Digital Camera Buying Guide
This digital camera buying guide’ article sifts through the multiplicity of, sometimes
confusing, information which is available and concentrates on the basics. When buying a
digital camera whether it is an ‘ultra compact’, a ‘compact’ or an SLR (or an SLR-Like)
there are a few basics that are really important.
Some photography articles still maintain that a film camera is best. However there is no
doubt that a digital camera, especially with the advanced technology that is involved today
has so many advantages over film.
Not least the great convenience of not having to keep buying expensive film and not
having to go to the even greater expense of having the film developed. Bad photos can
be discarded at no additional cost and great photos can be made even greater with a little
manipulation if needed.
However the Market is so vast these days it can be difficult to know what you should
look out for when considering buying a digital camera. How many megapixels is best
how much should a good camera cost etc. This digital camera buying guide will give you
the basic facts and will assist you in the decision of which camera to buy.
When you have made your choice of camera you may be interested in an online
Photography Course - If so you might like to check out what the School of Photography
has to offer.
We also have several Photography articles for you to look at.
But for now, in this digital camera buying guide we will concentrate on the basic first
things that you should think about before buying a digital camera. Follow these
basics steps and you can’t go wrong.
Digital Camera Buying Guide – Part One
Are you ready to take the plunge into the world of digital photography? This is the first of
two digital camera buying guide articles that will help you make the decision when buying
a digital camera and will help you choose one that will best fit in with your needs.
The first thing to consider is why you want a digital camera. The answer to this question
will form the basis of all your other buying decisions. If you simply want to send
snapshots by e-mail or post images on the Internet, you don't need a high resolution
camera. If you want to print digital photographs, however, you need a camera with more
resolution.
So you can see that the choice you make when buying a digital camera isn’t; just down to
‘does it look smart’. There are other factors involved.
When you have decided on why you want a digital camera then consider the advice
which follows in this digital camera buying guide:
Resolution
Digital cameras are rated by the number of megapixels (millions of pixels) they can record.
This is also referred to as their 'resolution' and is the single most important factor affecting
the price of digital cameras. Quite simply, the more megapixels the higher the price.
Images which are only viewed on a computer screen did not need a high resolution. A
computer monitor set to 1280x1024 (which is very large) is only displaying about 1.3
megapixels. Any digital camera rated at about two megapixels is suitable for computer
images.
Printed pictures, however, are another story. Professional photo shops usually print
photographs at 300 dots per inch, and you are likely to be disappointed with pictures
printed at less than this standard. A 4 x 6 photograph printed at 300 dots per inch needs
an image which has about 2.8 million pixels. That means that digital cameras that are
meant to be used for printed pictures should be rated at least three megapixels.
More megapixels doesn't necessarily mean better pictures. All other things being equal
(image sensor quality and lens quality) a camera with more megapixels simply allows you
to print larger pictures. You also have more options for cropping photos and maintaining
standard print sizes.
Budget
Any digital camera buying guide worth it’s salt will not ignore the plain fact that a good
digital camera costs money. However, now that you have chosen a minimum megapixel
rating, you can look for cameras which fall into your budget. Digital technology has come
a long way in the last few years and it is possible to find a good digital camera at a
reasonable cost.
You will most likely want to get the best quality images for your money, and that may
mean foregoing some of the fancy features such as video and sound recording.
Concentrate on lens quality and image sensor quality.
Lenses are available in either plastic or glass. Glass lenses are superior and will produce
crisper, cleaner images. The best cameras will be equipped with lenses by well-known
manufacturers such as Leica or Zeiss.
Many digital cameras have a zoom function which allows you to get closer to your subject
without moving the camera. There are two types of zoom -- digital and optical. An
optical zoom changes the actual length of the lens. Digital zooms simply remove the
outside edges of an image and interpolate the result over the area of the image sensor.
They do not give as good results as optical zooms and should be avoided if possible.
Image sensors are electronic devices that record the images. The two most popular types
are CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) and CCD (Charged-Couple
Device). CMOS is the cheaper of the two but the image quality is inferior to CCD.
No matter what your budget, buying a digital camera with a good quality lens and CCD
image sensor will likely give you pleasing photographs.
Go to: Digital Camera Buying Guide - part two.
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