There are a lot of things to take into
account when buying a digital camera. With new models coming out all the
time, each with much better functions then before, it can really be
quite difficult for non technical people to make the right decision.
Sadly, people when buying a digital camera often just go out and buy the
first thing they see that looks reasonably well priced with out really
knowing whether the digital camera is the right one for them. I have
written this article to help people know what to look for in a digital
camera and what to avoid, so that they make a better decision and get
more for their money.
So what are the main things you need to consider when buying a digital camera?
For most amateur digital photographers the most important element to look at is the number of mega pixels the digital camera is capable of. The more mega pixels, the higher the image quality will be. 4 to 6 mega pixels is probable fine if you are only going to be doing amateur type digital photography. You should be able to blow-up a 4 mega pixel image to A3 and still get photographic quality, but any more than that, and it would become more a question of opinion whether or not the image was truly photographic. The higher you go with mega pixels the more important the quality of lenses of the digital camera will be too, but at the low end (4 to 6 mega pixels) this is less important.
One thing you really need to watch out for here is the fact that a lot of digital camera companies will try and deceive you! It is imperative that you read the small print so to speak. On a lot of digital cameras they will have printed on them in big letters how many mega pixels the digital camera is capable of, say one says it's 6 mega pixels, but in the small print underneath there could be a line that says something like; 5 mega pixels enhanced to 6 using software! You need to check this before buying a digital camera, because what this basically means is that the digital camera is only really 5 mega pixels and the camera's software is going to try and enhance the image quality to 6 mage pixels. Try is the key word here since this will never be as good as a true 6 mega pixel camera.
Another thing to consider when buying a digital camera is how much zoom the camera has. How much zoom you need will depend more on your usage of the digital camera, if you are just going to take quick snaps here and there it might not be a big issue, but of cause the less zoom you have the more limited you will be with what you can do. Again just like with the digital camera's mega pixels, you must read the small print. There is optical zoom and digital zoom, optical zoom will use lenses to zoom in, where as digital zoom will just make the image bigger and this will make the quality of the image go down. Personally I don't really see any point of digital zoom on a digital camera, since you can easily blow-up an image with your digital photography editing software on your computer, where you will have far more control and a much better idea of just how much image quality you are losing by doing so. When taking photos or video for that matter, I always try and keep my options open.
One thing people often overlook when buying a digital camera is the units power supply! I can tell you from experience that there's nothing more annoying than running out of battery when you're out and about taking photos. Most of the lower end cameras will take AA or AAA rechargeable batteries, this is fine, but you must get several sets or rechargeable batteries for the camera. Always have at least one set spare with you when out taking photos, if you are planning on going on holiday you might want to have more. The good thing is AA and AAA rechargeable batteries aren't very expensive these days. Other cameras will use their own type of battery pack. These days, these packs are normally Lithium batteries which are a lot more expensive. They do give more power and last longer, but I would still recommend getting at least one spare battery for the digital camera. So when comparing prices you also need to add the price of the batteries to the digital camera's price.
If you're buying a digital camera for amateur use only, then the topics covered here will help you make a better buying decision, but if you are buying a higher end camera, as hinted in the article you will need to look at other things as well, such as the quality of the lenses etc. The best way to go from here is to read up on reviews of digital cameras to see how each one compares to its competition, do your research well, and you will be rewarded with a digital camera that suits your needs for years to come.
So what are the main things you need to consider when buying a digital camera?
For most amateur digital photographers the most important element to look at is the number of mega pixels the digital camera is capable of. The more mega pixels, the higher the image quality will be. 4 to 6 mega pixels is probable fine if you are only going to be doing amateur type digital photography. You should be able to blow-up a 4 mega pixel image to A3 and still get photographic quality, but any more than that, and it would become more a question of opinion whether or not the image was truly photographic. The higher you go with mega pixels the more important the quality of lenses of the digital camera will be too, but at the low end (4 to 6 mega pixels) this is less important.
One thing you really need to watch out for here is the fact that a lot of digital camera companies will try and deceive you! It is imperative that you read the small print so to speak. On a lot of digital cameras they will have printed on them in big letters how many mega pixels the digital camera is capable of, say one says it's 6 mega pixels, but in the small print underneath there could be a line that says something like; 5 mega pixels enhanced to 6 using software! You need to check this before buying a digital camera, because what this basically means is that the digital camera is only really 5 mega pixels and the camera's software is going to try and enhance the image quality to 6 mage pixels. Try is the key word here since this will never be as good as a true 6 mega pixel camera.
Another thing to consider when buying a digital camera is how much zoom the camera has. How much zoom you need will depend more on your usage of the digital camera, if you are just going to take quick snaps here and there it might not be a big issue, but of cause the less zoom you have the more limited you will be with what you can do. Again just like with the digital camera's mega pixels, you must read the small print. There is optical zoom and digital zoom, optical zoom will use lenses to zoom in, where as digital zoom will just make the image bigger and this will make the quality of the image go down. Personally I don't really see any point of digital zoom on a digital camera, since you can easily blow-up an image with your digital photography editing software on your computer, where you will have far more control and a much better idea of just how much image quality you are losing by doing so. When taking photos or video for that matter, I always try and keep my options open.
One thing people often overlook when buying a digital camera is the units power supply! I can tell you from experience that there's nothing more annoying than running out of battery when you're out and about taking photos. Most of the lower end cameras will take AA or AAA rechargeable batteries, this is fine, but you must get several sets or rechargeable batteries for the camera. Always have at least one set spare with you when out taking photos, if you are planning on going on holiday you might want to have more. The good thing is AA and AAA rechargeable batteries aren't very expensive these days. Other cameras will use their own type of battery pack. These days, these packs are normally Lithium batteries which are a lot more expensive. They do give more power and last longer, but I would still recommend getting at least one spare battery for the digital camera. So when comparing prices you also need to add the price of the batteries to the digital camera's price.
If you're buying a digital camera for amateur use only, then the topics covered here will help you make a better buying decision, but if you are buying a higher end camera, as hinted in the article you will need to look at other things as well, such as the quality of the lenses etc. The best way to go from here is to read up on reviews of digital cameras to see how each one compares to its competition, do your research well, and you will be rewarded with a digital camera that suits your needs for years to come.
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