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Time to purchase a new digital camera?
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 Informative Article Summary by Anny Redperz
by Dan Feildman
When it comes time to purchase a new digital camera you might feel a bit overwhelmed. With technology constantly changing and new features available every month it is easy to be confused about what to purchase. However, there is a way to ensure that you purchase the right camera that will meet your needs. The key is to understand the terms and technology. You might not understand all of it, however it is our goal to give you enough information to make an informed decision. This article covers the features of digital cameras that are most important for you to understand.
First of all you need to understand the similarities of standard film and digital cameras. In short, a camera is a light airtight box that allows exposure of a light-sensitive material through the use of a shutter and an aperture. This definition does not change from film to digital cameras, nor does the process.
Lenses focus the image and control how the photo will look (wide or telephoto); both film and digital cameras have lenses. The lens is also one of the most important factors in determining overall photo quality; the better the lens quality, the sharper and more clear your image. In film or digital photography- poor lenses=poor image quality.
Both types of cameras also use shutters to maintain the duration of the exposure. Both film and digital cameras need an aperture to control how much light hits the sensor during the period that the shutter is open. Very large apertures (2.8 or 4) will let in a lot of light, while small apertures (16 or 22) will let in very little light.
Whatever type of camera you may use, Focusing will always be a necessary step in creating sharp photographs. Manual and auto focusing can be found on both types of cameras.
Film Advance, Lag and Response Time The digital sensor takes in light much like film. Once the light strikes film it becomes”exposed” and the camera must advance the film to the next film frame to carry on the development. With digital cameras, the information that was acquired during exposure is moved on to the processor and the sensor is then freed up to grab another image. The length of time it takes for the sensor to “unload” its information and be ready to record again is called Advance Time. The speed of the digital camera is also influenced by how many images it can retain in the memory before the camera needs a time out to process them. A typical statistic could be “23 full-res(resolution) JPEGs or 6 RAW images at 5 fps”(Canon 20D). All this means is that the camera will shoot 5 frames per second until the memory fills up. The memory will become full at 6 exposures if you are shooting RAW and 23 if you are shooting the highest quality JPEG.
In the beginning, when digital cameras first became popular, something called Lag Time was a major issue. The “lag” in between the time you clicked the shutter button and the time the shutter opened was very obvious. With the recent advances in technology there has been a significant reduction in lag time. Even the most budget friendly cameras have a very quick turn around time in between shots or during a series of quick exposures. If your photography requires fast shooting and many frames per second (i.e. sports photography), it would be a smart idea to research the frames per second and lag time statistics prior to purchasing.
When digital cameras first became popular, something called Lag Time was a major issue. The “lag” in between the time you pressed the shutter and the time the shutter opened was very noticeable. Recent advances in technology have reduced lag time significantly. Even most low priced cameras, have a very quick turn around time in between shots or during a series of quick exposures. If your photography requires fast shooting and many frames per second, it would be a good idea to check out the frames per second and lag time statistics before purchasing.
As with many things, this increased sensitivity does have its drawbacks. When using film you might get an excess of grain, with digital photography you get what is called noise. The grain you might see on your film, in most cases, is generally considered acceptable and even might be desired in some cases. On the other hand noise does not have the same allure. Unlike different emulsions of film, the sensor really only has one sensitivity. To manage an increased ISO, or during very long exposures, the camera must send more power to the sensor, which often will result in the appearance of small specks or dots of white or color. You will also sometimes see a blotchy look which is created from the higher ISO’s or long exposures. Generally most of the noise is generally manifested in the darker areas of your photograph. If your photography requires higher ISO settings this is an important point to pay attention to; this often occurs during nighttime or long exposures. In higher priced cameras, manufacturers have spent the money to reduce the noise problem, but it still may present itself on the less expensive models. Look to reviews for how much noise individual cameras will produce.
Resolution Resolution is probably one of the most talked about but least understood features of digital cameras. Most people believe the higher the resolution the better. This is true, generally speaking. However more resolution doesn’t always mean better photographs.
In today’s market almost all digital cameras have very high resolutions. You can even find less expensive cameras with resolutions sufficient enough to make a decent 8×10 or 11×14 prints. Given this you might be asking, “what is the big attraction to higher resolutions?” For the most part it is a selling point for the manufacturers! More resolution is good but what is even better, and what you want to look for in your camera, is a larger sensor size. Here the bigger the better manta comes into play. Sensor size is a much better measure of the camera’s final image quality. In film cameras, a 35mm is better than an APS camera because the size of the image on the film is bigger. There is no difference with digital cameras.
