When Google announced the new Pixel4, I was excited to get a new phone with an improved camera and enhanced night vision. However, not even a week later, I ended up with a new digital camera instead. I am very happy with my purchase and the new things it brought into my life.

One of the important lessons you learn working in IT is not to jump the gun. You always want to stay a generation behind with maturity and support. When it was time to trade my current Pixel2 for the new Pixel4, my urge had already taken a hit from the cost. The more I waited, the more problems surfaced with the Pixel4, like the face unlock issue or the not-exactly 90ghz display. The list of “mehs” with the Pixel4 doesn’t show signs of slowing down. After a couple of weeks like this, my excitement transformed to “So, why do I want to give Google a grand for, exactly?"

I realized I was pushing myself toward the Pixel4 because of the camera. I’ve been enjoying my growing photographic collection and the artistic escape I get in my otherwise fully tech-related life.

So if all I want is a better camera and better photos, why not just get a good camera without a $800 phone attached?

Within minutes, I was already watching a YouTube Video about the four different types of digital cameras (by the way, Dave McKeegan has a bunch of very well-made explanatory videos about photography). Hours turned to days as I swallowed everything I could from YouTube and photography websites. When I felt I got an idea of what would work best for me, which was a generic-purpose mirrorless camera, I settled on the Sony a6000.

Auto-generated description: A person is holding a Sony Alpha mirrorless camera with its lens cap on, next to its packaging box.

My decision was based on a couple of factors:

  1. I wanted a cheap camera that was still capable of taking good photos and would allow me to continue to learn. Likewise, I wanted a popular camera with a lot of support and tutorials available.
  2. I wanted a light, compact camera that would be easy to carry around and fit in my backpack so I could take it anywhere. I didn’t want to worry about carrying a heavy bag, which would demotivate me from carrying my camera and taking photos.
  3. I was also interested in capturing videos, mostly for my video journals and possibly videos for YouTube later.

The a6000 answered all of the above. Five years on the market, it is still widely sold, but old enough to be cheaper than its newer replacements (the a6300 and the a6500). It’s small and light, easy to carry, and, most of all, it teaches me a lot about photography.

Three weeks later, I’m happy to report I managed to carry the camera with me to work every day. I take photo-walk lunches whenever possible and take pictures s of different things I find while walking: dogs, birdhouses, trees, and color-changing leaves, co-workers, myself talking excitedly about photography (an interesting side-effect: I got myself familiar with OpenShot again as an interesting side-quest). I used to take walks on weekends, but now I do so with the camera and it makes me examine each object from different angles and situations that I didn’t do before. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m excited to do something more artistic with my time.

One difference between cameras and smartphones I learned: there’s no huge difference between two, five, and even ten-year-old cameras. I’m sure that there are some important factors for professional photographers to consider, but at the same time, I have a feeling that folks who have been taking photos for years know how to get great photos from old and new cameras. With a phone, you’re expected to buy a new one every 2 or 3 years; with cameras, it’s more about investing in what you already have.