DON’T buy a camera just because of its specs. You must physically hold it first!

Mike Harris holding OM System OM-1 Mark II in green space — My advice? Don’t spend a significant amount of money on a camera until you’ve tried it on for size (Image credit: Future)

I’m currently in the process of reviewing the mighty OM System M.Zuiko 150-400mm f/4.5 PRO ‘Big White’, a monster lens with a monster reach, but as a day-to-day Nikon user, something really shocked me when I got to take the OM System OM-1 Mark II for an extended spin. Boy oh boy is it one comfortable camera!

The shutter button is on an incline, which is oh so ergonomic for your forefinger, which marries beautifully with a nice, deep grip. And the small (for a flagship) Micro Four Thirds camera just fits beautifully in the hand. Other highlights include a strategically positioned ISO button where your right thumb naturally rests, and on the opposite side, positioned on the top plate, is a button for changing the AF mode. Its positioning is genius, because your left thumb can easily access it without having to remove the camera from a shooting position.

So, am I telling you to race out and buy an OM System OM-1 Mark II? No, I’m not. I’m telling you to race out there and try one. Heck, race out there and try any camera that you want – emphasis on physically try. I get it, right or wrong, better or worse, most of our shopping nowadays is done online. But just like that vintage pair of raw-denim jeans you bought online and are now resigned to your wardrobe because they’re too tight, a camera has to fit. And you won’t know if it fits unless you head down to your local camera store, brand event or trade show and try it on for size.

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This is especially true for enthusiast-level photographers who are investing big bucks in a mid- to -high-range camera body. At that point you know what you like, you know whether you spend most of your time shooting from a tripod, shooting from the hip, shooting with big wildlife lenses, etc. It stands to reason that you should buy the camera that suits you.

The very first camera that I ever properly gelled with was the Nikon D800. I’d had other cameras before that, but I’d never really felt like any of them were an extension of my arms. Cue, a chance encounter with a friend’s Nikon D800. I plucked it off the shelf, fiddled nonchalantly with a few buttons and dials, brought the viewfinder up to my eye and thought: I have to have this camera.

To this very day, picking up a Nikon D800 feels like putting on a worn-in pair of shoes. And you know what? As soon as I got that camera, my photography took off. I couldn’t put it down, I took my best photographs ever at the time and I ended up getting a career in the industry. Don’t get me wrong, specs are important, of course they are. But if you’re spending a big chunk of money on a camera, you owe it to yourself to try it on for size, first. You won’t regret it.

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Mike studied photography at college, honing his Adobe Photoshop skills and learning to work in the studio and darkroom. After a few years writing for various publications, he headed to the ‘Big Smoke’ to work on Wex Photo Video’s award-winning content team, before transitioning back to print as Technique Editor (later Deputy Editor) on N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine.

With bylines in Digital Camera, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, Practical Photography, Digital Photographer, iMore, and TechRadar, he’s a fountain of photography and consumer tech knowledge, making him a top tutor for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters, and more. His expertise extends to everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...