BEFORE BUYING A DIGITAL CAMERA READ THIS

Most people have or want a digital camera and so there is a lot of competition from manufacturers which means lots of choice. Choice is good but when the market place becomes really crowded it can be difficult to know what to buy. On top of this the camera models are constantly updated by manufacturers meaning new and improved models every 6 months. Many of the features that are marketed by sellers are not that important and those that are important, you probably won’t find on the box and many sales assistants may not be able to tell you about these because they are taught to ip kamera market specifications such as megapixels etc. This guide has been written to try to help you become familiar with some of the jargon and to hopefully assist you in making a more informed choice. You are reading this guide and so I am assuming that you are in the market to buy a new camera or at least want to understand a bit more about different cameras and specifications. Remember there are thousands of cameras to choose from and so hopefully you will be able to make your shopping more focused (excuse the pun)! I have reduced the choice a bit for you and if you would prefer to look at a smaller number of great cameras for sale check out my store. Do read this guide first though.

Simple and pocket Cameras

This type of camera is easy to use, the design is simple in most cases and the costs are between 40 and 80, pocket-sized may be more expensive. The camera can be kept in a pocket, handbag etc and therefore can be carried everywhere. This means that when the photo opportunity arises, the camera is at the ready. They usually have between 5 and 12 megapixels and the sales pitch will concentrate on this. They will take decent pictures in good light situations but because of their price there will be some downsides. For the majority of situations these cameras are adequate and give good results and produce good photos. For the other situations, about a quarter of the time you may have problems with the limitations outlined below

Low Light Problems

These cameras struggle in low light and this means that indoor and dull day photos end up slightly blurred and out of focus. The other problem is that the photos end up looking grainy due to ‘noise’, a photo term you will become familiar with. Mobile phone pictures tend to have a lot of noise. This is because sensors are small. Sensors are one of the most important features in a camera as they sense the amount of light, the smaller the sensor the less light. One of the ways smaller cameras compensate is by using flash but this tends to be too bright and the results could be used in Sci Fi movies! You get the picture?

Shutter Lag

This is the delay between the time you press the shutter and the time the picture is taken. The reason for the delay is that the camera is calculating focus and exposure and inexpensive cameras tend to have problems in this area by nature of the technology required to speed it up. Shutter lag can mean the photo opportunity is missed e.g. a bird has left the tree, the child has crossed the finishing line, the goal has been scored! If you want to take a lot of sports shots these cameras are not for you but if the camera is for everyday use these are mostly ok.

Zoom Quality

Many small cameras have limited zoom even though they advertise and market the 3 to 8 times zoom. One important thing you need to know is that there are major differences between digital and optical zoom and that 3 to 4 times zoom will not give you enough magnification for any real distances such as school plays, sports days, celebrities etc. As I have already said, when you look at buying a camera, in addition to megapixels the other marketing feature that sellers and manufacturers use is the zoom. When it comes to digital zoom it is almost worthless how much digital zoom it has. If it has 20 times digital zoom the actual image will be blown up 20 times and this tends to reduce the quality of the picture and you get lots of camera shake. I personally do not rate digital zoom and wouldn’t buy a camera without optical zoom. Optical zoom will magnify the image because the lens zooms in by the amount stated on the box. The higher the optical zoom the further away you can be when taking the photo but this adds to the cost of the camera and also the size.

Movie Mode

The most basic digital cameras tend to produce poor quality movies. Some of them have no sound and many have very limited recording time. For decent quality recordings a resolution of 640 x 480 is required with at least 30 frames per second. Cameras will probably take over the camcorder market by improving in this area year on year so if you are interested in movies buy a higher specification camera and use the money you would have spent on a camcorder.

No Viewfinder

The viewfinder is something that some people haven’t come across because of living in the digital age. It is the small eyepiece, usually on top of a camera. Many digital cameras have no viewfinder and only provide an LCD screen; the smaller cameras tend to have smaller LCD screens although these are getting bigger all the time. Be aware that shooting without a viewfinder will always create problems if there is bright light shining on the viewfinder as it is difficult to see what it is you are shooting. By the time you have shaded your viewfinder to take the photo the opportunity may have gone! It is also difficult to take photos of moving objects such as a bird in flight because of the time taken to get the bird in the LCD screen! Again, this will only be a problem occasionally and the larger LCD screens are helping to resolve the issues. Try 2.5″ and above but if you have the option of a viewfinder as well, take it!

Batteries

Digital cameras are a lot better than they were with batteries but make sure that if you do buy a camera with batteries you will need rechargeable (NiMH) batteries, these will last longer than the normal (AA) batteries which usually last for half an hour if you’re lucky. One tip to remember is that the more time you spend looking at the photos you have shot on the LCD, the quicker the batteries die whatever type. So review the screen to check the photos rather than showing the photos off when you want to take a lot of snaps while out for the day. The battery-pack or built-in manufacturers rechargeable battery usually lasts longer but you cannot pop into the shop and buy another in an emergency. I prefer these batteries because they generally last longer but I buy a spare and keep it charged so that if I am on holiday taking lots of photos I will not run out. The last time I ran out of battery from a battery pack I was on a dolphin watch and I was really upset. This has never happened since as I always carry my spare fully charged when away. For examples of cameras that fit the category, see my website where I have tried to narrow down the choice for you a little.

