Guangxun Jin | 金光勋 | 김광훈

When the idea of trying a camera first came to me, I went on a few major electronics retailers’ websites to get a rough idea of how much cameras cost. At that time, I just wanted to try using a camera — I wasn’t sure whether it would be worth buying one. So, I checked the prices of the cheapest models to get a sense of the starting point. It was mostly out of curiosity; I didn’t have a strong desire to actually buy one. I found out the cheapest models cost several hundred Canadian dollars, and I wasn’t sure if it was worth the hassle. So, the idea remained in the back of my mind but I didn’t actually take any action — until Boxing Day arrived.

During Boxing Day, I saw many cameras on sale, which reignited my curiosity. I thought maybe this was the right time to take another look — and if I found a good deal, I might as well get one.

I went back to find the cheapest model I had seen before and noticed that its name included “DSLR.” Some others were labeled “Mirrorless.” Since I knew nothing about cameras, I decided to look it up. It turns out DSLR stands for Digital Single-Lens Reflex. It uses a mirror inside the body to reflect light coming through the lens into an optical viewfinder. When you take a photo, the mirror flips up so the light hits the image sensor.
Mirrorless cameras, on the other hand, have no mirror — the light goes straight to the sensor and is displayed through an electronic viewfinder or on the screen. I didn’t know whether these differences really mattered, but in summary: DSLRs use older technology, tend to be larger and heavier, while mirrorless cameras are newer, lighter, and usually more advanced. In other words, DSLRs are gradually being phased out, and buying a mirrorless camera seems like the smarter choice.
I was glad I did a bit of research; otherwise, if I had bought that DSLR, I would have regretted it — not to mention wasted money unnecessarily.

So, I started looking at cameras in the mirrorless category.
That’s when I found the Canon R100. It was the cheapest among the mirrorless models — essentially the start price of a mirrorless camera. Since I’d found the Canon R100, why not start from the Canon brand? I began researching Canon cameras in general. Soon, I learned that Canon’s R100, R50, R10, and R7 belong to the APS-C line, while models like the RP, R8, R6, and R5 are full frame. The most obvious difference was price — full-frame cameras were significantly more expensive than APS-C ones. I needed to understand why.

After some digging, I discovered that APS-C and full frame refer to the size of the image sensor. A full-frame sensor is about 1.5 to 1.6 times larger than an APS-C sensor, which allows more light to enter. More light means better dynamic range (richer colors and details) and improved low-light performance.
Other differences include crop factor — APS-C images are effectively zoomed in by about 1.5x compared to full-frame — and differences in depth of field. But these can often be adjusted by distance or lens choice. In short, APS-C cameras are more than enough for enthusiasts and beginners, while full-frame cameras are designed for advanced users, professionals, or those who demand top image quality. However, full-frame systems are not only much more expensive but also larger and heavier.

I also learned that the camera body is only part of the cost — lenses are equally, if not more, important. Good full-frame lenses can be two to three times more expensive than equivalent APS-C lenses. Combined with the higher body price, even a mid-range full-frame setup could easily reach 4,000 CAD or more. Since I had no experience with cameras, spending that much, with the risk that I might find out I don’t like it and not even use it, would clearly be unwise. If full frame were my only option, I probably would’ve given up — the uncertainty and risk were just too high. Even if I ended up selling it secondhand after realizing it wasn’t for me and it had just been collecting dust, I would probably lose around 1,500 CAD. That’s a huge loss for “just trying it out.” So, APS-C seemed like the more reasonable choice.

Before looking into specific APS-C models, I wanted to understand how APS-C cameras compare to smartphones — is it really worth buying a dedicated camera? I found that even though APS-C sensors are smaller than full-frame ones, they are still about 7–8 times larger than the sensors in flagship smartphones, sometimes even 10 times larger depending on the phone. That gives APS-C cameras a massive, unbeatable advantage in light capture, color depth, and low-light performance compared to smartphones.
Another difference is depth of field — the ability to keep your subject sharp while the background is beautifully blurred. Smartphones simulate this effect with software, but it often looks unnatural around the edges. Cameras, however, achieve this optically and naturally.
APS-C cameras can also use interchangeable lenses, unlike phones with fixed lenses. This means I can use a wide-angle lens when I need it, or a distortion-free one for specific shots — solving many limitations I used to have with phone photography.
In addition, cameras offer far more manual control and accessories than phones. The major downside is convenience — phones are smaller and easier to carry. Phones also do post processing for the photos automatically when you take photos.
In short, an APS-C camera fits my needs perfectly, so I decided to look into specific models.

