Camera types – What's the right camera for me?

Anyone looking to buy a new camera is spoiled for choice among almost five hundred current models, with prices ranging from under €50 to over €10,000. Test reports help to find the personal favorite in each camera class. But which type of camera is actually the right one?

Camera Types with Specific Advantages and Disadvantages

Cameras are mainly divided into different classes based on their size and the ability to use interchangeable lenses. It is important to choose a camera that suits your intended use and your experience with photography technology. There's no fun in lugging around an SLR setup only to end up operating the camera in full automatic mode and not utilizing the system's capabilities at all. On the other hand, with a compact camera, you will only achieve disappointing results in sports and event photography under difficult lighting conditions. In the following paragraphs, we will introduce you to some camera types with their respective advantages and disadvantages, hoping to make your selection a little easier.

Compact Cameras

This very large group of cameras was already predicted to become extinct due to smartphones producing increasingly better photos and videos. Indeed, mobile devices are displacing the smallest compact cameras because it's simply practical not to have to carry a second device.

The fact that compact cameras still hold their own in the market is due to the diverse possibilities that smartphone cameras cannot offer. If you value a fast lens or a large zoom range with relatively small external dimensions, you will find what you are looking for in the compact camera segment and have significantly more options than with a smartphone.

However, the significant advantages of low weight and compact design, simple operation thanks to full automation, and the ability to use scene modes are offset by disadvantages: The most important limitation is the significantly reduced image quality in poor lighting conditions. The sensor often isn't even the size of a fingernail. If you want to put more and more pixels on this sensor, the pixels must be extremely tightly packed and interfere with each other. This becomes noticeable in what is known as image noise, especially if you have to shoot with high ISO values. If you apply a noise filter, the image loses sharpness and details are lost. Our tip: When choosing a compact camera, opt for a model with fewer megapixels. More pixels are often just a marketing argument and do not lead to better image quality.

Action Cams

Action Cams represent their own class within compact cameras. They are optimized for videos under extreme conditions. With an extensive range of accessories, which you can get from Rollei, these cameras can be adapted to the requirements of various outdoor sports.

Social networks like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter certainly played a part in the success story of the Action Cam. Filming is one thing, but you also need a platform to present your results. While people used to look through photo albums at family gatherings, today they post their vacation experiences on social networks in real-time or send them to friends via email.

Bridge Cameras

As the name suggests, bridge cameras are the link between compact cameras and DSLR and mirrorless system cameras, which we will discuss later. Like compact cameras, they have a non-interchangeable lens, but offer a larger sensor and therefore also require a larger lens diameter. This makes the cameras bulkier and heavier, but also results in better image quality. They are also equipped with a hot shoe for an external flash unit.

Dedicated photographers will find extended manual setting options, including the ability to record so-called RAW files. Much more can be extracted from this raw data format in post-processing than from the already compressed JPG format.

Mirrorless System Cameras

A relatively new class of digital cameras combines the advantages of a large sensor and interchangeable lenses with a compact design. Because electronic viewfinders are constantly improving, the optical viewfinder and thus the oscillating mirror are eliminated. In addition to simpler mechanics, this also offers advantages, for example, for long exposures, because images can no longer be blurred by mirror slap.

In an electronic viewfinder, information can also be displayed or exposure simulations can be performed.

Decision criteria at a glance: Now that you have learned about the different types of cameras, simply check based on the criteria:

• Size and weight
• Image quality
• Individual setting options
• Zoom range
• System expandability,

what best suits your photography. If the decision is difficult and the budget allows: The trend towards a second camera continues!

Image credits:
Compact, Action Cam, Bridge: Rollei
DSLR: Stefan Englert
System Camera Canon: “EOS M white – Frontal with Speedlite 90EX” by 35mm – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.