Photography Tips – How to Buy a Digital CameraThere are so many excellent digital cameras out there in the market that we thought some guidelines on how to approach this daunting subject would make for a good photography tip to buy a digital camera during this holiday season (or any season, for that matter).
First, ask yourself what you want to do with the camera:
- Do you want the most basic Point-&-Shoot Digital Cameras
(happy-snaps, as they are sometimes called)? Something that will fit in your pocket and can record the most basic events?
- Do you want to make large prints, and if so, how large? Or are you just going to email them to family and friends or view them on your computer or TV?
- Are you interested in shooting wildlife or sports events where you need to capture fast action or close-up images from afar?
- Are you interested in shooting video?
Smaller cameras are going to generally have less features and less resolution (how big the image can be enlarged) than larger cameras. But of course, smaller cameras can be more convenient and if the size and weight of a camera is important to you and may make the difference between whether you’ll carry the camera along or not, then choose a smaller camera. Any camera at all is better than no camera, right?
Here’s a list of the features you will likely do without in a smaller, point-and-shoot type of camera:
- Smaller sensor and less resolution than a larger camera, therefore less ability to produce large prints or fill up that 60-inch HD TV screen.
- Limited zoom range. Because of their compact size, zoom range is often limited to 3:1 or maybe 5:1. The widest angle of view may not be very wide. But this may not be important if all you want to do is take shots of your travel companion in front of Mt. Fuji. If you want a more powerful zoom, then make sure the camera you’re considering has it. Look for 8:1, 10:1 or even 15:1 optical zoom lenses. IGNORE claims of “digital zoom” — this is just a fancy way of saying that it crops the image in the camera. The more you zoom in on the subject, it simply uses only a smaller and smaller portion of the sensor, effectively increasing noise and decreasing resolution.
- Viewfinder. Most smaller cameras, in order to save space, have only LCD screens on the back to view your subject. This means holding the camera in an awkward position to shoot, and if you’re shooting in bright sun, the ambient light can overwhelm the brightness of the display. If you’re over 40, it also means having to find your specs to see the screen clearly. Having a viewfinder allows you to accurately and quickly frame the subject to get your shot. However, if you’re not usually shooting action, this may not be a serious concern.
- Because many things are compromised in order to reduce the camera size, it means that physical controls of the camera are likely absent and moved to a menu system that displays on the LCD screen. Things like shutter speed, ISO (sensitivity), flash and other variables can’t be adjusted while taking the picture; you have to enter the menu system and set them before shooting.
- One characteristic of almost all small pocket-style cameras, and many intermediate size cameras is shutter lag, the delay between the time you press the shutter button and when the picture is taken. Sometimes this is so long of a delay that the original subject is no longer even in the picture! Larger, more expensive cameras, especially the single lens reflexes (SLRs), usually have negligible shutter lag.
But obviously a chief reason for these smaller units is portability, convenience and simplicity. If these are your chief criteria for selecting this group of cameras, then you’re probably making the right choice. They’re fun to use and because they are so easy to use, you often will get a shot you wouldn’t ordinarily have taken, simply because you hadn’t lugged your 20-pound camera gear with you!
The smaller and less expensive end of the market is characterized by a bewildering array of brands, models and options. For maximum reliability and quality it’s probably best to stick with the major brands: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji and Panasonic.
Here’s a selection of Point-&-Shoot Digital Cameras
–Randy Green
COMING NEXT: Intermediate and SLR digital camera considerations
[...] Digital Photo Tips – Buying a New Camera, Part 1 « « Digital Photo Tips – Buying a New [...]
[...] Although having a digital camera like the Nikon Coolpix can be an advantage size, weight and unobtrusive-wise, these smaller cameras lack the degree of control of the ‘standard SLRs’. One thing that you have to watch out for is shutter lag, where there’s a delay (even of a few tenths of a second) between pressing the shutter and the image taken. This will kill any ‘capture the moment’ type photos. See a previous post: Photography Tips – How to Buy a Digital Camera. [...]
[...] folks over at International Wildlife Adventures have a good series on buying a new camera. If you’re wanting to take advantage of some of the excellent features of the new digital [...]