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Choosing the right digital camera
Looking to purchase your first digital camera or upgrade the one you have? You might find yourself overwhelmed by all the choices and technical jargon. To make shopping for your new digital camera easier, here is a simple overview of the different types of cameras and their standard features.
Compact Digital Cameras
These are the digital equivalent of the standard 35 mm consumer camera. They’re light-weight and small enough to fit in your pocket. You don’t need any special knowledge of cameras to use these ‘point and shoot’ cameras as there are very few manual control options.
Compact digital cameras are budget-friendly and more than sufficient for everyday use, such as capturing family occasions or posting pictures online. The typical compact digital camera will have resolutions between 7 - 12 megapixels.
With such high resolutions, compact digital cameras are also a good choice for someone looking to make photography a hobby. With additional setting options and more manual control, you can be more creative. Unlike the SLR, compact digital cameras don’t have interchangeable lenses or a through-the-lens viewfinder.
Digital SLR Cameras
For the enthusiast or professional photographer, a digital SLR camera is a must. SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. Digital SLR cameras offer maximum control with manually adjustable features. You have the flexibility to change the lenses on your SLR, and most are compatible with the SLR lenses used for 35mm cameras.
Top of the range SLR cameras have resolutions in excess of 10 megapixels, meaning you can blow up photos to the size of posters without losing image quality.
Factors to consider when choosing a digital camera
The technical capabilities of the digital camera you purchase will determine the quality of the images the camera produces. Below are explanations of some of the common terms you’ll encounter when shopping for digital cameras.
Resolution: Resolution refers to how detailed an electronic image is. The number of image details a digital camera can record is expressed in megapixels. The higher the resolution (the more megapixels), the more detailed the image. Digital cameras range between 2 to 12 megapixels. Cameras with a higher resolution better maintain their image quality when the photo is enlarged.
Bit depth: Bit depth describes the number of colours that the camera can capture. As the number of bits increases, so does the number of colours. When purchasing a digital camera, you really don’t want to go below 24 bits.
Optical vs. Digital Zoom: Of the two, an optical zoom, which actually moves the lens closer to the subject, will result in the best close-up shots. A digital zoom uses the camera’s microchip to digitally magnify the subject, which results in a poorer quality image. A minimum of 3x optical zoom is recommended when purchasing a digital camera.
Exposure control: Exposure control refers to your ability to adjust the shutter speed and lens opening. You need more exposure control if you plan to take lots of action shots or make use of intentional blurring for artistic purposes.
Knowing in advance how you plan to use the digital camera will help you get the most for your money. There’s no need to pay for features that you won’t use. A little bit of research will go a long way in finding the right digital camera.
This article was brought to you by Canon Australia – Helping you choose the right Digital Camera.
