Getting The Right Digital Camera For You
By Chris Thomas, Fri Dec 9th
There are really great advantages in digital photography: You can shoot till you drop Taking digital images on your camera has no implication otherthen you have captured the image. Then you can review each imageon the small screen on the back of your camera. You can shoot asmany pictures of the same scene as you like – store them inmemory – delete the ones that you do not like and print theone(s) you like.
Each image is a winner Alternatively you can put an image up on a computer screen oremail it to all you friends – can black mail be this easy? Print at home or in a lab You can print your image at home on a photo printer – turn yourimage into a greeting card, calendar, or a whole other list ofphoto memorabilia. Or hand over the job to the professionals. So what digital camera should I buy? A question we are often asked is ’what sort of camera should Ibuy’? There are literally hundreds of different models availablefrom a large number of well known manufacturers. This is a difficult question, which might be answered in acomplex way. Rather, here we have tried to emphasise the salientpoints and assist you in your decision. Key components of the camera, which will influence your buyingdecision will include: What do I want to use the camera for? Howbig an image can I print? Does the camera have a zoom? What sizeand weight is the camera? How big an image can I print? If your objective is to take a camera on holiday, take it ontothe beach and up a mountain and to print memorable images ofyour time on 6 x 4 inch prints, then do not spend a lot of moneyon your camera. A small compact camera with an image resolutionof 2 or 3 Mega Pixels will be adequate for your needs and shouldyou drop the camera or get sand in its workings then you will bepleased that you did not spend too much money. More seriousphotographers will want to make bigger pints or selectivelyenlarge. They will want a higher image resolution and willbenefit from a zoom lens. So – what is this MegaPixel thing?Well it is the image size – quality – taken by the camera. Thehigher the number – the better the quality and the larger theprints which can be made. Does the camera have a zoom? In past times zoom lenses were regarded as second best becauseof their distortion and fogging. This is no longer the case –zoom lenses are truly brilliant. 3 x zooms are common and 6 xzooms feature on the more expensive cameras. So you can have asingle lens which covers both wide angle views and provides ashort telephoto. All very usefully packaged in a lightweightcamera. Beware of Digital Zoom. This is a technique, which zooms in on aportion of the image by processing the picture and interpolatingthe image between pixels – a technique which always producesinferior results. What is the size and weight of the camera? Digital do not have to be bulky or heavy. Indeed thereare some very small models available, which will fit inside ahandbag. However the more sophisticated gear tends to be bulkier– and heavier. Professional models with interchangeable lensesand external flash guns will require their own hold all. Making the Right Selection There
is a fantastic range of digital available on themarket. Nonetheless manufacturers focus on their customers andtarget specific models at certain sectors of the market. Thetable below summarises the information, which we have discussed. Basic camera A fixed lens camera priced at less than £50 [Or $90 USD] whichtakes digital images of up to 1 MegaPixel - will be adequate forcomputer or television screen display. Party Camera A compact design camera with a fixed lens – cost up to £150 [Or$280 USD] - taking images of up to 2 MegaPixel - will generategood quality images suitable for printing up to 4 x 5 inches Holiday Camera Another compact design but with a 2 – 1 zoom lens and costingbetween £200 and £400 [$350 - $800 USD] taking images or between3 and 5 MegaPixel which will be suitable for printing up to 10 x8 inches Serious Camera A SLR style camera with a 5 – 1 zoom lens costing between £600and £1000 [$1000 - $2000 USD] and producing images of up to 6MegaPixel which will produce prints of up to 12 x 16 inches Professional Camera An SLR camera with interchangeable lenses and costing upwards of£1,500 [Or around $3000 USD], which will take images of up to 8MegaPixel, which will print to poster size. SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. These are cameras, which donot have a separate viewfinder. Rather the operator looksthrough the lens of the camera. Momentarily before the shutteris opened a mirror flicks up and the light passing through thelens is allowed to hit the sensitive surface of the camera. Inmany cases the lens at the front of the camera can be changedfor another type. A variation on this presents the image as seenby the camera in a digital liquid crystal display either on theback of the camera or through a viewfinder. Flash. Many of the inexpensive will have on board flash– remember that these will only work up to about 10 feet, andthey might produce red eye. More expensive will expectthe user to use an independent external flashgun. Camera Accessories Most digital come with interface cables and PC softwarebundled. So if you have a PC at home or work you can ‘download’images from your camera to your PC, do basic editing such asremoving red eye and delete the images you do not want! Yourvalued images you can store for future generations on CD Rom oranother recording medium. Digital Memory Media Sometimes known as Smart Card, Compact Flash, Multi Media Card,Memory Stick. These are the memory chips on which your imagesare stored – some people refer to them as digital film. Thelarger the capacity of the media, the more images it can store.So buy one larger then you need – for now. Images can be deletedfrom the media – but back them up on a CD Rom or DVD before youerase the card. Final Hint – Keep lots of batteries handy. Digital use alot of power! About the author:Christopher Thomas is a keen photographer and company directorof Viewlink Ltd based in Amersham, Uk. The company provides digital photoprocessing for both amateur and commercial photographers.For more articles by Christopher Thomas please visit the companywebsite at http://www.view-link.com/guides.html
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