and focal length.

We will look at programme mode and when it helps — and when taking control yourself produces better results.

We will explore lighting in some depth.

We will look at waterproof cameras, tripods and accessories.

We will examine why carrying two cameras with different lenses can sometimes be more practical than continually changing lenses.

We will enter the world of macro photography.

We will connect cameras to microscopes and telescopes.

We will look at video.

And we will eventually follow the image into post-production.

The common thread through all of those subjects will be the same:

What are we trying to achieve, and which tools will help us achieve it?

Conclusion — Stop Looking for the World's Best Camera

There will always be another camera with more megapixels, faster autofocus, better video specifications or some new feature.

That can make photography equipment fascinating.

It can also distract us from photography itself.

The photograph beside a river might require a waterproof compact.

The bird in a distant tree might require a long lens.

The portrait might require controlled lighting more than another camera body.

The scientific image might require a microscope adapter.

The event might require several cameras.

And sometimes the photograph simply requires the camera that happens to be in your pocket.

So perhaps we should stop asking:

"What is the best camera?"

and start asking:

"What am I trying to photograph?"

Because there really is no single best camera.

There is only the best camera for the job in front of you.