I started with Canon’s APS-C lineup since I was already looking at Canon. The models are R100, R50, R10, and R7 — the smaller the number after the “R,” the better the performance and the higher the price. The R100 was the cheapest, but I soon found out why: although its image quality is similar to the R50 and R10, it lacks a touchscreen, has a fixed display (the screen cannot be flipped around), and has lower performance in both software and hardware. It’s cheap, but not necessarily the best value, or even good value, and probably be inconvenient to use — so I ruled it out.
The R7, Canon’s flagship APS-C camera, costs much more than the R10. It adds in-body stabilization, dual card slots, higher resolution, and weather sealing, but it’s also slightly larger and heavier. It’s a better choice for video, but since I know that shooting good videos is much more complex than taking good photos, I don’t plan to shoot videos yet. So I decided to put it aside for now.
That left me with the R10 and R50. They produce identical image quality, but differ in controls, hardware, and software features. For example, the R10 has extra buttons and dials, and a built-in flash hot shoe, while the R50 requires an adapter.
The feature that really made me hesitate was the R10’s interval shooting mode — it can automatically take multiple photos at set intervals, perfect for self-portraits. The R50 doesn’t have that feature. However, the R50 is smaller and lighter. I prefer my camera to be as compact as possible while still meeting my needs. I don’t want to carry a bulky camera everywhere. So, while I liked the R10’s interval mode, I also liked the R50’s portability. At that point, I was leaning slightly toward the R10, but still torn between the two. I even went to local stores multiple times to try out Canon’s APS-C models in person. After checking Canon, it was time to look at other brands.

You might think I’m overcomplicating things just to buy a camera. This is exactly what I mentioned in a previous article — I tend to go through “round one, round two…” of comparisons before making a purchase. Of course, for small items this habit isn’t worth it — the time I spend doesn’t justify the value. But for expensive things, doing proper research is definitely worthwhile.

At this point, my top choice was the Canon R10, with the R50 as my second option. While checking prices, I also considered browsing other brands. Then, I came across a Boxing Day deal for the R10 on an online retailer’s site — the price was unbeatable, even cheaper than the discounted R50. I suspected it might be used or refurbished, but the listing didn’t say so, and the site clearly marks used items when they are. With that price, I didn’t even need to look further. The value was incredible. Still, I double-checked by comparing it with similar models from other brands — and the result was obvious: the R10, at that price, was nearly perfect. That was it — I decided on the R10.

Before clicking “buy,” I wanted to confirm one last time. After all this research, I now knew what kind of camera I needed. It’s impossible to get the best size, performance, and price all at once — usually, two of them come at the cost of the third. But if I could find a balance among all three, that would be ideal.
The R10, while not as compact as the R50, is still much smaller and lighter than a full-frame or even an R7. In terms of performance, it doesn’t match full-frame cameras or the R7, but it far exceeds any smartphone camera and seems capable of solving the issues I had with phone photography. For a hobbyist or beginner, its performance is more than enough. As for price, although it’s not as cheap as the R100 or the DSLRs I looked at earlier, there’s no other camera at this price point that can beat the R10 in terms of overall value.

So after all the consideration — I made up my mind: the R10 it is.

After placing the order online and waiting for quite a while, the camera finally arrived. It felt like I’d been waiting forever ?

The first thing I did after receiving it was to carefully check the camera’s exterior to see if there were any suspicious signs, such as traces of previous use or damage. After inspecting closely, I didn’t find anything unusual. I also found out that the shutter count can be an important indicator to check whether a camera is used or refurbished. It’s not 100% reliable since there seem to be ways to reset the count, but it’s still considered an important reference. When I checked mine, the shutter count only matched the few times I had tested it. After a series of inspections, the camera seemed perfectly fine, and I was quite satisfied.

Then I tried taking a few random shots. I had no idea how to adjust any settings—I only knew how to press the shutter. I noticed there was an automatic mode, so I decided to just use that for now to test the camera. However, the photos didn’t look much different from what my phone could take. In fact, I even felt that the phone photos looked slightly better in color. So I looked it up. It turns out that the kit lens that comes with the Canon R10 is rather mediocre, and many people choose not to use it, opting instead for better lenses. From what I’ve learned before, the lens has a direct impact on image quality—it’s one of the most important parts of a camera. Since the sales season wasn’t completely over yet, I decided to pick a better one.

