Why does no-one talk about camera usability?

When someone is looking for a new camera, they tend to think about brand, price, and possibly image quality. They never consider one of the most important aspects for beginners, which is ease of use.

"Which camera is best for a beginner?"

How many times do I see this question asked online? As a photography tutor I’m involved in numerous groups and forums, where my aim is to help people at all stages of their learning - and many if those people are looking for their first camera. Yet with very little knowledge of what they want, or why they should choose one model over another.

Almost always, the answers they receive are from people who recommend whatever camera they happen to be using – yet those people often have nothing to compare it to, and mainly want to reinforce their own choices. How often do you hear someone say, ‘Actually, you know what, I chose this and I really don’t like it!’? So those recommendations are often skewed, and hence can be unreliable.

Looking at it another way, there is of course the old adage that ‘No-one ever got sacked for buying IBM’ – meaning that, if you go for the most common option, it can’t be that bad, can it? Which is why, from all of the hundreds of people I’ve taught at ‘off auto’ level over the years, a good 50%+ have an entry level DSLR. Even in this day and age of mirrorless becoming the more mainstream technology.

So why is that?

Three main reasons – one, they are the brands that most people think of first (well done to the relevant marketing departments!). Two, they are relatively cheap these days. And three, with more people having them already, and hence recommending them, it becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Before I go any further it’s important to say that I am not singling out entry-level DSLRs for specific criticism, nor am I trying to get into a debate about mirrorless vs DSLR. What I am aiming to do is to move the goalposts when it comes to the decision-making process. When people are looking for a new (often first) camera, they think about brand, price, and possibly image quality. They never consider one of the most important aspects for beginners, which is usability – or even realise that it’s something which makes a difference.

Easy access to core settings

Having taught more beginners than I can count, one of the biggest issues they face isn’t actually understanding the concepts of aperture, shutter speed and ISO – it’s applying those settings to their individual camera. I see people becoming more and more frustrated when they can’t easily change their ISO or their exposure compensation, or move their focal point – all of which are key factors that affect their ability to capture shots they are happy with, and then to progress.

I should state up front here that I am a Panasonic LUMIX user, and I consider their cameras to be pretty much the gold standard when it comes to usability. I’m not saying that there aren’t other brands that are equally good, but I have the most knowledge of LUMIX – and anything with similar controls is fine with me!

Canon 800D with one control dial vs Lumix G9 with three control dials. Image credits: Matt Goodrum Photography and Gill Prince Photography respectively.

When considering any camera body, the first thing I would look for is the number of control dials. Many cameras have two, but far too many have only one - and those which I’d always recommend have three.

But why does this matter?

Whether you’re shooting in manual or priority modes (and I always recommend aperture priority – but that’s another conversation) – the first thing you need to be able to do is to adjust the aperture, and/or the shutter speed. With one dial (many older entry level DSLR bodies) – you can turn the wheel to change the aperture or shutter speed, depending on how you have it set up. But then to change the other setting, or to set exposure compensation if using priority modes, you can only achieve this by pressing a button first. Not only that, but you have to press and hold that button, while simultaneously turning the dial. Whoever thought that was a good idea?

Of course, if you’re very familiar with such a camera, and have got your muscle memory sorted, then yes, it might seem easy. But for a beginner who is struggling even to hold it level and find the on/off switch – not so much!

This then brings us to cameras with two control dials, one towards the front and one towards the back in the top corner – which is more common on newer models across many different brands of DSLR and mirrorless, including some of the lower level LUMIX bodies. Two dials is a distinct improvement, meaning you have one for aperture and one for shutter speed. Or if using priority modes, then one of them can be programmed (in many cases) to set exposure compensation. All of which makes life a lot easier for a beginner.

Easier that is, until you start considering the need to change your ISO. And I always recommend using manual ISO not auto when I’m teaching, but again that discussion is for another day.

Many modern cameras now have a dedicated ISO button, and this helps, but even still – there is a need to find and then press the button first, and sometimes to hold it down while turning the rear dial. Or worse, with some older models from one particular manufacturer, there is a random Function (Fn) button of the other side of the camera, which you have hold down with the other hand while turning the rear dial. Not to mention those cameras where the only way to change the ISO is to rummage around in the menu . . .

The benefits of three control dials

Coming back to my LUMIX recommendation (and no, I'm not getting any kind of reward for recommending them!) some of the higher spec models have three control dials - two on the top and one on the back around the four way controller, and all of these are fully programmable.

So you can have your aperture and shutter speed (or exposure compensation) on the top, and your ISO on the wheel at the back if you want (even though there is also a dedicated ISO button). This means that if you need to change ISO quickly, it’s incredibly easy to do, without even taking the camera away from your face. Not to mention the added benefit of actually being able to see the shutter speed change, while changing the ISO – so you can tell when you’ve raised it high enough, but not too high.

It might seem like a small thing, but the reality is that beginners do need to be able to control all three settings in the easiest way possible – and with the right camera body this becomes a simple thing to achieve, so they can focus on finding and capturing good shots. Yet with the wrong body, it can be complex and cumbersome – all of which makes learning how to change settings much harder, and creates a barrier between the photographer, their ability to learn, and the images they are trying to create.

Other key usability factors

This is of course just one illustration of where usability makes a huge difference when learning photography. There are many others which are mainly found on mirrorless models – such as the live histogram, being able to move the focal point anywhere around the screen using a joystick, and the ability to review images in the viewfinder on bright days. Not to mention having an array of programmable function buttons which provide easy access to a range of features that would otherwise be buried in a complex menu system. But I believe that the number of dials is a key factor when it comes to a camera’s ease of use, hence using it as an example here.

In summary

I think there are two points that I’d like to highlight. Firstly, if you’re choosing or recommending a camera, consider the usability factor - especially for a beginner. And secondly, a reminder to manufacturers to consider these types of features in their entry level models as well as their more advanced ones. Arguably it’s the users that these models are aimed at who are most in need of them.

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