So you have decided to get a new digital camera? or maybe it is your
first one? Like many other consumer electronic devices digital cameras
change all the time. For the same amount of money you can get more and
more features: mega pixels, storage space, zoom and more. In this
article we will give you a few practical tips for what to look for and
how to best pick your camera.
There are many things to consider when buying a camera. The first thing
to do is to figure out what your budget is. Camera prices range from
tens of dollars for low-end ones to thousands and more. Decide how much
money you would like to spend and what the usage of the camera will be.
Once you have decided on the budget and the usage look for
potential cameras and build a table with the price and features of
each. Making the table is not hard but understanding what the various
features practically mean and how important they are is trickier.
Following is a list of important features and some explanations of
what they really mean to you from a practical point of view:
Mega pixels
New cameras are packed with an ever increasing number of
mega pixels. Is more mega pixels better? A quick answer would be yes
– but a better answer would be “it really depends”. More mega pixels
is important if you are going to print photos (especially
enlargements) or if you are going to zoom in and crop fine details
out of big photos. If you plan to watch your photos on your computer
screen and maybe just print a few 4X6 prints every now and then than
2 mega pixels is more than enough (yes… just 2). Most screen
resolutions are about 1024X768 so even when viewing the photo in
full screen mode you can only view 1024X768 which is less than 1
mega pixels. A 2 mega pixels 4X6 photo print will have a DPI higher
than 300 which is more than enough for a high quality print.
If you plan to print photo enlargements than a rule of thumb is to
be able to print at least 300DPI resolution. The following is a
table for different print sizes and the needed mega pixels for such
print quality:
- page 4X6 2MP
- page 5X7 3MP
- page 8X10 7MP
- page 11X14 14MP
- page 16X20 28MP
- page 20X30 54MP
Unless you budget is infinite when you buy a camera with more
mega pixels you make a compromise between mega pixels and other
features. For example is it better to spend money on more mega
pixels or on better lenses? Or maybe on an external flash? It all
depends on how you will use your camera. Evaluate your usage and
decide what is more important to you.
Zoom
In some situations it is very useful to have a good zoom
capability. For example when you take a portrait photo you want to
make sure the object’s face fills the photo frame while when you
take a group photo you want to make sure everybody is in the photo
frame. There are two types of zoom – optical and digital. Optical
zoom works by physically moving the camera’s lenses and changing
the focal length. By changing the focal length you can make
objects appear bigger and fit the full photo frame. Digital zoom
works by applying built-in software in the camera to define a
portion of the photo which you are interested in. Once chosen the
software crops the rest of the photo and enlarges the area you
chose to fit the complete photo frame. The downside of this
digital process is that the enlarged photo quality is lower than
the original photo’s. The conclusion is that optical zoom is
superior to digital zoom. In fact from a practical point of view
digital zoom should not be considered zoom at all.
Some
manufacturers state the camera’s zoom figure without specifying if
it is optical or digital. This information is confusing as many
consumers do not understand the difference between the two. For
example if a camera supports a 5X optical zoom and 10X digital
zoom advertising the camera as a “10X zoom camera” is confusing –
10X digital zoom can be done with any camera using simple PC
software.
When you compare different cameras zoom always
compare their optical zoom capabilities. You can totally ignore
the digital zoom figures.
Know your battery
As any portable electronic device digital cameras are
powered by batteries. There are different battery technologies
each with its cons and pros. Knowing your options can help you get
a camera that better suits your needs. The first choice is
disposable or rechargeable. Some cameras support both usually when
using standard size batteries like AA, AAA.
Disposable batteries can only be used once. They usually have a
standard size and shape such as AA, AAA. You can buy these
batteries at most stores and once they are empty you can simply
dispose of them .
Rechargeable batteries can be used multiple
times. Some rechargeable batteries have a standard size and shape
such as AA or AAA. Such standard size batteries can be used
anywhere that a disposable battery can. More often than not
however rechargeable batteries have a proprietary shape and are
compatible with just a few specific cameras. Once a rechargeable
battery is empty you can place it in a special charger that will
recharge it. The time it takes to recharge a battery, the number
of times it can be charged and the life time of the battery are
dependant on the technology used to build the battery.
There are
pros and cons to using disposable or rechargeable batteries. The
main advantage to using a disposable battery is that you can
always buy a few to have with you to replace the ones that are
empty and you can always get one in a store close-by in case you
are stuck with empty batteries. The disadvantages to using
disposable batteries are the cost of buying new batteries every
time your batteries are empty and the capacity (in most cases a
disposable battery will not last as long as a good rechargeable
battery). On the other hand rechargeable batteries require only
one purchase. When the battery is empty you can simply place it in
its charger and after an hour or so you will have a fully
recharged battery. The disadvantage is that if you run out of
batteries during a photo shooting session or somewhere away from
home or a power supply you can not just buy another battery. The
solution to that problem is to buy one extra battery and to always
carry it with you fully charged.
If you choose to use a
rechargeable battery powered camera make sure that your camera
uses the latest battery technologies. There are many type of
rechargeable batteries usually named after the chemicals used to
build them. Such technologies are: nickel cadmium, nickel metal
hybrid, lithium ion and lithium polymer. Without going to the
details just remember that it is better to choose a battery that
uses the latest technology which is a lithium polymer or lithium
ion.
The real cost of ownership
The cost of owning a digital camera is not limited to the
money paid to purchase the camera. In most cases you will find
yourself spending more money on accessories and other additional
products. Failing to budget for those extra expenses can result in
buying a camera just to find out it is not operable without
spending more.
When you calculate the real price of a camera and
compare to your other options make sure that you take the
following into account:
- Memory card: Most cameras come with a basic low capacity
memory card. Assess how much memory you will need and check the
prices of such memory cards. Add that to the camera’s cost.
- Batteries: Check what batteries the camera uses and what
batteries are included. Also check what the estimated battery
life is. For example you probably need to buy an extra battery
if your photo sessions are longer than the battery life. Check
for the prices of compatible batteries and add it to the
camera’s cost.
- PC connectivity: The most common methods of connectivity are
USB and plugging the camera’s memory card directly to the PC.
Check if the camera includes the necessary cables and software.
If it does not check the prices of buying the needed accessories
and add that to the camera’s cost.
- Carrying case: Most cameras do not include a carrying case.
If you will need a carrying case check for the prices of
carrying cases that can fit your camera and add that cost to
your camera’s cost.
- Lenses: Some cameras allow you to change lenses. Other
cameras actually come without lenses at all – you just buy the
camera’s body and get the lenses separately. Check what lenses
are included with the camera and if you will need to buy lenses
shop around for their prices. Lenses can be very expensive. Add
the cost to the camera’s cost.
In conclusion there are many things to consider when
purchasing your next digital camera. It is important to
understand what the different camera features practically mean
to you. It is very easy to be tempted to get something just
because of the ease of comparison or the hype in the market. The
Mega pixels feature is a good example it is easy to compare this
number and see which camera has more pixels. But in terms of
photo quality there are many other factors like the lenses, the
type of sensor and more. Do your homework by checking for prices
online and in stores. Build a table of prices and features. Make
the table relevant to you. Don’t compare features that you do
not care about they are just going to confuse you. Evaluate the
true cost of owning the camera including all the accessories and
addition costs.
This article can be published and used as long as the resource box
including the backlink is included. Ziv Haparnas is a veteran
technologist. Find more on photo printing and photography is on
printrates.com - a place about
digital cameras