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[H947]How To Choose Digital Camera

by Jim Johnson, Jim

With all of the digital camera models on the market today it can be easy to get confused about which of them will be best for your needs. There are four major classes of digital cameras and they are compacts, subcompacts, advanced compacts, and SLRs(single lens reflex). Let's discuss each of these classes and their characteristics to help you decide which will best suit your needs.

The smallest of all the classes are the subcompact digital cameras, and they are tiny wonders to behold. They can easily fit into a pocket or purse and go almost anywhere with you. If you like to have a camera with you at all times, this class can fit the bill, and provide very simple operation features that make taking pictures a snap. The tradeoff is that they can be even more expensive than their larger counterparts to buy, and for some people the controls are so small that they are difficult to use. So try one before you decide to buy it.

The compact camera field is probably the most popular type of digital camera as they are still small enough to go lots of places with you, and yet powerful enough to handle almost any photographic situation very easily. Usually they are almost fully automatic making them a good choice for folks who like to take snapshots of family and friends, and perhaps a few special events too. Some models do have limited manual controls available too.

The advanced compact is a digital camera that simply adds more manual control features that can even rival some digital SLRs. The tradeoff for that extra control is added size and bulk though, although none of them could be considered unwieldy. They can be a good choice for photographers who like to have more exposure control than most compact cameras afford, but don't really need to step up to the SLR class of cameras.

The most versatile, flexible and also often the most expensive digital camera option is the digital single lens reflex camera. They are very similar to their film cousins in size and design and can permit the use of interchangeable lenses for the most creativity in shot composition. The plethora of exposure options that they offer helps make these cameras very suitable for both serious hobbyists and pros alike. Another advantage they can offer to current film SLR owners is that many brands can use the lenses that were bought for their film SLRs with no adaptation, helping them save money on the total camera cost due to not having to buy new lenses for their digital SLR body. Just check to see if your brand of SLR supports this kind of lens migration.

As you can see, there is no shortage of options when it comes to digital cameras, but hopefully the tips and suggestions given in this article can help you know more about what to expect from each camera type so you can decide which digital camera will work best for you.

There are many different types of digital cameras to choose from and the one you choose what have a lot to do with what you plan on using the camera for.

Types of digital cameras

There are three basic types of cameras and this is the same whether you are shooting film or digital media. These three types are: point and shoot cameras, prosumer cameras and professional quality SLR cameras.

1. Point and shoot cameras operate fully automatically. These cameras pretty much do everything for you from choosing the correct exposure to whether a flash is needed.

2. Prosumer Cameras. These cameras are just a step up from the regular point she cameras in that they allow the photographer to have more options over control. These cameras often have various exposure modes which allow the photographer to have some control over the exposure.

3. Professional cameras allow a photographer to actually look through the lens. These are called single lens reflex cameras. What you see is what you get. You have full control over the exposure with these cameras but you can also shoot in full automatic mode or using various exposure modes.

Resolution

No matter what type of digital camera you decide to buy you'll need to make the decision about the resolution of the camera.

If you've ever shopped at one of the large electronics superstores you most certainly have had the opportunity of discussing digital cameras with their salespeople. They will usually lead you to believe that the most important thing when choosing a digital camera has to do with pixels. While this is important it is not the end all of digital image quality. Pixels are tiny squares that make up an image. Obviously the more squares are pixels the more detailed image will be.

Most of the digital cameras today produce images with at least 4 million pixels. Four megapixel images will produce up to 8 x 10 prints which look very nice. Most people do not make prints larger than 8x10 so these cameras should work fine.

Try different cameras before you choose

Did you know that you could take a memory card into the store with you and place in the camera you are looking at and take a few sample pictures? You can then take these pictures home to compare on your computer or make prints. Various cameras have very different image qualities even though they may have the same number of pixels. This is why it's important to compare.

Digital cameras are changing and improving faster than you can imagine. Every few months there will likely be one that is better at a cheaper price and you paid. Don't worry about it. If you take the time to choose a good digital camera you'll be making quality photographs that you and your family will enjoy for many years to come.

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Both Jim Johnson & Robert Michael are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

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