2020 Buying Guide (Camera)
Yeah like this is great for Africa or Alaska but not so much to backpack the world. I am not saying don’t bring a 600mm f/4: I’m saying it might not be for you. I did backpack with a 600mm f/4, which was ABSOLUTELY CRAZY THING TO DO. Above is my sister having fun shooting ducks with the Nikon D800E (reviewed here)
The Non-Bullshit Camera guide edition.
An honest camera selection guide
With November around the corner, you might have started thinking about getting a camera to travel the world. The winter’s coming, and so thoughts about quitting your job are more and more predominant.
You wonder which camera to get to immortalize your journey on Earth.
Well, fear not!
Here is NON-affiliated blog, and not paid by, and not supported by any corporations and yes, free of all the usual bullshit. Yeah, like that’s so different in 2019. Everybody seems to want to make pennies with your click, and, well, fuck that. You want to support me? Support yourself first by getting those books on my ultimate reading list. Win win.
EDIT: For those who thinks that I’m very black and white, well, that’s the point! The web is filled with Camera A is great and Camera B is great too so…
Literally, any camera review bloggers talks positively about ALL of the camera. Very rarely someone call bullshit on bad products. I am the blogger that calls bullshit. Just like the Marines are not all rated #1 in their classes, products aren’t all winners.
Bodies
Let’s start with what you should avoid.
Do not get the Pen-F from Olympus (or any Olympus or Panasonic (other than the GH4/Gh5 if you are into video…fantastic great little cameras!).
Why not a m4/3? It’s compact, no?
Yeah…but the image quality in low light is so poor! Or just in general. Literally my iPad Pro makes a better picture than an Olympus O-MD-something with a 25mm f/1.8. Almost ;) I pity the people that defend their Olympus…Seriously… Any Fuji, Canon, Sony or Nikon BLOW Olympus or Panasonic out of the water, it’s not even funny. Go in a store and try a Nikon Z6 with a 85mm f/1.8 vs a Olympus Pen-something with a 45mm f/1.8. Night and day difference, visible right there. But it’s more than that: it is…
Too expensive in 2019! They need anything from a 60% to 90% price reduction to be attractive.
Was good in 2012. Not 2020. Your iPhone 11 Pro Max is better than the just-released Olympus OMD something-5-mkiii. 90% of the people defending Olympus or Panasonic online are either 1) paid by Olympus 2) need to justify their expensive cameras. There’s no way two ways to put it: the micro four-third is so, so limited… The m4/3 is a joke, and unless you get something used for pennies, I would stay away from it. A beat-up Nikon D3 from 2007 still outperforms the 1mx ($4k) on image quality.
Nikon
Do not get the D7500 or the D500 if you like gorgeous RAW files or want the best image quality. The files are waxy and they don’t look right. This opinion took the Dpreview community in a storm last year… But I ended up selling my 20.1mp DX camera for this reason: The pictures are not great when compared to a Nikon D800, or heck even a 2007 D300. I’m not crazy: a few other photographers expressed their opinion on this sensor. Either Nikon paid a group of PR agents to call bullshit on us, or either people are zombies, but this opinion CANNOT exist on the web. It’s scrubbed every time. The fact is this: The RAW files of the Nikon D500 looks terrible. Don’t get it. Or get a D300 for $150, and compare. You’ll see.
Get a Nikon full-frame, but not the D750 (one of the most overrated camera ever made: it’s not a fun camera to use, it’s super amateur-like built). The D810 is phenomenal and so does the D850. The Nikon D4s can be found for a good price.
In 2019, I would get the Nikon D810 for the value is unbeatable. If you need to travel light, get a Nikon D610, not the D750. Used, of course. Don’t bother with the D5600 series… They are so plasticky! If you want a Nikon, and unless you know what you’re doing, I’d say… get a Fuji! Lenses are better and the bodies are so much cuter and sexier and awesome to use.
Here’s the takeaway for the Nikon: don’t buy them, unless you are willing to get a full-frame and have deep pockets. But because this is “I quit my job and I need a camera to travel the world” guide, it makes no sense to go and spend a fortune on the gear. Get a Fuji X-H1 with a 16-55mm f/2.8 and a 35mm f/1.4, and that’s all you’d ever need. The Nikon Z6/Z7 is great, but you need a lot of dollars to get lenses. The value is very small on the Z-series.
Canon
The first-gen of the 6D was a good deal. Get the Canon 6D II over the Canon RP. Get all the 1D series: they are so much fun to use. The 1Dx is the way to go. Need a smaller package? The 5D IV brings to Canon the autofocus of a 2007 Nikon, finally. I hear mix opinions on the Canon R. The R can use some spectacular lenses, so just buy it if you plan to get the 50mm f/1.2 RF and 85mm f/1.2 RF.
Fuji
The Fuji XT30 is the best bang for the bucks. And the Fuji X-T2 is an awesome value! It is everything you’d ever need.
If you have a low budget, the X-Pro1/XE1 is a classic that won’t die soon. The X-T3 is super overrated (if you don’t need 400 bitrates 4:2:2 video) and a much better body is the X-H1. It looks better, it feels better (best shutter sound on Earth) and it has an image stabilization that is superior or on par of the Olympus. The X-H1 is also only $1000 right now in the US, with 3 original batteries and a grip…It used to be, what, $2500 for that? But what the hell. If you need the Fuji X-T3 for its extraordinary video capabilities… go for it!
The X-H1 is the best value on the market right now. It is also one of the best cameras that I ever shot with. If there is ONE camera that you need to get to travel the world, it is the X-H1. Or the X-Pro2.
Sony
I’m not familiar with the system, so I won’t speak. But, here’s something to know. The RAW files are annoying to edit and the camera falls apart after 500 weddings. The weather sealing is the worst of any brand too. The ergonomics are terrible (which is why I don’t try to review them… They suck!)
