Market is flooded with digital cameras from various brands. They too vary in sizes, in features and in specifications. It is obvious to get confused which one is better in this festive season for your family. Here follows the article that tries to impart some of the useful digital camera buying tips:
What do you need the camera for?
If you are looking for a simple one that can be used at home, you won't get interesting features that you may need for taking really good photographic pictures that normally professional photographers look for. Otherwise it would be a waste of money if you have the digital camera with latest features only to be used for personal photography. Digital cameras available in the market are of three basic types: Point and Shoot, Lifestyle and Professional. Based on the purpose one can choose from the following main three types:
?Point and Shoot: - reasonably compact, with common features and size like 35mm digital cameras.
?Lifestyle: - with moderate features, it's sleek and compact, so you can carry it around with utter ease.
?Professional: - with interchangeable lenses, flashes and other accessories, this type of digital cameras is robust and feature laden, just the best choice for a professional or serious photographer.
Features you must look for
Resolution
Digital images are made up of dots (.) called as pixels. The higher the number of pixels in your captured image, the better will be the quality of the image. This will therefore help you enlarging your image to higher pixel dimensions without creating a pixilated (broken) image, which we normally called as blurred image.
Compression
Compression shrinks a photo's file size so that more images can be stored in the memory card. If you need the absolute best quality images, you have to consider buying a digital camera that takes uncompressed photos but will accommodate less number of images.
Memory
A digital camera's memory size will determine the number of images that can be stored. Memory of 128MB will be good enough if you want to use the camera for personal purposes. If you are on a vacation or when you cannot download images for longer days, a memory of 512MB to 1GB the best option.
LCD Screen
Most digital cameras come with at least an optical viewfinder but many digital cameras also come with an LCD screen built into the back. The display panel varies from 1.5? - 2.5? from camera to camera.
Lens
It is the length of a digital camera's lens that determines how much of a sight will fit in a picture. A "Normal" lens is about 50mm, most closely approximate to what your eye sees.
Optical Zoom
This enables a photographer to zoom in on an object without lowering quality of pictures. Depending on the magnification number, you can zoom in more up to its specified limitation.
Digital Zoom
This feature enables the photographer to zoom in on the centre of the picture by removing the edges of the image. Doesn't this feature make a digital camera cool.
Focus an Exposure
In most digital cameras, the correct exposure for the lighting conditions is automatically determined. A camera rated ISO 100, has approximately the same light sensitivity as that of a traditional film camera loaded with ISO 100 film. A higher ISO rating means that the camera is more sensitive to light and is potential enough to take pictures in darker settings.
Audio and Movie Capture
This feature allows you to record sounds and moving images at the same time, in exactly the same way that a camcorder works. Some digital cameras offer the facility to record a few seconds of audio with each shot, thus letting you add a personal sound bite to your photos.
Movie Mode
This is a feature that lets you take short film clips with your digital camera. The total record length is typically limited to 10 to 90 seconds.
Flash
Most digital cameras come with an in-built flash. Some cameras however include additional features, such as red-eye reduction or night portrait mode.
Image Erase
Most cameras also let you select pictures to erase. This handy feature gives you the chance to edit out the photos you don't want in order to save more space in the memory for more snaps.
Self-Timer
A self-timer allows a digital camera for a delayed exposure, usually giving you about 10 seconds before the picture is taken. So no problem if you don't find anybody to take your photos. You can set your digital camera on self-timer and go back to your position to take a perfect photo of yours.
Computer Connections
Most high-end digital cameras have software and connections for all Mac, PC computers and laptops. However it is necessary to make sure the digital camera you want is compatible with your platform before you go for a buy.
Image Stabilization
This feature enables the photographer to capture still images of something moving very fast. This feature is a must for all professional photographers, especially sports photographers.
Printing
Now-a-days, you can buy special printers, depending on the compatibility of your camera, to print off your pictures without connecting it to a PC. This applies both for digital and SLR Professional cameras.
The Significance of Digital Camera Size and Portability
Size is another very important factor to be taken care of. If you are to use the camera for non-professional purposes the size has to be small as you cannot afford to carry huge sized cameras when you are enjoying a vacation. And there is kind of security problem as there may be a chance of theft.
Budget ? The ?Cannot Be Ignored Option?
