Digital cameras keep pressing forward, no sooner have you bought your new, state-of-the-art digital camera than you find out new improvements that have been made. It might seem like you’d be hard pressed to keep chasing these fads, and we don’t blame you, who wants to shell out for a camera that often. But the truth is that the if you buy digital cameras there are a few basics that will keep your camera useful for quite a few years to come.
Before purchasing, make sure to get some opinions. There are plenty out there and don’t get caught up in every little downside to a camera, as some things just don’t matter so much. Experiences of the experienced and those who give honest, almost neutral feedback can give you some of the best insights into what you are actually getting from your product.
First Things First
What will you buy your digital camera for? What do you know you will use it for, and what would you like to do with it, perhaps something you have not had a chance to try with your current camera, or something you have seen done that you like. Decide on a price range, and stick with it, if you want to buy digital cameras at the professional level then sure your range will need to be a little higher, but don’t set your range unnecessarily high, there is a good lesson in finding more for less. And make sure you know what you need before buying as most salespeople at big electronics stores know only as much as is indicated on the packaging.
Point and Shoot vs Digital SLR
For day to day or the vast majority of consumers, a point and shoot camera is the way to go. The range of point and shoot digital cameras is so vast that the top end will do many things that mimic what professional cameras do. At the most basic the camera does everything for you and just takes the shot, taking into account the conditions it measures. At the most advanced you will have control over shutter speed and a few other features.
Digital SLRs are for pros. These cameras allow you control over almost every aspect of taking the picture, allowing you to take a great, or if you want or aren’t accustomed to them, terrible picture. One of the best things about buying new digital SLR cameras is that it is now possible to make almost everything point and shoot as well, which can help you to learn about specific functions as you go along. The best thing about SLR cameras is that you can change lenses and take pictures with a telescopic lens or microscopic lens as well.
Other Options
Resolution has become one of the most basic guages of judging a digital camera. The higher the resolution, usually measured in mega pixels, the better the picture. This is not completely true, but does hold some merit with picture quality. Four mega pixels and up is what I would look for in a standard digital camera.
Zoom is another major feature. The usual for a consumer camera would be around 3x zoom, with a 4x digital zoom. Digital zoom fakes a zoom, by zooming in on the image it receives, this reduces the quality, often to such a degree as to find the pictures worthless. The usual zoom is fine for most people, but not all, get more only if you need it. If you need super amounts of zoom, then you need an SLR so you can change lenses.
Storage has become so cheap its not a big factor. A 1GB memory card can take about 2000 pictures at a resolution of 1600×1200 and 500 or so at much higher resolutions, there should be no lack of space.
So to summarize, choose SLR or point and shoot, look at zoom, look at resolution, look at storage, and finally, keep within your budget.
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