When it came to lenses, I knew almost nothing. But I had a clear goal: I wanted a lens that could produce sharp images, be usable in most situations, and not be too expensive. I wasn’t sure if such a lens existed, but I could at least do some research.

While searching, I first came across a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. Honestly, I didn’t really understand what those numbers meant. But compared with other lenses, the price was much lower and the reviews were quite good. I was tempted, but to be safe, I decided to check its downsides.
Good thing I did. The lens is indeed great, but it’s quite limited in usage. The “50mm” refers to focal length, which affects the field of view. For example, 35mm to 70mm is considered a standard range that’s close to human vision; below that, like 24mm to 35mm, is wide-angle, and 14mm to 24mm is ultra-wide. Above 70mm, such as 70mm to 135mm, is medium telephoto, and anything beyond 135mm is telephoto.
This 50mm lens has only one fixed focal length, so it’s called a prime lens. If you want a lens that can handle multiple situations, you need one with variable focal lengths—called a zoom lens.
The “f/1.8” refers to the aperture size. The larger the number after the slash, the smaller the aperture (a bit counterintuitive, right?). The aperture controls how much light enters the lens, which helps in low-light situations. It also affects the depth of field—a larger aperture (smaller f-number) produces a shallower depth of field, meaning more background blur.
So, I needed a lens that covered wide-angle, standard, and medium telephoto ranges, and also had a large aperture. Following this logic, I found a Sigma 18–50mm f/2.8 lens that was on sale. It wasn’t cheap for me, but still acceptable. However, it didn’t seem to include the medium telephoto range.

That’s when I learned something new: the focal length on APS-C cameras isn’t the same as on full-frame ones. On a full-frame camera, the focal length written on the lens is the actual focal length. But on APS-C cameras, you need to multiply the number by 1.5 or 1.6. For Canon APS-C cameras, it’s 1.6.
So the Sigma 18–50mm actually becomes equivalent to about 28.8–80mm. That means it does cover the wide-angle, standard, and medium telephoto ranges. Plus, f/2.8 is considered a large aperture for a zoom lens. I also checked other lenses with similar focal lengths and apertures, but this one seemed to be the best option. The reviews were excellent too. So I went for it.
It’s true what they say—lenses are an extremely important part of a camera. One good lens can almost cost as much as the camera body itself.

I also looked up and bought some necessary accessories, such as a tripod, camera bag, UV filter, spare battery, cleaning kit, and wrist strap. I spent quite some time picking a tripod that balanced size, weight, price, and performance. I won’t go into detail here, but I’m quite happy with the one I found.

With everything ready, I could finally start shooting!

Other than pressing the shutter button, I knew absolutely nothing about this camera. I should start learning how to actually use it. But where should I begin?

At first, I thought about joining a local beginner photography class. However, I couldn’t find one that suited me — some were designed for those pursuing photography as a profession, some conflicted with my work schedule, and others were simply too expensive. After doing some more research, I realized that learning photography at the beginner stage doesn’t really require in-person classes. Online tutorials are more than enough for beginners to get started. In fact, it’s even recommended for newcomers to start this way — learn the basics online, and then practice on your own. The progress might be slow in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll improve much faster. Of course, this requires strong self-motivation and good learning ability. Fortunately, those happen to be my strengths. So, let’s get started.

I watched quite a few tutorials online and found one that explained things very clearly. Photography definitely has many aspects, but this video covered the essential concepts that beginners need to grasp first and also briefly introduced the more advanced techniques that come later. It was perfect for me to understand everything step by step. Interestingly, I found that some of the things he mentioned were already what I had learned during my camera research — I didn’t expect to gain photography knowledge while choosing a camera.

Here’s a simple summary of the very basic photography knowledge I’ve learned from this video and other resources:

The basic principle of a camera is to control how much light reaches the image sensor to form an image. Light enters through the lens, and the camera determines how much light to accept. This process is controlled by three main factors:

Aperture: controls the amount of light entering the camera. The smaller the number after “f/”, the larger the aperture opening. (The “/” can be understood as “divided by,” and since f represents the focal length — a fixed number for a given lens — a smaller number means a larger aperture overall.) A larger aperture results in a blurrier background and a brighter exposure.

Shutter speed: controls how long the sensor is exposed to light. A slow shutter can cause motion blur but brightens the image, while a fast shutter freezes motion but darkens the image.

