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Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Digital Camera Buying Tips
For the beginners wanting to take digital photographs, selecting the right camera can be an onerous task. The market is flooded with wide range of cameras of different shapes and sizes and host of features. The massive amounts of technical information can confound a layman due to various terms dealing with camera’s different aspects. But in the initial stage, it is advisable not to complicate the matters and understand the basics of the things you should be aware of.
The novices should simply go for simplicity, just point and shoot and then transfer the results to their computer or printer. Most local printing stores take digital cameras or media cards. Many have self-service booths or machines, making it easier for you to obtain quality prints from your camera.
Look out for these 5 main things while buying an entry level digital camera.
1. Megapixels: The most important feature, it plays a vital role in deciding the quality of your photographs. Megapixels is the resolution capacity of your camera. Higher the megapixel, superior the quality of photographs. Today the cameras have range starting from less than 2 - 10 Megapixel. Since the higher megapixels mean better quality, it also implies higher price of the camera. Try to get at least 3 Megapixels for reasonable 4 X 6 or 8 X 10 photographs.
2. Storage: Many cameras have inbuilt storage in the form of a memory card expansion slot or both. It is important to have good amount of storage as you need a place to store the photos before transferring them to your computer or getting them printed. With an expansion slot and memory cards, storage becomes easy. The memory cards should be easily available and there should be a method of transferring the contents of your memory card to your PC, either through a card reader or a dedicated slot in your PC.
3. Simplicity of Transferring Pictures: Find out the process of transferring pictures to your PC or printer. Modern Digital cameras will dock with compatible printers or connect them to your PC via USB. Check out whether the camera has any software to simplify the process.
4. Features: Modern cameras come with huge range of features, a few of which can help you. Check out if the camera has a zoom function, and whether it is optical or digital. Optical gives better pictures. Find out if the camera can shoot movies. Determine if it is possible to physically adjust settings like exposure. Hence think how you plan to use the camera and the features useful to you, prior to purchasing a camera.
5. Power/Battery Life: As the camera will use batteries for their power, find out how many you need. Also find out the type and life of the battery when it is completely charged. Determine whether switching off the LCD screen and other features will help in saving the power. Most entry level cameras require lot of power. Buy a battery with long life and keep a few as spare.
The novices should simply go for simplicity, just point and shoot and then transfer the results to their computer or printer. Most local printing stores take digital cameras or media cards. Many have self-service booths or machines, making it easier for you to obtain quality prints from your camera.
Look out for these 5 main things while buying an entry level digital camera.
1. Megapixels: The most important feature, it plays a vital role in deciding the quality of your photographs. Megapixels is the resolution capacity of your camera. Higher the megapixel, superior the quality of photographs. Today the cameras have range starting from less than 2 - 10 Megapixel. Since the higher megapixels mean better quality, it also implies higher price of the camera. Try to get at least 3 Megapixels for reasonable 4 X 6 or 8 X 10 photographs.
2. Storage: Many cameras have inbuilt storage in the form of a memory card expansion slot or both. It is important to have good amount of storage as you need a place to store the photos before transferring them to your computer or getting them printed. With an expansion slot and memory cards, storage becomes easy. The memory cards should be easily available and there should be a method of transferring the contents of your memory card to your PC, either through a card reader or a dedicated slot in your PC.
3. Simplicity of Transferring Pictures: Find out the process of transferring pictures to your PC or printer. Modern Digital cameras will dock with compatible printers or connect them to your PC via USB. Check out whether the camera has any software to simplify the process.
4. Features: Modern cameras come with huge range of features, a few of which can help you. Check out if the camera has a zoom function, and whether it is optical or digital. Optical gives better pictures. Find out if the camera can shoot movies. Determine if it is possible to physically adjust settings like exposure. Hence think how you plan to use the camera and the features useful to you, prior to purchasing a camera.
5. Power/Battery Life: As the camera will use batteries for their power, find out how many you need. Also find out the type and life of the battery when it is completely charged. Determine whether switching off the LCD screen and other features will help in saving the power. Most entry level cameras require lot of power. Buy a battery with long life and keep a few as spare.
Labels: Digital Camera
posted by Peter # 3:07 PM 
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