Barbara Leatham of Barbara Leatham Photography shares her top tips for buying a camera!

It’s June already and we’re halfway through the year. It’s also officially the first month of Summer, and the weather has been brilliant albeit a little stormy! This month we’re asking small business owners to tell us more about what’s happening for them throughout June or to share their top tips for their industry!

Up today is Barbara Leatham of Barbara Leatham Photography and she is sharing her top tips for buying a camera. Barbara is a business photographer based in Tilshead, near Devizes. A former photographer with the RAF, Barbara has become well known in Swindon and Wiltshire.

I always find that when we get to this time of year I get asked what the best camera equipment to invest in is, so I wanted to share my top tips on what to buy:

1. Firstly, set yourself a strict realistic budget! Have an idea of the kind of camera you are looking for, don’t get distracted by “shiny” things.
    
2. Go to a camera shop and physically handle the different cameras. Ask yourself the following:
   
   How does it feel in your hand? Is it heavy or light?
   
   Do the controls sit on the camera in an intuitive place?
   
   Does it have everything on it that you want?
   
   Is it a camera with a built-in lens, does it have a good range from wide to telephoto for your needs?
   
   If it’s a DSLR what lens(es) does it come with?
    
3. Before you part with any money, go home and do some thorough online research. Check for known problems. Look on YouTube for video reviews as well as written ones. Make sure that the reviews you look at aren’t sponsored, they should be unbiased. Google is your friend.
    
4. Still unsure? You could look at hiring before you buy. I do this when I’m looking for a new lens and I can recommend a company called https://lensesforhire.co.uk. They have camera bodies as well as lenses and are well worth considering before you invest in your final purchase.
    
5. Once you have decided what you want - shop around. BUT don’t get caught up in anything that appears “too good to be true”.
   
   You might find websites that offer a huge discount. You need to ensure that it’s not a “grey import” There’s nothing technically wrong with buying grey imports, but you won’t have the same buyer protection, and if anything goes wrong with the equipment you may have to pay out significant costs and import/export duties to get it fixed.
   
   Importantly for businesses, if this is a business asset, buy from a reputable UK based company.
    
6. If you are not too worried about it being brand new, you can always look at online auction sites. Things you need to look out for are – the shutter count. How many photos has the camera taken?
   
   The quality of the lens, make sure there’s no mould in between the lens elements. And as always, make sure the seller has good reviews.
   In case you are curious, right now my go to kit is Nikon Z6 and D750 and lenses are 24-70mm F2.8 and 70-200mm F2.8.
    

My cameras were bought for three reasons, firstly because I have a set of lenses that already work with these bodies. But more importantly for me, I have quite small hands and these cameras fit intuitively; also they don’t weight too much, which is important on a full day shoot.

I teach photography to so many people who have anything from a smart phone to a high end DSLR. Photography is based on understanding light and the limitations of the equipment you are using.

Can we agree that a Mini Cooper and a Ferrari are both great cars? As long as you’re not asking a Mini Cooper to perform like a Ferrari then you will get a great performance out of it. Likewise, having a Ferrari that you don’t use to its full potential can be a waste, so invest in something that will work hard for your needs.

For more information visit www.BarbaraLeatham.co.uk