Based on the budget the features will vary and the overall offering of a digital camera. Today's digital cameras run anywhere from Rs 800 to Rs 30,000, depending on resolution and feature specifications. While the initial expense of a digital camera is still high you may find that the added convenience and savings in film and processing costs are worth it.
Important Features of a Digital Camera
Megapixels and Resolution - Basically the more megapixels the camera has the better and sharper the resolution of the images. If you intend to only email pictures or view them on your computer then any resolution is fine.
But, with a higher resolution you have the flexibility to print better quality pictures as well as print them in larger sizes with better resolution and perform other editing functions such as cropping and printing. Most cameras offer a resolution of at least 5 megapixels, which is enough to make a sharp 11-by-14 print.
Camera Size, Weight, and Design - Some cameras weigh as little as 4.2 ounces and while the pocket size camera may be convient there are some there are some important considerations when deciding on the size of the camera you purchase. First, the smaller the camera the tinier the dial and buttons that makes changing settings a hassle and so it affects user friendliness when taking pictures. Second, many smaller digital cameras do not have any manual settings.
LCD and Viewfinder - All digital cameras have an LCD screen; they vary in size from 1.8 to 3.5 inches. The smaller size limits your ability to review just-taken images on the camera. A good LCD is essential for knowing whether you got the shot you wanted, and can usually give you an indication of whether it was properly exposed.
Zoom Lens - This is a very important feature to consider.
Optical Zoom - The best option is to buy a digital camera with Optical Zoom. The optical zoom feature actually utilizes the movement of the lens. Optical zoom ratings range from 3X to 20X and the higher optical zoom ratings give much better image quality.
Optical zoom gives you all the benefits of the camera's maximum resolution, combined with the ability to focus in tight on faraway shots and scenes. An optical zoom is more important than resolution because it means you won't have to magnify your subject and then use software to crop the image and discard some of the resolution as a result.
Digital Zoom - The Digital Zoom lens only captures pixels and magnifies those and so it produces inferior photos, always go with Optical Zoom.
Tip: Ignore digital zoom in the Optical Zoom rating. While most digital cameras offer at least a 3X optical zoom and up to 20X, some vendors tout a high total zoom that includes digital zoom, and is not the true Optical Zoom rating.
Image Stabilization - Image stabilization is important because without it you need a steady hand or a tripod to avoid blurry pictures at extreme telephoto lengths. More advanced digital cameras, tend to employ one of two image stabilization methods. Optical image stabilization, in which an element in the lens adjusts to compensate for movement and sensor movement, in which the camera's sensor moves in order to compensate for the shaking.
Manual Focus vs. Point and Shoot Capability - Manual focus setting capability is important for getting certain shots. Often times this allows for adjusting the digital camera's settings to fit specific shooting situations and gives a lot more control and usability for the picture taker. The lower-end cameras do not offer manual focusing but instead offer a point and shoot capability or allow only stepped focusing, which forces you to choose from a few preset distances.
Exposure settings
Automatic Mode - All digital cameras let you shoot in fully automatic mode--just press the shutter release and you get a picture.
Aperture and Shutter Priority Modes - Adjusts the size of the lens opening or how long the shutter stays open, and the digital camera automatically controls the other variables to give you the proper exposure.
Facial recognition is a great feature offered by many point-and-shoot cameras and actually detects people's faces and adjusts the shutter for optimal images.
Memory/Storage - All digital cameras come with a "starter" memory card, usually that is 16MB in size. The starter memory card for a typical 5 megapixel digital camera set to its highest resolution can store six to eight pictures. The memory card feature is not so important because you can and will want to buy another one in order to have the optimal storage capability and convenience of not having to transfer the few pictures taken to make room for more. Several models and sizes of memory cards are available for purchase.
Batteries - Digital cameras batteries vary. Some cameras use AA's, either non-rechargeable or rechargeable, nickel metal hydride, high-capacity disposable CRV3s or proprietary rechargeable batteries.
Tip: Since digital cameras use a lot of battery juice disposable batteries can cost big in the long run. Using rechargeable batteries can save a lot of money. Many cameras allow the use of both so in the event the rechargeable is charging you can pop in some AA's.
User Friendly Controls and Menus - Consider the accessibility of buttons and menu options while holding the camera and taking pictures. Too many buttons or menu functions just confuses and can make it a hassle to use the camera and so affects the digital camera's user friendliness.
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