Planning to buy a digital camera?Feb 17 '02 (Updated Jul 05 '02) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line The future is going digital...so why not follow the trend? Choose based on your needs and the price you are willing to pay for the features you want!
Traditional film photography is over 100 years old and has been perfected over the years. On the other hand digital photography technology is only just beginning and is advancing rapidly. The future is going digital. So you're planning to buy a digital camera? The questions you should be asking yourself are relatively simple: What features do you need and what model should you choose? Sounds easy, but the digital camera market can be confusing with such a wide selection of brands, features and prices to choose from. 1. DIGITAL IMAGE FILE SIZE CAPABILITIES: The number one key to choosing a digital camera is perhaps the digital image file size capabilities of the camera. Images on a digital camera are measured in pixels and kilobytes. They determine a camera's image quality, and should be the primary feature you look at when comparing cameras. Simply put, the larger the number of pixels, the better the quality of the image. The majority of cameras available today offer a range of file sizes. You can set the size from low up to the camera's maximum. It means you can actually determine the file size at the time you take your picture, depending on its intended purpose. This option allows you to conserve camera memory, a very important attribute for digital camera users. So, you should look for a camera that allows you to choose a range of picture sizes. This will allow you to take one picture at one file size, and one at another, depending on what you want to do with the image. To create an 8X10 photo print, you'll want to set your camera at its maximum file size for best results. If the photo is for use as an e-mail attachment, you must use a smaller file size if you want to avoid having problems with your e-mails. 2. ON-BOARD MEMORY CAPACITY AND DATA STORAGE CARDS CAPABILITIES: The second most important feature to look for is on-board memory and data storage cards. Be sure to find out about the camera's memory capacity and expand-ability. Memory capacity will determine how many pictures you can store on your camera before you have to download the pictures to your computer. Most digital cameras don't have as much memory as you would like - meaning that you will fill up the memory and need to download the images to your computer before you can take more shots. More memory capacity means more pictures, or the ability to take pictures at higher quality resolution - because high resolution shots take up more memory space than lower resolution pictures. Adding a memory card expands the memory capacity - so you can take more pictures before needing to download to your computer. Most digital cameras are expandable, but check to make sure. The capacity of memory cards varies considerably - from 8MB all the way up to 128MB. There are plenty of choices available. 3. OTHER FEATURES TO LOOK FOR: LENS TYPE: A glass lens is better than plastic. Why? Because GLASS delivers a better image. An OPTICAL zoom is important and much BETTER than a digital zoom. A digital zoom magnifies the picture electronically, cutting resolution in the process. So ignore digital zoom capabilities, optical zoom is what really matters. DOWNLOAD TRANSFER SPEED: The faster the system, the more you'll probably pay for your new camera. Connecting a digital camera to a computer through a USB cable allows for fast transfers of images from your camera to your computer. Some cameras let you send pictures directly to a printer. So this option may be very important to you! SETTINGS: Most digital cameras set exposure and focus automatically. Some allow you to make manual adjustments on the camera or on the menus for the LCD screen. Others will have a variety of shooting modes to give you more creative control. 4. To summarize my review: So when you're ready to select your camera, buy one with as much pixel capacity as you can afford, especially if you want photographic prints. And look for a camera that will let you take a picture in various file sizes. Try for a glass lens, if possible. An optical zoom lens offers BETTER quality and a digital zoom is useless - IMHO. Look for as much memory as possible, along with quick-download capability. An eyepiece is a good feature, and saves batteries instead of constantly running an LCD view screen. For some people, a fast "cycle" speed is important. That's the amount of time it takes to shoot multiple photos in a row, for shooting sporting events for instance. Maybe you should add it to your list of features to look for? Anyway, prices are continually going down and more features are being offered every year and with every new model. Have fun shopping!  |
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