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How to Choose a Digital Camera
Digital cameras are in many ways different than film cameras, and choosing one is generally more difficult as there are more features to consider. Overall, digital cameras are more fun to use and cheaper to use too. You can take as many pictures you want, check the result on LCD screen, and keep/print only those that are good enough. Seeing instant feedback on the quality of your shots can significantly shorten the learning curve to becoming a great photographer, and you are guaranteed to have lots of fun in the process too. Sharing you photos is a lot easier too. Instead of mailing through postal office printouts of the photos to friends and loved ones, you can send digital camera pictures instantly via email or even use your cell phone to send the picture (provided that you have picture messaging enabled). And now that there are disposable digital cameras, you can try out digital photography cheaply before plunging into full featured cameras. How to Choose a Digital Camera - ResolutionDigital camera resolution is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a digital camera. Resolution measures the amount pixels that make up a photo. Generally, the higher the resolution, the sharper the picture. The amount of resolution you need depends very much what you use the camera for. If you plan on primarily sharing the photos through email (thus not printing them out), you'll get by with cameras with less resolution. However, if you plan on printing the photos, look for resolutions of at least 150 or more pixels per printed inch. For example, maximum print sizes based on average quality (150 pixels per inch) for different resolutions are given by manufacturers as:
However, your lens, lighting, CCD quality and method of printing all play a part in the quality of final results. How to Choose a Digital Camera - MemoryInstead of film, digital cameras store the pictures taken onto dedicated memory cards. You may feel right at home with using the memory cards that come as standard on these cameras, as they are typically able to hold around 15-30 full quality shots, the same as you'd expect from a traditional film camera. There are two main types memory cards, internal non-removable cards and external cards that are removable. The removable cards are very common and the types of these cards include:
You can increase the amount of pictures that you can take with the camera by buying memory cards with larger capacity. How to Choose a Digital Camera - ViewFindersAnother important feature in digital cameras that you have to consider is the viewfinder feature. Most have at least an optical viewfinder, but increasingly, these cameras have LCD viewfinders on the back of the camera. LCD viewfinders allow you to see the photo before you take it, so you can better compose the photo setting before you take the photo. LCD viewfinders also allow you to see the photos you've already taken, and then erase the bad photos from the cameras memory, if you want. On the downside, LCD screens drain digital camera batteries, so ideally, you should also look for cameras that have long battery life. How to Choose a Digital Camera - Lens and ZoomYour choice of lens in the camera is also an important consideration. The length of a camera's lens determines how much of a scene will fit in a picture. These lengths vary between wide-angle (can be used for landscapes, for example) and telephoto (for close-ups). The image sensor in digital cameras is smaller than the surface of a 35 mm negative. Therefore, the lenses on digital cameras can be much shorter than on traditional cameras. Look for the "35 mm equivalent" or similar ratings to compare the camera's range. Also, an increasing amount of digital cameras offer zoom lenses, which allow you to take photos from wide-angle to telephoto. Zoom capability is measured in the times larger they can make a distant object. Of the two zoom types, optical and digital, concentrate on the optical zoom, as digital zoom is just a magnification of the existing picture using software algorithm, and decreases the quality of the enlarged image. How to Choose a Digital Camera - Computer ConnectionsWith most digital cameras, you don't need to have a PC to use them, but you may want to use a computer with a digital camera. Computers allow you to easily edit the pictures, send them as attachements on email, or print them out. Most digital cameras use an USB connection, which enables fast transfers of pictures between your camera and the PC. The connection may also use a PCMCIA interface. You may also consider buying a digital camera that burns the images directly onto a CD-RW discs. These cameras are available from at least Sony (as the Sony Mavica line of cameras). The connection to your computer becomes less of an issue with these cameras, as you can use the CD-RW discs on any standard computer CD drive. How to Choose a Digital Camera - Additional FeaturesIn addition to the abovementioned features, you should compare at least the following features across available digital cameras:
Also, similarly to cell phones, digital cameras are becoming a fashion accessory, so you may also want to look good with one. Designs range from classic (Leica digital cameras) to small-form (Casio digital cameras), and innovative (many Pentax digital cameras). |