lalaurynland asked: I'm looking to buy a camera. A nice one. Can you make any suggestions? I've only ever owned a point and shoot, but I'm looking to upgrade this time around. I plan on taking this camera on my many outdoorsing adventures this summer, so it can't be TOO big, but I want it to better capture light in outdoor pictures. Can you tell I have no idea what I'm looking for? Thanks for your help!

I can absolutely give a few suggestions. I am a huge fan of Nikon and Canon. They are the front runners in digital photography, and there is a reason for that.

To start off, the main concern is your budget. Canon is hands down the best point and shoot camera manufacturer out there. I have seen some really amazing photographs taken with there basic cameras. The SD series performs really well.

To step it up a notch, check out Canon’s G series. G12 is the latest. It is a great camera, but is very difficult to service on your own. I spend a lot of time in the desert and mine is just caked with sand. The banner on the top of my tumblr is taken with the G12. G11 is ok, G10 is good.

The next step up from that would probably be Nikon’s 1. It is the first generation of the future. I’m not kidding you, give it 5 years and everybody will be carrying around these mirrorless cameras. Hot Shit!!!! But remember it’s the first generation, so there are still things that are being worked out.

Then you have the 3/4 cameras. They are called that because of there size. They perform well, but will likely be phased out over time.

Above these smaller cameras are the DSLR’s. I have a Nikon D300 that I do most of my shooting with. It is big and heavy, but will do things that you could never do with a smaller camera. It is worth every dollar and ounce! And the nice thing is older Nikon lenses will fit onto it. Every town I go to I always stop by thrift stores to grab some vintage lenses. The argument between Nikon and Canon at this level can be a bit winded. I favor Nikon simply because that’s what I started off with and invested in. You could go with either manufacturer and be happy with comparable results.

Judging by your needs, I’m going to think that the Canon G series will fit you well. They have all manual controls and will allow to shoot in RAW, all at a fair price.

Hope this helps!! Let me know if I can answer anything else for you.