Digital Cameras. Digital cameras take better still shots than camcorders. If you add a still shot to your movie, for more dramatic effect consider slowly panning across or zooming into or out of it during the editing process.
How to Choose a Digital Camera The technology behind a digital camera is based upon digital imaging.Rather than using film, an electronic image sensor and microprocessor are used for image capture.Digital imaging technology uses a grid of millions of tiny sensors that translate what enters the lens into data. This data is then transferred to an image file that is then recorded on the camera’s own internal memory or on removable memory cards (“SD” cards, for example).Once a photo is in the camera’s memory, it is ready for printing, viewing or downloading for storage on a computer hard drive.
Before you spend a lot of money on a digital camera, you should...
1)Decide on your budget 2)Consider what you will usually be photographing 3)Assess your camera skills 4)Choose your camera size (Compact, Superzoom, SLR), and 5)Compare the available features Your Budget Before you get carried away with new digital cameras and their “must-have” features, make sure you set a reasonable budget for yourself so you don’t end up buying more than you need.Remember, digital cameras, as in all technology, continue to improve.So, what is cutting edge this year will probably be improved upon next year.
What Will You Be Photographing? Carefully consider what you will usually be photographing. Is it primarily family pictures, or the kids playing? Will you be traveling often, shooting urban scenes and landscapes? Look for cameras that have the best features for your needs. For instance, if you typically shoot sports and action, find a camera that has a good zoom lens and can shoot at high speeds.
Your Camera Skills No matter how many features a camera has, how great its lens, or how fast it can shoot, if the camera is too complicated for your skill level, you won’t be able to use it to its fullest potential.On the other hand, a great photographer can shoot manually with a very basic camera and still take great photographs.So, don’t buy more camera than you need or will be able to use with relative ease.
Camera Size Small: Compact. These are the easiest to carry with you, as they can slip into your purse or pocket.They commonly have a zoom range of around 3X.The image quality of the modern, higher-end compacts is excellent, especially for their size. Medium: Superzoom.These mid-size cameras commonly come with a zoom range up to around 10X - 12X. While these cameras can be tangibly bigger than a compact camera, their extended zoom range lets you take shots of distant objects.Be sure to get image stabilization (described below), since an extended zoom lens magnifies your camera movements, which can blur photos. Large: SLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex).These are typically your largest and most expensive cameras.They allow you to use a wide range of lenses, shoot in lower light situations, and are considered the most robust of cameras if you know how to use them (since they can be complicated for the beginner).Professional photographers typically use SLRs.
Camera Features Picture Quality Picture quality is typically the most important factor when choosing a camera. And picture quality is not just about how many megapixels the camera is rated, but about the lens and the sensitivity of the camera's image sensor (expressed as ISO), among other features. Megapixels Rather than use film, a digital camera has an imaging sensor consisting of millions of pixels. To record an image, each pixel builds up a tiny charge of electricity in response to light.A megapixel (or “MP”) is the term used for a million pixels.The more megapixels an imaging sensor has, the higher the camera's potential resolution. If you’re an average camera user, up to 6MP is probably all you need.That will let you print 8x10 photos, unless you typically crop your photos (meaning you want only a portion of the entire photo and you expand, or blow-up, that portion into the size photo you want).If such is the case, you should consider more megapixels, perhaps an 8MP or 10MP camera.On the other hand, shooting at higher megapixels requires more storage memory per photo and can be cumbersome to share with your friends and family via the web or e-mail, etc., since there is more data to upload and download.
Type of image
Minimum resolution needed
Number of megapixels needed
Web image
640 x 480
About 1MP
4" x 6" print
2048 x 1536
About 3MP
8" x 10"
3072 x 2048
About 6MP
16" x 20"
3264 x 2448
About 8MP & up
Lens Unless you have a specific need, you are generally better off spending your money on a good quality lens rather than buying more megapixels.Regarding zoom lenses, while a 3x “optical” zoom lens is fairly common, you can find mid-size cameras that go up to 10x or 12x “optical” zoom.The disadvantage of a long zoom lens, though, is 1) the potential need for a tripod or other device to steady the camera, since a long zoom lens magnifies camera movements, and 2) an increase in camera size (as a result of having to contain more lens components).Note, that “digital” zoom (as opposed to “optical” zoom) should generally be disregarded as a usable feature, since it is simply akin to magnifying the picture on your computer monitor (in other words, it crops the image in the camera). Wide Angle Lens One of the most useful lens types most people will find helpful in taking shots of family and friends, as well as indoor and other shots in tight spaces, is a wide angle lens.A digital camera with a wide angle lens - equivalent to a 28mm lens on a film camera, for example - really helps to capture a group of people without having to step back too far. ISO ISO is a numeric gauge of how well the image sensors in your camera are able to gather light.Generally speaking, the higher the ISO number, the greater the ability of the camera to shoot satisfactory photos in lower light environments, such as indoors.Most cameras have an auto-ISO feature which automatically sets the ISO speed (relative to the camera’s ISO range capabilities) according to the brightness of the scene. Picture-taking Modes While most current cameras do practically all of the work for you in the Automatic setting, you may find you have better results at times choosing Scene Modes or even Manual Mode. Choosing a Scene Mode, for example, lets the camera know how to adjust itself for a given subject or environment, such as Portrait, Indoor, Snow, Beach, Sports, Night, etc.Having chosen a given Scene Mode will let the camera know to use a defined shutter speed, aperture setting, whether to use the flash, etc.In the end, if the camera’s “brain” can’t figure out how to deal with a particular situation or environment, your brain will have to step in.So, whatever camera you buy, make sure you know how to access Scene Modes and Manual Mode to give you a better chance at capturing the shots you want in most any situation. Focusing and Image Stabilization Cameras generally offer either fully automatic focus, a semi-manual mode (you choose what part of the image to focus on), or manual focus.“Face detection” technology is also being included in many cameras. This is an easy way to make sure your subject is in focus when facing the camera. Optical image stabilization makes optical path adjustments to account for subtle movements of the camera, thus reducing the likelihood of blurred images.Image stabilization and focusing go hand-in-hand in making sure your image is sharp and clear.If you buy a superzoom camera, be sure it also includes image stabilization.
