Buying

Most photographers enjoy the challenge of depicting action in still photos, whether they shoot sports, dance, wildlife or simply family activities. The best shots capture the essence of the movement – speed, flow and/or position – in the instant recorded in the frame. Regardless of your level of expertise, all photographers must deal with five vital criteria when planning an action shoot.

Aside from lenses, there are plenty of other accessories to build up your CSC kit. The options available for different cameras vary widely with different manufacturers.

Camera designers have had a field day since the first ‘mirrorless’ models were introduced. The market has now matured to provide an interesting array of body styles that use sensors from tiny 6.2 x 4.6 mm chips to the 36 x 24mm size used in professional DSLRs. There’s a camera to suit photographers at all levels of interest and expertise, from snapshooter to professional.

Although DSLR cameras have long been promoted as providing the best image quality, many people see them as too big, too heavy and too complex. But the latest ‘mirrorless’ Compact System Cameras (CSCs) are seriously challenging most of these perceived performance advantages and providing some quantifiable benefits of their own.

With such a range of sensor sizes and megapixel counts to choose from, how do you know what you really need? [By Margaret Brown]

We shed a little light on what you need to create images with a little external lighting.

As you make your next travel plans, give some thought to the photography equipment you will take along.

Understanding some of the latest issues associated with in-camera image storage will help you select the right memory card for your photos and videos.

A survey of some handy accessories you can consider for your Compact System Camera.

Card manufacturers often focus upon speed when pricing and marketing their products and, for some photographers, the data read and write speeds are important performance characteristics.