It's that time of year again when I the most common question I get is, "What camera should I buy for Shoot the Dog?"

The question seems simple, but the answer can be mind-boggling in its complexity.

If you are here to just get an answer and then race off to the camera store to make your purchase, I'll start with my recommendations. If you want to know the *why* behind my recommendations, stick around a little longer for more details. 

The Best Cameras for Shoot the Dog and All of Amy's Other Classes

If you don't have any budget restrictions, you should buy this:

• Canon
  • Camera body: R6 Mark 2
  • Lens: RF 70-200mm f/2.8

• Nikon
  • Camera body: Z8
  • Lens: Z 70-200mm f/2.8

• Sony
  • Camera body: A9ii
  • Lens: 70-200mm f/2.8

There are more expensive cameras and lenses from all three brands, but those would be truly overkill for anyone starting their photography journey. If you still have money burning a hole in your pocket, spend it on another lens. Perhaps something on the wide-angle end of the spectrum of focal lengths like Canon's 24-70mm f/2.8. Or a longer lens like a 300mm prime.
If you do have budgetary restrictions (and most folks do), these are some other cameras to consider as you're starting out. All of these cameras listed are good for most types of photography, but may have some limitations when it comes to fast action photography.

• Canon:
  • Camera bodies: R7, R8, R10
  • Lenses: 70-200mm f/4, 24-105mm f/4

• Nikon:
  • Camera bodies: D500, D850, Z6ii
  • Lenses: 70-200mm f/4, 24-105mm f/4

• Sony:
  • Camera bodies: a6600, a7iv
  • Lenses: 70-200mm f/4, 24-105mm f/4

Now for the Why: Buying a Camera

Since my intro photography course is called "Shoot the Dog", we'll assume that one subject you all would like to photograph is a dog. Let's rank the difficulty level of different types of dogs we're photographing.

Easy: Dog sitting still
Normal: Black dog sitting still
Hard: Dog running
Very hard: Black dog running
Intense: Black dog running indoors
Almost Impossible: Small black dog running in a poorly-lit horse arena with a dirt floor and dark walls

The good news is that any camera that can photograph black dogs in motion is a camera that can photograph almost anything else. The bad news is that it is incredibly difficult to photograph black dogs indoors and end up with an image that is not a blurry black silhouette. And the worse news is that the cameras that do the best job also costs the most.

Basic Camera Categories

The most obvious distinguishing feature of a DSLR or modern mirrorless camera is the ability to use different lenses, selecting the one that is best for the subject you are photographing. The terminology for this is "Interchangeable Lens Camera" or ILC. A camera that comes with a built-in lens is called a "Fixed Lens Camera". The classes I teach are aimed at people with an ILC.

Buy a camera that fits what you will photograph most often

If you are primarily interested in taking photos of beautiful sunsets and mountain ranges, your technical needs are very different than someone who is interested in a career in dog sports photography. Buying a camera and lenses that can shoot it all is VERY expensive. Narrow your interest down to one or two primary subjects and buy your equipment for those.

Lenses are as important as the camera body

Buying an expensive camera body and using it with a cheap lens is a bad idea. Plan to spend AT LEAST half of your budget on the lens and the remainder on the camera body. Lenses retain their value and do not to be replaced as often (if ever) as the camera body. Invest in "good glass" and you will not be disappointed.

Camera brand really doesn't matter. Almost.

My classes are not based on a specific camera brand. The three big names in cameras are Canon, Nikon, and Sony, with Olympus and Fuji taking up a smaller share of the market.

I like Canon. I like their camera bodies, I love their lenses. I've used Nikon and Sony cameras, and they are outstanding as well. I know professionals who are just as die-hard about Nikon or Sony as I am about Canon.

Ultimately, you need to pick the brand that works for you and stick with it. Lenses are a major investment, so once you start down one path or the other, it's pretty hard to change. It happens, but rarely.

Here's why I say that camera brand "almost" doesn't matter. Some types of photography have a really specific requirement for being able to capture images at the highest level. For me, the only brand I can use is Canon because it is the only brand that has one specific feature that I need.

Lenses

Consider buying your camera and lens separately. Many cameras are advertised as a "kit" that includes both the body and lens. However, the "kit lens" is frequently a lower-quality lens. If possible, choose your camera body and pick a high-quality lens that you won't need to replace in a year or two.

Important Camera Specification #1 - ISO Range

Before digital cameras, ISO was known as "film speed." It's a measurement of the image sensor's sensitivity to light. The more sensitive the sensor, the easier it is to photograph in low light conditions. Lower- to mid-level ILC cameras have a range of 100 to 6400 ISO. When you get to the higher end camera, you can get a top ISO of 25600, 51200, or even 102,400. The higher the maximum ISO, the more likely it is you'll be able to photograph our black dog running indoors.

