The Misconception About Beginners and Entry Level Camerasīut, I hear you ask, isn’t it common knowledge that beginners should buy entry-level cameras because they are simple to use? After all, as the argument goes, why wear out the shutter of an expensive camera taking thousands of snaps?
Some even better cameras have fully articulated screens, a feature many photographers find invaluable. More advanced cameras like the Nikon Z 5 on the left have tilting rear screens, just one of the features missing from most entry-level DSLRs. I wonder how many potentially great photographers have walked away from our art because they were discouraged by sub-par equipment. Most young children don’t know to ask for better quality crayons or paints, so they are hardly going to know they need a better camera. They do not have the financial ability to upgrade, nor the experience to realize that it is the camera that’s holding them back. This approach of selling inferior kits to hook photographers is especially bad for young children. Swapping systems has barriers, not least the cost changing means investing in lenses and other ancillary equipment that is brand specific. Additionally, after buying their first interchangeable lens camera, the photographer is probably stuck with that brand forever. Moreover, the manufacturer knows that the beginner, if they stick with using this sub-par device, will very quickly outgrow it and buy another. Would you be doing a child any favors by buying them something like this? Taking my argument to its extremes, most online reviews of this $35 camera are poor. While a seasoned photographer will know that, the inexperienced parent buying a camera for a child might not. That poor build quality is typically reflected in the low shutter-life. Like all low-end products, cheap cameras don't last. So long as companies can persuade people into buying large quantities of cheap tat to maximize their profits, then they will continue that practice. Why then do manufacturers produce low-quality cameras? It surely cannot be to stifle beginners’ creativity, can it? Anyone who has ever worked for a large business will know the answer to that. The Reason Why Manufacturers Make Budget Cameras If we want our children to thrive at photography, then we should furnish them with the best equipment we can afford. They are just not good enough to do the job well. It’s the reason why top photographers don’t use cheap, low-quality cameras and lenses. Yes, there is a big difference between entry-level and more advanced models. How can a child achieve their best creatively if they are held back by inferior pencils, crayons, paints, brushes, paper, musical instruments, or, indeed, cameras? Unable to achieve the results they want, they are discouraged from pursuing art. Consequently, they are disappointed with what they produce. Children’s results are restricted when they only have poor-quality tools to work with. Do you remember coloring in pictures at junior school with cheap crayons? Alternatively, you were possibly painting with insipidly thin watercolors, using brushes that shed their nylon bristles. They don’t need the same grade of tools and materials that top artists use, do they? Of course, they do. After all, they are only children and not Picasso. It's tempting to buy children the very cheapest art equipment.
There are good reasons why a professional photographer might choose a Canon 5D over a T7 There Are Good Reasons not to Buy Cheap There are various reasons, but no small part of that failure is down to the quality of the creative tools the children are given. This is appalling, as creative thinking and the arts are central to the growth of every society. By the time they are grown, most young adults have had the gift of creativity stolen from them. The system knocks it out of the children.
Around the world, in many (though not all) schools, creativity is stifled. Why is this? It is partly down to our education systems. At first, most little children can sing, blow a penny whistle, or beat a drum, but then, some improve while others stagnate. A digression starts, where some children progress while others don’t. Hang the paintings of most four- or five-year-olds side by side, and they are very similar. Little children can all draw and paint at an equal level. Here’s why you should consider choosing something better. Entry-level cameras are the best option for beginners, right? Plus, that popular brand must be the right choice, mustn’t it? As the song goes, it ain’t necessarily so.