Shutter Lag The time it takes from pressing the shutter release to taking the picture is called shutter lag (as a result of the camera having to focus, calculate exposure, etc.), and is a problem in many digital cameras, especially compacts.The degree of shutter lag is different in all cameras and, all things being equal, if you want to reduce the risk of missing the exact moment when your child is beaming a perfect smile while at the apex of her jump off of the diving board, you should buy a camera with the least amount of shutter lag. Burst orContinuous Mode Shooting Burst or continuous mode shooting is important if you like to take photos of fast action events, or just want more chances to capture the perfect shot.A camera's ability to capture multiple images rapidly is defined by the time between shots and the maximum number of pictures that can be taken sequentially without stopping (usually all within one second, give or take).Burst mode lets you take several photos rapidly, but then the camera will stop while it saves those images to memory. Video and Sequence Capabilities If a camera can capture 640-by-480 at 30 frames per second (“fps”), it’s essentially matching the resolution of standard-definition camcorders.And if you have a memory card that has enough storage space, your digital camera can serve as a stand-in when your camcorder isn’t readily available (check if there is a limit to the length of the recording - some cameras are only restricted by available memory, while others are limited up to a certain amount of time). Some additional features to look for when you want to use your digital camera for occasional videotaping are stereo audio capture, how quickly you can switch between video and still shots, and whether you can zoom the lens while capturing video. Be aware of the kind of video compression the camera uses, as it affects file size and editing options. Make sure your favorite video editing software can handle it. Viewfinder and LCD Screen Some cameras come with both a viewfinder and an LCD screen; while others have only one or the other.Of the two, the average user will find a large, easy-to-see (in different lighting conditions) LCD screen the most useful.Yes, the larger the LCD screen, the more power it consumes.However, the benefits of easily framing a picture in a good-sized screen, then immediately sharing that picture with friends and family from the same screen more than offsets the disadvantage of higher power consumption. Batteries Most cameras use either rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries or standard AAs.AAs come in either rechargeable NiCads, or disposable Alkalines. Lithium-ion batteries are usually smaller and longer-lasting than NiCads, allowing smaller, lighter cameras.Though more expensive to purchase, Lithium-ion batteries usually have a longer lifespan and, as such, are cheaper in the long run than buying Alkalines.An advantage of AA batteries is that in an emergency you can always buy some replacements at your local store. Memory Cards Most of cameras now come with a trivial amount of built-in memory (some cameras, SLRs, for example, don’t come with any).As a result, the storage and security of your photos while in the camera are dependent upon memory cards.Fortunately, good quality memory cards are quite affordable relative to storage capacity.At least one-gigabyte is considered an adequate amount of capacity for the average user.If, however, you intend to take a good deal of photos at 8MP or 10MP, or plan to shoot some video with your camera, you would be better served buying memory cards with greater capacity.See the table, below, as a general reference to the number of photos a given memory card can store. Number of photos a memory card can store
Memory Size
16MB
64MB
128MB
512MB
1GB
6-megapixel
5
21
43
170
338
8-megapixel
4
16
34
136
270
10-megapixel
3
14
28
112
224
Note: Approximations above assume a "Best" quality setting. Photos taken with an "Average" quality setting require less storage space. Other Options One of the most useful options is a waterproof set up for your camera.If the manufacturer of your camera makes a waterproof case (or if the camera itself is waterproof), you should be able safely take pictures in wet and/or dirty environments, such as the pool, beach, ocean, ski slopes, rain, mud, etc., where you could have a lot of fun taking memorable photos.