ISO: represents the sensitivity of the image sensor. A higher ISO makes the image brighter but also introduces more noise.

We adjust these three settings to achieve proper exposure. The exposure level indicator on the camera screen shows whether an image is underexposed or overexposed — when the pointer is centered at “0,” it means the exposure is balanced according to the camera’s metering system. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s visually perfect. We can also use the histogram to judge exposure more accurately.
The histogram shows the distribution of brightness in an image. The left side represents the dark areas — the further left, the darker. The right side represents the bright areas — the further right, the brighter. So, generally speaking:

If the graph leans to the left → the image is too dark (underexposed)

If it leans to the right → the image is too bright (overexposed)

If it’s centered → the exposure is roughly balanced

If the ends are clipped → shadow or highlight details are lost

Sometimes, we even need to rely on our eyes to judge whether the exposure looks right. Exposure is the foundation of photography — when overexposed, the image becomes pale and loses detail; when underexposed, it turns pitch black.

The file format of the photo is equally important. It’s best to shoot in RAW format because it preserves all the image details. In contrast, JPEG compresses data and limits how much you can adjust later. In RAW format, you can freely modify exposure, white balance, and color, with much greater flexibility and tolerance for correction.

After that comes composition, lighting direction and quality, focal length and depth of field (for example, knowing when to use different focal lengths and apertures), and finally, post-processing, which is also an essential part of photography.

The points above only cover a portion of the basics. Now I roughly understand how to expose correctly in manual mode — at least in theory, though I haven’t tried it yet. I’ve also learned some basic composition techniques, such as:

Rule of thirds: placing the subject at one-third of the frame,

Leading lines: using roads, fences, etc. to guide the viewer’s eye,

Symmetry and balance: making the image feel stable and pleasing,

Negative space: emphasizing the subject and creating breathing room.

I also have a basic sense of how focal length and depth of field work, though I still don’t understand lighting very well — just a rough idea. As for post-processing, I know nothing about it yet.

Still, this should be enough for me to go out and try. The next step is to put what I’ve learned into practice.

Coming Later

Since I got my car, I’d always had one question in mind — what should I do if my car breaks down in the middle of the road? Who should I call? But since nothing like that ever happened, I gradually forgot about it.
Until that day…

It was around March. The weather was amazing for a few days — the snow on the roads had almost completely melted, and it happened to be my day off. It was the perfect time to go out and take some photos. I found out that Pinawa Dam Provincial Heritage Park was a highly recommended spot for photography. I got everything ready the night before, and the next day I headed straight there.

Everything went smoothly along the way. I first stopped by the suspension bridge near Pinawa, then drove to the heritage park. But when I arrived at the entrance, I couldn’t find where cars were supposed to go in. After looking around, I saw what seemed to be an entrance with a barrier gate — but it was closed. Then I noticed a narrow path beside it, with visible tire tracks. I thought, since there are tire tracks, it must be a car road, right? So I followed them in.

The path was strange — narrow, barely wide enough for one car. I wondered, what if another car comes from the opposite direction? The slope was also quite steep, which didn’t seem normal for a mountain road. At the end of the path, I suddenly found myself facing ice — and there were still tire marks on it. If there are tire marks, it must mean cars have passed here before, I thought. So I drove onto the ice and kept following them.

After a while, I realized something was very wrong. Wait, why am I driving on a frozen river?! The map showed I was getting farther and farther away from the heritage park. I immediately turned back. Honestly, driving back wasn’t easy at all — it was a frozen river, not an actual road, and there were no signs at all. Luckily, before going onto the ice earlier, I had looked around and noticed a small sign nearby (which I didn’t understand what that sign means at the time). I spotted that same sign again on my way back, and that’s how I managed to find the correct way out.

Like I said, the road was steep. I was worried my car might not make it up, but fortunately, it climbed the snowy slope without trouble. Even though the snow on the main highway had melted, the snow on this mountain road hadn’t — and the ice seemed solid (otherwise my car would’ve sunk already). When I got back up the slope, I saw what looked like a small children’s playground. I thought, maybe the parking lot is over there. So I drove toward it.

As soon as I entered the playground area, though, the car started struggling, like it was stuck in deep snow. And then — it sank. Strangely, the snow here looked just like the snow on the road earlier, but this time, the car was stuck for real. I tried every method I could think of, but it wouldn’t move. I even used a small shovel to clear some snow around the tires, but the snow was half-melted — neither fluffy nor solid — so I couldn’t dig much. The more I tried, the worse it got. The tires dug themselves deeper, until about half of them were buried. To be precise, the front tires had created two big holes while spinning.
I was doomed.

