There are three basic types of digital camera, compact, (slr-type or
"bridge" camera) and Dslr. The slr-type and Dslr cameras look fairly
similar although Dslr's are bigger and heavier. The most obvious
difference between them is that you can change the lens on a Dslr.
However, there is a great deal more to it than that. The Dslr is
fundamentally different and designed to work exactly the same way as a
high-end film camera. This makes it extremely versatile and the only
type of digital camera that can cope equally well with any genre of
photography.
If your budget doesn't run to a Dslr then you need to
choose amongst the other types as to which one will suit your favourite
type of photography best. The choice between compact and slr is a
little more complicated as both are equally suited to many photographic
genres. For many people, the choice will come down to convenience. Some
will simply prefer a camera they can slip into their pocket rather than
one they have to hang around their neck.
It is certainly the case
that compact cameras at the top end of the market can produce pictures
that are every bit as good as those from slr's. It's not image quality
that separates these two forms of camera but rather the ease with which
you can adjust the photographic controls on them. Things like exposure
compensation or manual focus are usually simple to adjust external
controls on an slr but may be buried deep amongst the menus of a compact
camera.
Many cameras have "program modes", for example landscape,
sports (or action) and portrait etc. And these will set up your camera
the best way for those types of photography. However, it's not the case
that if your camera does not have one or other of these modes then it
cannot do that sort of photography. The only modes that you actually
need are shutter priority and aperture priority. As long as your camera
has these two, then you can optimise it's settings for most photographic
situations.
When choosing between cameras best suited to a
particular genre, you need to look a little deeper into their
specifications to find the best one for your preferred type of
photography. There are four sets of numbers that matter. They are about
the lens, the ISO number (defines how light-sensitive your camera is),
the aperture and the shutter speed. It is those numbers that really
matter when it comes to choosing the right tool for the job.
Portrait photography
This
is the simplest case because their are not really any special
requirements of a camera for this genre. Most portrait photographers
like to use a narrow depth of field (throwing the background out of
focus), this requires a large aperture. The size of the aperture is
given as an f number and the lower the number, the larger the aperture.
Theoretically you want a camera with the lowest f number but in practice
but, because there are other factors that affect the depth of field, it
is not worth choosing a camera for portraiture on the f number alone.
It would be better to choose a camera that you find comfortable to use.
Set your camera to aperture priority and use the maximum aperture, which
will be the lowest f number.
Landscape photography
Again,
there is very little to choose between cameras when it comes to their
suitability for shooting landscapes. The overall quality of the image
will probably be your main concern. Having said that, a large zoom range
(6x or more) is good because it will allow you to take a wider range of
shots from the same viewpoint. A wide angle lens is very useful in
landscape work but the zoom range number is no help in comparing cameras
to find which one has the widest lens. The angle or field of view of a
lens is determined by its focal length, measured in millimetres. The
smaller the number, the wider the lens. Unfortunately, you can't always
compare this number directly between cameras. What you need to find is
the 35mm equivalent of the camera's focal length. That is the only
number you can use to make a direct comparison. A large depth of field
is what most landscapes want, so use aperture priority and set the
minimum aperture, which is the biggest f number.
Night photography
You
might think that a high maximum ISO number would be useful for night
photography but it's not particularly. Much more useful is a long
maximum shutter speed. Of course you need a tripod (or some other
support) for your camera but setting a high ISO will create "noise" in
your pictures. You will usually get a much better result using a normal
ISO setting and a long shutter speed. You should look for a longest
shutter speed of at least 30 seconds, the longer the better. Set your
camera to shutter priority and use the longest shutter speed you have.
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