Reasons to NOT buy yourself a better digital camera... yet.

There is an illusion - one that I fell prey to when I got my first film SLR - that a better camera will make you a better photographer. This isn't the case. There is plenty that you can learn with even a fairly basic point and shoot camera, especially if it has a M (manual) setting on your mode dial. You can be a fantastic photographer with one of these cameras, and the limitations of the camera will only serve to stretch your skill.

If your camera does not have a Manual setting, then you are a little more limited in what you can learn. You can still learn heaps about composing a photo, about using available light, about setting up your computer to view the images accurately and about digital photo editing ("post-processing"). These things are the nuts-and-bolts of making a good photo. They are essential. To some extent, you can even learn them with a phone cam.

The two best reasons I can think of for getting a better digital camera are:

1. If you don't have a digital camera (i.e. you're still using a film camera) and you want to take much better photos than you are taking now. With a digital camera you can see the results instantly - it makes it so much easier to learn how to use a camera manually, and you can analyse your photos as soon as you take them. Digital is a LOT cheaper in the long run, especially if you want to view most of your photos on a computer, rather than printing them out. When I am learning something new, or just practicing old camera skills, I sometimes take 300 to 400 shots in one day, and sometimes I only keep three or four of the best shots. I couldn't do this with film. Digital lets me take huge risks without costing me anything but the press of the DELETE button if it doesn't work out.

2. If you don't have a camera with a Manual setting, you are probably going to want to buy another camera fairly soon if you want to be able to learn real technical skills with a camera. This still doesn't mean you need a really really expensive camera or an SLR. I lost my cameras two days before going overseas for six weeks. I bought myself a $120 point-and-shoot camera (a Canon Powershot A530) and even though I was a little frustrated with the limited zoom, it was still capable of a LOT. In another entry I will try and go through what I looked at when I was looking to buy myself a new camera.

If your current digital camera is really really old, then I might consider the advances in technology to be a good reason to move up to a camera which will take much better pictures. I'd still sit on it for a little bit... see what you can learn with what you have, first. Start that savings account for your new camera and learn some new skills while you wait...

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There are three basic levels of camera : Point-and-shoot (P&S), which is designed to be easy to use in automatic mode as it says, just point the camera and press the button. Prosumer cameras are more advanced P&S - they just have more features, more capability for using manual settings. SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras have a camera body with lenses that can be taken off and changed to suit your needs, a larger range of choices in exposure settings such as aperture, shutter speed and ISO. It also usually has a better computer and a bigger screen and sensor. These things can improve your photos, but only if you know how to use them. If you aren't taking great photos in the first place, then these things will just make your ordinary photos a little more sharply ordinary. I'm going to mostly deal with P&S and prosumer cameras here, because that is the level that I am at.

One great reason to not jump straight into an SLR is that P&S cameras have a far greater range of zoom than entry level SLR kits. My current camera, (a Fuji Finepix s9100) has a 28-300mm equivalent zoom lens (that's 10x zoom, I think). That's a fair amount of zoom, though I have seen even better. My friend just spent twice as much money as me on an SLR, and now has a 17-55mm lens. Basically I can get a much closer shot of something from a helluva lot further away. He'll have to spend a LOT more money to get as much zoom as me. Once he has spent that money, I will envy him greatly because he will be able to do more than me with that camera and that amount of zoom. Until then, I consider I have the better camera for the range of stuff I want to do. However, since he mostly wants to take photos of his art, it will probably be fine for him for the moment, and all he has to do to be able to do more is to buy more lenses. It's all about what you need in a camera.   

Another reason to keep the cheaper point and shoot camera you have is that it is probably more pocket-sized. Unless you like lugging a bag around with you all the time with camera gear in it, you won't carry a larger camera as much, which means you won't have as many chances to take photos. Also, the heavier your camera is, the more chance your hands will shake when taking a hand-held pic (which causes a blurry image) and the more likely it is you are going to need to lug a tripod around with you to get good pics.

The trick is to know what sort of photographer you are now, rather than the type you want to be. I have seen a few people buy a camera that they hope will take them to a professional level of photography, only to get discouraged with trying to understand all the camera capabilities - or they discover they just don't want to learn that much, or find that the camera can't do what they really want it to do unless they spend a whole lot more money on accessories. If you just want to see something, point the camera and take a picture, then just about any automatic camera will do for you. If you think you might want to get a little bit more serious about photography later, get one that can also be turned to manual, or at least to A (aperture priority mode) or S (shutter priority mode). If you get to the stage where you want to start learning this stuff, and your camera has a manual setting, chances are you can learn a whole heap before  you move up in the digital camera world AND, by the time you decide to buy a new camera, you will understand what it is that you really want to have in a camera and will get the one that is just right for you. In the meantime, camera technology is just getting better and better, and by the time you have saved for your new digital camera, they will be better for a cheaper price than what you can afford right now!

There is no such thing as a "perfect" digital camera anyhow. They just have different capabilities. My Love's camera takes awesome macro photos, but my camera is much better at night shots. His is easier to carry, mine looks more professional. His has a better aperture range (damnit) and slightly better zoom, but mine has a higher resolution, and a much greater range of ISO (film speed). My Powershot A530 took great wide angle shots.

My point is, once you have pushed your current camera to the limits of what you can do with it, you will have a far better idea of what you want in your next camera, rather than buying one to learn the skills on, and then finding it can't do something you would really love to do.