4 Camera Tips for New Dads

December 14, 2010, By Christopher Ford 2 comments

Having your first baby is the one free-and-clear excuse you'll ever have to buy a new camera. What expecting mother is going to say, "No honey, I really don't think we should upgrade our camera so you can take the best possible pictures of our new bundle of joy. Pictures of our baby just aren't that important to me."

Right now you've pretty much got a blank check. But what kind of camera is right for you, and right for taking pictures of babies? I've got a few things you should keep in mind when considering this purchase.

For the guy who pretty much only takes pictures with his cell phone:
Cell phone images are great, and while it's true that the best camera is the one that's with you, they will never be as good as the pictures taken with a real camera. A real camera has a better lens, better focusing and will take pictures faster than your phone will. And taking pictures quickly is what you want to consider, especially with babies. Getting that picture of your new baby's smile can be like getting lightning in a bottle, and when that moment comes you don't want to be fiddling with your cellphone. Get a decent compact point-and-shoot camera with good automatic functions on it (any of the cameras from the major manufacturers will work well) and spend at least $200. And don't forget to keep it with you.

For the guy who has only used a compact camera:
Still using that camera you got in college to take pictures of your friends when they were drunk? It's time to upgrade, bro. When considering the new camera, I would first look at the new cameras made by the same manufacturer of the camera you now have. Chances are, you are somewhat familiar with the controls and the transition to the new camera will be easier. Also, please, please, please, please don't become enamored with "megapixels." More megapixels doesn't mean a better camera. Let me put that one in all caps: MORE MEGAPIXELS DOESN'T MEAN A BETTER CAMERA. Any camera with a megapixel count above six will create images big enough to be printed in pretty much any size you will ever need. It's the quality of the megapixels that you need to worry about. An eight megapixel camera that can take pictures well in low light is a million times more useful than a twelve megapixel camera that fires the flash on every picture.

For the guy who already enjoys photography and was thinking about upgrading:
Having that new baby might be the best thing that ever happened to your favorite hobby, because fairly soon you'll have nothing but great subject-matter 24/7. So if you've been considering upgrading that compact camera to a digital SLR, now is definitely the time to do it. Any one of the entry-level digital SLRs will give you great images for kits (camera and lens or lenses) that cost well under $1,000. And if you've got some extra scratch - don't buy an external flash first. Check out my next tip.

For the guy who already shoots with a digital SLR:
If you've already been shooting with a digital SLR, then what you absolutely need to go buy yourself is what people call a "fast" 50mm lens. Even though it has a fixed focal length (no zoom) the aperture on these lenses can be set wide open, which means you can shoot without a flash in fairly low light at high shutter speeds. A baby won't pose for a picture, so speed is the key especially in low-light indoor situations. And you'll also get these great portraits with your baby in focus and everything behind out of focus (just make sure you're focusing on the eyes of whomever you're taking a picture of). Trust me, once you get used to using a 50mm lens everyone will start talking about how great your pictures look. (Check out some images taken with a 50mm lens on Flickr).

So go out and spend some money before the baby comes. Because I'm pretty sure that check won't be so blank when baby number two is on its way.