But if you are a video maker, sure, get something like an A7S II and go change the world.
“But I want to travel the world, I need something SMALL!”
Okay, yes you do. So pick up a Fuji X100F or a Fuji X-H1 (leave the grip into a separate pocket).
Smaller?
Get a Ricoh GR II (meh, don’t get the III, it’s gimmicky).
Smaller?
iPhone 11 Pro.
Best lens to travel the world
The Canon 85mm f/1.2 RF is among the best lens ever made and one of the reasons that I would get a Canon R camera. But, well, if you are stuck with a 1D camera, the 85mm f/1.2 USM II isn’t THAT bad… I would just get the 85mm f/1.4 IS version.
If you happen to get a Nikon, make sure to get a 50mm f/1.8 AF-S G lens, and not the f/1.4 AF-S G. The 1.4 sucks, period. Don’t get the third version of the 70-200 (the FL ED version), but rather get the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II one (unless you need the best, or have a D850, or need that extra working space with a closer minimum focusing distance).
Don’t get the 90mm f/2.0 Fuji: Super overrated. Slow autofocus compared to a 70-200 2.8 and no stabilization. It is also a super boring lens… I had it for a month before returning it…never bothered finishing up a review… it’s like, it’s good, but so damn too clinical of a lens. If you really need that reach, get a Nikon D700 with a 105mm f/2.8 VR lens. Better pictures and image stabilization.
Get the amazing 56mm f/1.2, 35mm f/1.4 XF, the extraordinary 16-55mm f/2.8, the mind-blowing macro wide-angle lens, the 16mm f/1.4. The 60mm f/2.4 is the most underrated and the 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 is the worst.
No. The 14mm f/2.8 might not be the one you need to do landscape… Try the 50-140mm f/2.8 and report back. I rather use a 300mm f/2.8 for landscape, or heck even 600mm f/4. It’s more dramatic.
The worst lenses from any manufacturer are the 27mm f/2.8 Fuji (the pancake lens) and the 50mm f/1.8 Canon.
The bokeh is harsh, ugly, terrible, and the construction feels very much of the Falling-Apart type.
The best lenses are the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 (perfect focal length), the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR, the Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS, and those mentioned above. Fuji does not make good lens. They make AMAZING lenses, or terrible. Just get the lenses that are amazing.
My top pick!
Fuji X-H1 with 16-55mm f/2.8 ($2200 CAD ish)
or
Fuji X-H1 with 16mm f/1.4 and 56mm f/1.2 (bigger budget)
or
Fuji X-Pro2 with 35mm f/1.4.
or
Nikon D4 with 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.8 and 24mm f/1.8
or
Canon 1Dx with 35mm f/1.4 USM and 85mm f/1.4 IS USM (add a cheap 70-200mm f/2.8 non-IS on top of that)
Lower budget?
Ricoh GR II (not the III, the II)
Lower budget?
Fuji X10, X20, X30 or X70 used.
Lower budget?
Canon QL19 with a bunch of films. (Check my review!)
Lower budget?
Nikon F55 (N55) with a bunch of films.
Sky’s the limit budget?
Fuji X-H1 + X-Pro2, 16mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4, 56mm f/1.2 + Canon 1Dx with 300mm f/2.8 and 55mm f/1.4 Otus.
Write your questions down below, I’ll reply shortly.
This list is cut-to-the-chase, it’s for people that just want to know what’s the best value, or hell, maybe even the best camera. The Fuji X-H1 is the answer to that. Heck, I would even buy it if it was $1k more expensive.
Does it get better than this? X-Pro2 with 16-55mm f/2.8
Despite its cuteness…. Do not get the Pen-F. The image quality is so 2004 (m4/3 sensor). And it freezes randomly. And it over heats. And the video mode is garbage (jello-like movies). I wanted to love this camera, but I had to sold it for cheap… Nobody wants it!
SD Cards
Well, I would be weary of getting Lexar’s cards since they sold to a Chinese firm (the quality of the plastic seems cheaper now: I just received one from my parents as a gift: it isn’t the good old Lexar Pro grade cards anymore). My sister just got two Sandisk 64GB Extreme Pro for her camera, the 170mb/s version. So far, it’s great! Can’t beat the price.
Don’t skimp on quality when it comes to batteries and memory cards: third party batteries usually do not last very long compared to the OEM version (never did for me, on 3 brands: Fuji, Nikon, Olympus: all those cheap Amazon chinese knock-off usually do not last more than 50% of the original expensive batteries. So, my advice, buy those expensive brand name batteries. It’s worth it. Nothing is more frustrating then having a cheap battery going from 50% to 0% in 2 minutes.
And as of SD Cards, get them faster than 95mb/s and stick with big names. I recommend SanDisk cause that’s what my sister and I use and it never let us down in a decade (I had 1 Lexar CF card failure: 0 for Sandisk), but any other major brand should be fine. Sony has a new TOUGH card. If you’re planning on driving over your SD cards or dropping it in sea water regularly, buy it (it’s actually a REALLY fast card… you might not need it, but if you got a X-H1…why the hell not)
One last note! I recommend buying everything used ;) Better value! YOU DO NOT NEED MORE GEAR! But if you do, by all means go ahead. Just the web is filled with bloggers that say BUY BUY BUY BUY. Here at The Most Beautiful World, we provide value, not bullshit. So there you go.
In Canada, feel free to use Kerrisdale, Henrys, GosselinPhoto, or Kijiji.ca. In the US of A, keh.com and BHphotovideo seems the way to go.
And if you don’t know what you’re doing, or want to experiment the pure photography experience (I’m mocking Fuji by saying this), get a good old Nikon F5 film camera. It’s the ultimate analog camera.