Are you buying your first digital camera? Well, you must be confused by the bewildering range of models out there. How do you know which model will suit your needs? To make things worse, digital cameras do not come cheap. Choosing a bad camera will easily cost you a few hundred dollars.
In fact, buying a digital camera need not be a difficult task. I'll highlight the key considerations you need to think through before making that purchase decision. Always, always remember to consider these factors when buying a digital camera:
Battery Life
This has got to be one of the most overlooked features in digital cameras. I know many people who go for the latest and greatest digital cameras which are short in the battery life department. If you want to take good photos, your camera needs to powered for extended periods of time. I've found that cost and battery life don't go together - many cheap cameras have good battery life, while some high-end models drain your battery really fast. Make sure you choose a camera that has good battery life.
Number of Megapixels
The megapixel rating of a digital camera determines how much fine detail you can capture in your shots. Typically, the number of megapixels can range around from 2 megapixels to 8 megapixels. How do you decide how many megapixels you need? As a rule of thumb, if you're only interested in taking small snapshots to send via email or for posting on the Web, you won't need more than 2-megapixels. If you want large print outs of your gorgeous photographs, then you'll probably want to get 5-megapixel cameras and above. You may want to refer to this guide for more information.
Zoom Lens
You'll definitely want a camera with decent optical zoom. Now the keyword here is optical zoom (as opposed to digital zoom). Optical zoom physically moves the camera lenses to zoom in on a subject. Digital zoom, however, digitally averages and magnifies the image within the camera's microchip - resulting in poor picture quality. Many manufacturers' advertisements talk about digital zoom instead of optical zoom - so do be careful when choosing. I'd recommend getting at least 3x optical zoom in any camera you buy.
Exposure Control
The ability to control exposure settings such as shutter speed and lens opening is critical to professional photographers. Cheaper digital cameras only allow you to shoot photos in automatic mode - just press the shutter release and voila, your picture is taken. More advanced users prefer to tweak the shutter speed and aperture to capture fast moving objects or blur the image background. Choose a camera with good exposure control if you foresee yourself taking on photography as a serious hobby.
User Controls
If you are getting a point-and-shoot camera, make sure you find one that's easy to use. User controls to set resolution, macro mode, flash and exposure should be within easy reach. Of course, if you're a serious photography buff who wants to take the time to tweak all sorts of manual settings, then this many not be so critical. I prefer to try out the camera first in the store - play with the controls and get comfortable with them. Only then will you know whether it's comfortable enough for you.
Conclusion
Well, I do hope this article has helped you understand what factors to consider when buying a digital camera. A general piece of advice I can give is - if you're a total newbie, don't go for the latest digital SLR. It may be tempting to get that Nikon D70 right from the start, but I'd reckon its much better to start off with a cheaper camera first. Learn, experiment and build up your digital photography skills. Once you're more skilled, then proceed to upgrade to a better camera. Good luck and happy shopping!
Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on digital photography. Visit his website at Basic-Digital-Photography.com for tips and tricks on buying digital cameras, as well as shooting great photos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|


There are also some excellent online courses available and some... Read More
The Vacation Season is fast approaching and naturally you will... Read More
When my old Olympus digital camera got broke while caving... Read More
IntroductionModern cameras are highly automatic in operation. They have auto... Read More
Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras are excellent cameras that... Read More
Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More
In a traditional camera, the lens was king. If the... Read More
Wholesale disposable cameras are disposable cameras bought in quantity. Bulk... Read More
As it is a fact that digital cameras are comprised... Read More
So you have this great digital camera and you've taken... Read More
Digital Imaging is a process where an electronic photograph, scanned... Read More
If you are buying a new underwater camera or video... Read More
That's right, you go through all the trouble of making... Read More
What I learned from a mentor that enabled me to... Read More
Why is a 3 megapixel camera better than a 1... Read More
Portrait is defined as, "A likeness of a person, especially... Read More
Elephants in the Sky[1980s, Lee Evens in Mali, Timbuktu/Africa]Advance: Lee... Read More
Are you buying your first digital camera? Well, you must... Read More
You are anxious to purchase your new digital camera! You... Read More
So, you want to become a digital artist but paying... Read More
Fuji digital cameras entered the market in the late 90's.... Read More
Panasonic is a world-renowned consumer electronics company today. Its digital... Read More
Dots Per Inch is a useful measure of relative resolution.... Read More
In the age of home phones and 8x10's we all... Read More
If you have hopes of becoming a professional photographer, or... Read More
There are two sources for obtaining the moulding for making... Read More
1. Pet photos - advertise a Pet Photography business where... Read More
Strike one! Strike two! Strike three!Baseball! America's Pastime, and a... Read More
Shopping for a new digital camera can be quite frustrating... Read More
There are a large number of digital camera accessories available... Read More
Digital cameras are available in several price ranges today. They... Read More
So you recently bought a digital camera or perhaps your... Read More
There are two types of underwater camera systems: an ""amphibious""... Read More


A few years ago I became interested in digital photography,... Read More
There's so much you can do with an underwater video... Read More
There are many kinds of disposable cameras. All disposable cameras... Read More
Once you have clicked photos through your digital camera, then... Read More
There are two sources for obtaining the moulding for making... Read More
The digital camera being a fantastic and technologically advanced device... Read More
Digital photography promises much. Store your photographs on your computer,... Read More
The article given here was written for Adobe Photoshop 5,6,7,CS,... Read More
There is a wide world of photography. It touches each... Read More
Here are examples of two basic videos you can create... Read More
As a professional wedding photographer I get this question asked... Read More
I once heard a lady say to a photographer that... Read More
Kids grow up so quickly and while we are often... Read More
There is one simple technique any body can do to... Read More
Candid photography is photography that focuses on spontaneity rather than... Read More
Being a professional digital photographer is a dream many people... Read More
Early cameras of the 16th and 17th century were able... Read More
You've read all the "best digital camera" articles, got the... Read More
Fuji digital cameras entered the market in the late 90's.... Read More
Love is in the air at the Venice Rookery. The... Read More
The warm feelings are flowing all around when the pet... Read More
Sometimes, usual photographs look so common and boring. Converting your... Read More
Everyone has a digital camera today and we all take... Read More
Digital SLR Camera or Digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera is... Read More
So you have this great digital camera and you've taken... Read More
Disposable Cameras (also called single-use cameras) first came on the... Read More
While analyzing any camera, one of the most important qualities... Read More
Are you having megapixel envy each time you walk by... Read More
Photos are a great way to share your travel experiences... Read More
While digital photography offers you the ability to review photograph... Read More
Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More
One of the main reasons people buy digital cameras is... Read More
The digital camera is essentially a computer-based device, whose core... Read More
Photography |