A Guide To Buying A Digital Camera Equipment
A Guide To Buying A Digital Camera Equipment
Getting a new digital camera is exciting. You are going to take pictures you have never seen before and share them with your friends and family all over the world. But forget about the equipment for now. In this article, I'm going to try to make it as simple as possible for you to decide which digital camera is right for you. This isn't just a guide on what to consider when buying a digital camera; it's more of an explanation of cameras in general as well as some information about accessories that come with cameras. So let's start with some basics.
DESIGN [Over the years, there have been so many different designs for digital cameras that it's hard to describe them all without going longer than this article can afford. Since this article is focused on your needs, I'll just list out the biggest things you need to consider when looking for a new camera: Size – The point of a digital camera isn't just taking pictures or video; it's about sharing them too and that means having room to hold it in your hands comfortably. While a compact camera may be more convenient, if you plan on using it as part of a family photo album or on tripods, you'll want something bigger and heavier. The same goes for zoom lenses. Size is also important when considering the number of features you want. More megapixels means a greater investment cost for a larger sensor. You do, however, get to take advantage of new technology and image enhancements that come with larger sensors. LCD Display – LCD displays are important to consider. What level of quality do you want? Do you want an optical viewfinder that shows focus and exposure? Do you just want an electronic viewfinder? How many pixels wide? How many pixels high? What type of resolution do you need for your prints? That brings us to price and I'll get to that in a moment. Storage Capacity – The older cameras used compact flash cards to save your pictures and they were pretty expensive. However, today's cameras have a much larger storage capacity that is cheaper than ever. You may be thinking you want at least an 8 GB card but take note that even most larger cards only hold about 12-15 hours of video or 10 high-resolution photos. You may want to get more than one card and move the photos and videos back and forth between them to get the most out of each one. Less expensive cameras can handle smaller media so check on that if you are considering buying separate media as well. Video Recording – Most digital cameras these days have HD recording capabilities. But whether you want to shoot video or just have some fun with it, make sure that your camera has both recording abilities. Image stabilization is also a great feature to have. It creates less noise and blurring when the camera is moving whether it's by hand or on a tripod. Size, Weight, & Speed – This is where size really comes into play. The bigger the camera, the more noticeable it will be in your hands and pocket. Additionally, if you plan on keeping your camera with you all the time, you may want a smaller model that doesn't take up as much space. All cameras are different and every manufacturer rates them differently so be sure to look at the size and weight of each camera before deciding which one you want. Battery Life – This is probably the most important factor, especially if you plan on taking pictures or using your camera for video recording. Make sure that any camera you get has a long battery life or allow other accessories to charge it as well such as an external battery charger (neither comes standard with new cameras). Most importantly, avoid cameras with non-replaceable batteries if possible since you'll have no choice but to buy a new one if your original one wears out.
Camera Quality
Cameras are rated by megapixels which is how many millions of pixels can be recorded on the sensor. More pixels mean a larger image that can be blown up drastically and still maintain high quality. However, adding more megapixels means adding more space for your camera to store the images. Why is that important? Because you're going to be taking pictures and sharing them with other people. When you take a picture, the image is stored in your camera's memory and then transferred to either a computer or storage device. But how many pixels are too many? There is no exact answer to that question because it depends on the quality of your camera and the size of your storage device. However, I would recommend sticking with at least 16 megapixels if you intend to print your pictures. The more megapixels you have, the larger and more detailed each picture can be. If you plan on sharing images online, then pixel count isn't as important but if it's for a family record book, then you'll want to have high resolution so that every image is as clear as possible.
To understand camera quality better, let's look at an example: You're taking pictures outside during lunchtime in a city that has plenty of tall buildings. When the sunlight hits the buildings, you notice that there is a lot of glare. To deal with this, you increase the exposure time on your camera. This means that your camera will choose to use a faster shutter speed and/or smaller aperture so that more light can come into the camera and get focused by your lens onto the sensor where it is stored. If you have a high megapixel count and large aperture, you won't be able to see anything through your viewfinder because there will be too much light coming into it. High quality cameras that are able to process more pixels can actually use a slower shutter speed and/or larger aperture to make sure everything that you see with your naked eye comes through in your images.
Why is this important? Well, if your camera's aperture isn't large, then you won't be able to take pictures when there is too much light. This is especially true outdoors when there is a lot of sun. If you want to take pictures indoors or at night, then you will need a camera with better ISO capabilities which basically means being able to compensate for the lack of light without using the flash and causing visibly distorted photos.
Conclusion
Now that you know what you're looking for, all you have to do is buy a camera! Hopefully this post has helped you understand how a digital camera works and given you some guidelines as to what features to look for when comparing digital cameras. If you would like more information, then check out my other post on 10 tips for buying your first DSLR camera. I created it for those who have already owned a point and shoot or want to buy their first DSLR. Just go to my website and click the "Blog" tab in the top menu bar.