Are cameras and lenses better now than ever? Perhaps, technically. Perhaps, based on the technology for technology’s sake. But if we were to judge camera technology, smartphones would win the technology war hands down. It’s not easy to capture night images in a device that captures the light through a super-tiny lens, bends the light though a prism, captures the image on a 48 megapixel sensor 1/12 the size of a full-frame sensor, then uses a computer program to remove all of the anomalies.
Look at my favorite portrait of all time – Afghan Girl, taken by Steve McCreary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Girl, featured on the cover of National Geographic Magazine in June, 1985. Maybe in 2026 someone will take a better portrait than this one. But as far as image quality goes, it will likely be no better than the 1985 photo. Digital photography wasn’t around in 1985. Yet countless influencers will tell you to get the newest cameras and newest lenses because they are so much better today.
The truth is that whether your camera and lens came out the year I was born (1959), or a full frame camera from 2026, or any iPhone in the last ten years, your photos will all look the same. Yes, one can use different scanning techniques to take a film image and convert it to a JPEG image, then use a loupe to pixel peep each dot on the print, just to see the differences, but any photo from those three cameras will look the same if printed on the Sistine Chapel Ceiling.
Photography can be a major investment. If a brand is chosen and you chose several cameras and lenses from that brand, you will defend that brand and you will be right. No matter the brand. No matter whether if it is medium format, full frame, APS-C, Micro 4/3, etc. Are the expensive lenses better than the cheap ones? Yes, except for smartphones – all anomalies are repaired via algorithms. Investing thousands of dollars in glass is worth it. But I will say that older lenses that may be cheaper can be very good.
It really comes down to you. What you want to invest in and how comfortable you feel when shooting pictures. There are cameras made today that are really uncomfortable to shoot with. My favorite digital camera is my Nikon D70, an APS-C camera produced in 2004 with a 6MP sensor. Both of my old DSLR cameras are more comfortable than my two mirrorless ones. I prefer the optical viewfinders above the electronic ones because the reactions to my eye differs too much, affecting the shutter press. I never imagined this would be a problem. Image stabilization is important with an electronic viewfinder but unnecessary on an optical one (an opinion from a photographer with hand tremors).
Be careful with YouTube influencers, whether they review for a living or not. If you are a beginner you may not find your dream camera right away. But any camera you choose will work. The camera is not the reason your images may be bad. It took me many rolls of film before my photos became consistently better. Also, the flagship cameras are for professionals. They require hours of use just to be familiar with all of the adjustments and quarks you need to instinctively be aware of. I don’t like the term “Entry Level” because in most occasions a wedding photographer can use cameras at that level. It’s not the features that are necessary. That’s why my Nikon F, the journalists’ choice for their cameras in the Vietnam war with fewer features than today’s entry level cameras, can still produce solid wedding photos today.
Get a cheap used camera and lens today and go have fun.