Medium Range Digital Cameras

These cameras are a step up from the smaller pocket-sized cameras and come with some better features than the simpler models. They will offer extra controls such as manual exposure and possibly shutter and aperture priority modes. Manual exposure helps you to control the settings so that you can take the photo you want to rather than the one the camera tells you to take. Megapixels will range from 6 to 15 in this category. The optical zoom will be much stronger and they often include a viewfinder so that the problems with LCD screens can be overcome.

Costs tend to range from 90 to 300. Zoom lenses can be up to 20x in this category and therefore make it easier for you to take pictures at the school sports day, wedding, sports event, concert etc. Some of the cameras also include macro settings which enable you to take photos really close up for insects, flowers and such like. The colour photos taken with some of these cameras are really quite remarkable. Other features include control over ISO ratings and flash for improved photos in low light situations.

Face recognition and smile detection are becoming a popular features so that your people shots are better. Many of them will have flash that pops up which offers better flash photography results by not burning out the picture with too much white light. Some of them have twisting LCD screens so that you can take photos around corners or from a difficult angle.

Movie quality is likely to be at the recommended rate and they should allow you to zoom in and record sound. These cameras are for people who want to do a little bit more with their photography and create good photos and films in the majority of situations. You can experiment with manual settings and still have a camera that is small enough to have about your person most of the time and at a reasonable cost. Remember if you buy this type of camera with reasonable long recording time you may not need a camcorder. Cameras at the lower end of the price range may have fewer of the features but also be aware that you may be paying more for the brand name at the higher end.

For examples of these cameras I have selected some popular camera brands.

Single Lens Reflex (SLR) Cameras

If you love photography and want to see it as a hobby then an SLR is for you. If you just want good photos and decent movies choose a camera from the above selections. Personally I have both, I have a Sony Cyber-shot which is always with me and produces excellent quality photos and my faithful Canon SLR. Don’t be swayed by me, camera choice is personal preference and I have been very happy with Pentax, Olympus and other makes in the past.

SLR cameras are for the camera enthusiast and I bought my first film SLR when many years ago and even then is was a hefty 350, it was a high street store’s own make and had no automatic settings whatsoever. When digital SLR cameras first came on the market they were incredibly expensive at around 1000 or more. Now they are much more affordable and you can buy a very decent one for between 350 and 800. I bought my Canon EOS for around 850 GBP a few years ago and the newest Canon model is now only around 620. SLR cameras tend to have megapixels of around 10 to 12. The major features of photography with this type of camera are the controls and the interchangeable lenses.

This article is not a photography lesson, for that you will need to get a good book or purchase some of my photography guides but suffice it to say that the photos taken with a digital SLR should always be superior to those taken with any other type of digital camera. The lenses tend to be the most important and most expensive items so you can keep your lenses and upgrade your camera body in the future but to do this you need to stick to the same manufacturer. Even with today’s prices it can be an expensive hobby but once you have had a digital SLR you will probably be hooked.

Advantages include the speed at which they take high quality photos, there is no shutter lag, they can give you total manual control where this is required. They will run for days and weeks on a single battery charge. The feel of the camera is that of quality and they fit into the hand the way a camera should. Lenses include zoom and telephoto (distance shots), macro (close up shots of insects etc) and wide-angle lenses (fit in a wide building when you are only a few feet away). I have sat in what appears to be the Outer Hebrides and taken photos of Dolly Parton, Shirley Bassey, Cliff Richard and Roger Federer which are as sharp as if I was only 10 foot away with a Zoom lens. I have taken photos of some historic landmarks from across the street and managed to get the whole building in with the use of a wide-angle lens. I have photos of bees feeding on pollen that would look fine in a magazine taken with a macro lens. Please remember though, as good as these cameras are you still need to know how to use them and how to take good photos. See some of the guides on my website for pointers.

The only downsides of these cameras are the costs which are improving and their size. No way on earth will you ever fit one in a pocket but mine goes in my handbag! Again, I have picked out some SLR Cameras to buy.

Mobile Phone Cameras

I don’t even know why I’m mentioning these! Most of them tend to produce poor quality photos but they are a useful substitute if there is nothing else to use ip kamera but please do not think that they take the place of a camera! In good light you might get a decent shot if you follow the tips in my photography guides or in any photo book but if you want photos that last, please buy a camera.

Megapixels

Most marketing is based on the number of megapixels a camera has. A general rule of thumb is that if you are going to print up to size ‘A4’, a 3 megapixel camera will do. I know this sounds tiny because the blurb out there says you need at least 5, 10 etc but it is not true. If you want poster prints then you may want a higher megapixel camera, particularly if you are going to crop the image. The higher the megapixel the more memory the pictures take on your memory card and your computer but don’t worry too much and don’t get too hung up about it, most computers and cards can now take the strain. Most cameras tend to have more than enough megapixels for every type of photo but don’t spend a fortune based on megapixels alone or you will be wasting your money, check out the other features mentioned in this article.