I’d never faced anything like this before. I had no idea what to do. I figured I needed another car to pull mine out, but I was deep in the woods — there wasn’t a single person around. I had to call for help. But who should I call?

I started searching online for what to do. I found two towing services — CAA Manitoba and Winnipeg Towing. I called CAA first, but they required membership, and since I wasn’t a member, I couldn’t even reach a live agent. I then thought about calling Winnipeg Towing, but realized Winnipeg was almost two hours away — that couldn’t be right. I honestly had no idea who I should call or how to get a tow truck here. I was in the middle of nowhere — if I couldn’t get help, I was finished. I couldn’t walk to the nearest town, and I couldn’t just abandon the car. I was really panicking.

I kept searching online. I found an article that said I could call 911, and in my panic, I didn’t realize that was the emergency police number — I thought it was a general city help line. When the operator asked if it was an emergency, I immediately realized I’d called the wrong number. I apologized, explained that I was just anxious and didn’t realize it was the emergency line, and said I’d hang up right away. The operator was still very kind — he asked if I knew who else to call. I said no, and he gave me a phone number I could try. I was so thankful for his help — but when I called that number, it turned out to be disconnected.

That was confusing. Why would the operator give me a number that doesn’t work? I looked it up and found out it used to belong to a towing company in a nearby town — one that had gone out of business. But that actually helped me figure things out — finally, the right direction!

The tow truck doesn’t have to come all the way from Winnipeg, and towing services aren’t only run by big organizations or government programs. In fact, every town has its own towing services — even individual owners can run them. So I started searching for towing services in nearby towns and called them one by one. Most said they had no available trucks nearby, but one operator kindly gave me the number of another service I could try. I called, and it turned out to be a small local operator who was available to come. I explained my situation, sent him my exact coordinates on the map, and he said he’d need at least an hour to get there. He also told me the estimated towing cost. The time wasn’t short, but at least I was finally saved.

By then, I had completely lost the mood for photography. But sitting in the car doing nothing wouldn’t help either. While waiting, I decided to take a walk — and to my surprise, just a few dozen meters from the playground was the exact spot I had planned to photograph. Since I was already there — and considering the tow would cost me quite a bit — I thought I might as well take some pictures before going home. So I did. The surface of the old dam was completely covered with ice, which actually felt quite dangerous.

After more than an hour, the tow truck finally arrived. But the driver called me and said, “The park’s main gate is closed. How did you even get inside?”
I told him I followed the side path with tire tracks.
He said, “That’s not a road — that’s the trail for snowmobiles.”
He added that he wasn’t sure if his tow truck could make it in, because if the snow on that path wasn’t compacted, his heavy truck might get stuck too — and if a tow truck gets stuck, it’s basically impossible to pull it out.

Fortunately, after some effort, he managed to drive in — in reverse the entire way! That was impressive ?. He attached the cable to my car and pulled it out successfully. The whole process cost me nearly 300 CAD.
It was truly a painful lesson, but all the questions that had arisen during the process were finally answered.

– Just because the snow on the highway has melted doesn’t mean the mountain roads are clear too.

– If the entrance to a park is closed with a barrier, it probably means the park itself is closed — check before going in.

-The “side path” with tire tracks wasn’t a car road — it was a snowmobile trail, and those tire marks were from snowmobiles. That’s why it led onto the frozen river, so people can drive snowmobiles on the ice.

-My car didn’t get stuck earlier because snowmobiles often pass through that part, compacting the snow. Near the playground, however, no one drives there, so the snow was soft — that’s why I sank.

-The snow in the forest may look shallow, but it’s actually very deep — my tires sank halfway down and still didn’t hit the bottom.

-When you need towing, start searching for towing services in nearby towns. The closer they are, the cheaper it will be, since towing fees are charged by distance. And towing isn’t just provided by public or government services — private companies and even individuals can offer it too.

It was an expensive lesson — but at least it finally answered the question I’d had for years:

What should I do if my car breaks down on the road?

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to feel happy about it ?.
Let’s pause the photography for now. After all, there’s still a lot of snow outside, making it hard to move around — and the photos all look pretty much the same, just endless white. I’ll wait until spring, when all the snow has completely melted, before going out to shoot again.