Right now, Nikon and Sony cameras have a *usable* ISO range that is lower than Canon. In order to capture the fastest dogs in bad light, I need the highest maximum ISO possible. Right now, Canon is the only brand that has a maximum usable ISO that meets my needs.

Important Camera Specification #2 - Frame rate

Cameras can capture images in a burst mode. There is an associated maximum frames per second with these burst modes. The lower-end cameras can shoot 3-5 frames per second. Mid-range cameras capture 5-8 frames per second, with professional-level cameras getting up to 14-16 frames per second, or even higher when they have an electronic shutter. A faster frame rate means we can capture more shots as the dog runs past us. This allows us to find the image that shows the perfect moment of peak action.

Important Camera Specification #3 - Megapixels (MP)

This is the one spec that is NOT as important as "they" would like you to think. Any recent ILC has enough MP to allow you to print an image as large as you could want. This used to be a factor to sway you one way or another when selecting a camera body, but not anymore. 20 MP is sufficient for anything you want to do. Any higher than that is more hype than necessity.

More MP can be a drawback, rather than a feature. More MP means larger image files, which means more memory cards and more hard drive space necessary to store those larger image files.

(For some historical context, my first DSLR was 3 MP and I could make beautiful 16x20 prints from those files.)

Don't be afraid to buy used equipment

I buy all of my cameras brand new, but this is my livelihood and I will put more clicks on a camera in a year than 10 hobbyists combined. However, when I can, I buy my lenses used. I personally do not buy them on ebay or craigslist; I only purchase through reputable dealers or from photographer friends.

Here are a few places to get you started:

• B&H Photo (http://www.bhphotovideo.com)
• Adorama (http://www.adorama.com)
• MPB (http://www.mpb.com)
• Borrow Lenses (https://www.borrowlenses.com/buy/category/usedgear)
• Lens Rentals (https://www.lensrentals.com/catalog_search?for_sale=yes)

You can rent gear to "try before you buy" or for special occasions

For a fraction of the price of purchasing a new or used lens, you can rent one, have it delivered to your home and ship it back when the rental period is over. I do this when I need extra gear for events where I have additional photographers working for me, or if I want to try out a lens and see if it meets my needs.

Here are some rental shops to get you started:

• Lens Rentals (https://www.lensrentals.com)
• LensProToGo (https://www.lensprotogo.com)
• BorrowLenses (https://www.borrowlenses.com)

The purchases don't end with the camera and lens

Don't forget about the accessories. It's SO MUCH FUN to buy accessories!

Mandatory Accessories

• Memory cards — at least two of 32 GB or more (Sandisk or Lexar are good reliable brands)
• Extra battery — made by the camera manufacturer, not an off brand (more reliable)

Optional Accessories

• External hard drive — store your photos on an external drive instead of filling up your computer's internal drive
• Camera bag — preferably on that doesn't actually look like a camera bag, for security reasons (Google for "camera bags that don't look like camera bags")
• Lens cleaning kit
• Tripod or monopod
• Specialty lenses (Macro, fisheye, telephoto)
• Circular polarizing filter
• Neutral density filters

Now that you know the "why", here are my recommendations again.

If you don't have any budget restrictions, you should buy this:

• Canon
  • Camera body: R6 Mark 2
  • Lens: RF 70-200mm f/2.8

• Nikon
  • Camera body: Z8
  • Lens: Z 70-200mm f/2.8

• Sony
  • Camera body: A9ii
  • Lens: 70-200mm f/2.8

If you do have budgetary restrictions, pick one of these. All of them are good for most types of photography, but may have some limitations when it comes to fast action photography.

• Canon:
  • Camera bodies: R7, R8, R10
  • Lenses: 70-200mm f/4, 24-105mm f/4

• Nikon:
  • Camera bodies: D500, D850, Z6ii
  • Lenses: 70-200mm f/4, 24-105mm f/4

• Sony:
  • Camera bodies: a6600, a7iv
  • Lenses: 70-200mm f/4, 24-105mm f/4

My intro photography class, Shoot the Dog, and my action photography class, Chase the Dog, are coming in April 2024. If you want to learn how to use your fancy camera or need some help sorting out how to freeze the moment with a fast dog, come and join in! You can sign up here to be notified when registration is about to open!

If you get your choices narrowed down to two different cameras and/or lenses and you still can't decide, you can email me at amy@greatdanephotos.com for additional guidance. Please tell me your budget and what you primarily plan to photograph.