Please don’t forget, it is common to see cameras that are equal in resolution but have different size sensors. In cases like this I would go for the larger sensor. So how can you figure out how much resolution you do need? It’s very simple really. Just ask yourself how large of a picture do you want to make. The 3 and 4 Megapixel cameras are plenty sufficient for everything will print good quality pictures up to 8×10. If you want to make larger printsyou can move up to the 5 and 6 Megapixel cameras.
Remember, it is common to see cameras that are equal in resolution but have different size sensors. In this case I would go for the larger sensor. So how do you know how much resolution you do need? Simple really. Just ask yourself how large of a print do you want to make. The 3 and 4 Megapixel cameras are plenty sufficient for everything up to 8×10. If you want to make larger prints you can move up to the 5 and 6 Megapixel cameras.
The human eye is an amazing thing. What is even more amazing is that it is excellent at ignoring color casts. When we are indoors under typical house lighting the color is quite orange/yellow while office lighting (fluorescent) is very green. Our eyes are able to ignore this, but film and digital cameras faithfully record all color nuances. When using film photography it is often necessary to put filters on your camera or to purchase film that is balanced for the particular lighting (color) that you are using. With digital photography we can easily change the white balance. All digital cameras come with a good variety of choices for correcting typical lighting situations with white balance. They also generally include an auto setting as well which is useful if you do not know what kind of light you are working under. Typically the more expensive cameras will also include the ability to custom balance to any color light!
The human eye is excellent at ignoring color casts. When we are indoors under typical house lighting the color is quite orange/yellow, office lighting (fluorescent) is very green. Our eyes are able to ignore this, but film and digital cameras do not. They record faithfully. When using film it is necessary to put filters on your camera or to buy film that is balanced for the particular lighting (color) that you are using. With digital we can simply change our white balance. All digital cameras come with a fine selection of white balance options for correcting typical lighting situations. They all will include an auto setting as well. This is useful if you do not know what kind of light you are working under. The more expensive models will come with the ability to custom balance to any color light!
Choose a digital camera that is right for you Hopefully by now you recognize that understanding how the sensor works will enable us to make some intelligent choices regarding resolution and camera speed. We also know that white balance is a fairly uniform feature across the entire line of cameras, negating any serious consideration in this arena. So you might be wondering what other features exist that may influence your camera purchase?
Lenses Lenses play a crucial role in creating high image quality, along with the sensor and processor. Fortunately we are in a technological era where most lenses are manufactured with high quality. With regard to lenses speed and length are the qualities that you should look at when trying to figure out what to purchase. Speed refers to the fastest -stop of the lens. 2.8 is faster than 3.5, which is faster than 4. Faster lenses allow you to shoot in lower light conditions without raising your ISO, as well as achieving a shallow depth of field which gives the result of a blurred background (or foreground).
Buying a new digital camera
The next item you need to consider is focal length. Do you prefer to photograph with wide-angle lenses? Long telephoto lenses? Do you enjoy shooting up close with macro lenses? Film and digital cameras both come with all of the same lens options. It is simply a matter of choosing the camera with the qualities that you want. Doing some research through reading magazines or surfing on to the web and visiting sites such as dpreview.com will allow you to easily find the specifications that describe all of the options.
Two sets of specs are commonly given when you begin to look into focal length . The first set is generally the actual focal length of the lens. For example, 7mm-28mm. This example would be an extreme wide angle on a film camera. The digital camera however, has a smaller sensor area than the film camera which makes the 7mm lens look more like a 35mm lens. So the second set of numbers on this lens would be 35mm-136mm. This is typically considered the 35mm equivalent. It is these numbers you should pay attention to when researching different cameras for focal range as they will be more recognizable to you.
In general most beginner digital cameras do not provide a variety of wide angle lens choices. They will typically go down to 35mm or even 28mm but it is difficult to find a 24mm or wider. This problem is mainly due to the difficulties in building such a small focal length lenses. In this case, if you enjoy taking wide angle photos, you may want to think about upgrading to a digital SLR.
When it comes to long telephoto lenses, however, the digital cameras have a big advantage! Their smaller sensor size turns even moderate telephotos into very long lenses. For example a real 57mm focal length behaves like a 370mm! This is a real boon to folks who like to shoot “long”. Beware however of cameras which claim their longest focal length as Digital Zoom. Digital Zoom should always be avoided. We are concerned only with real or actual focal lengths.
The last lens specification to consider is the focusing distance. If you like or need to shoot macro, look for a lens that focuses very close. They will usually be signified by a “macro mode” or be called “close focusing”.
Shooting your digital camera in the field Shooting your digital camera should be the fun part. Do not let all of the bells and whistles confuse you out in the field. There are many choices and they can be a bit overwhelming. Here a are three of the most important things you should always check before you start photographing.
ISO- Keep it set to a low (100 or 50) if you are outdoors or in areas where you have plenty of light. Raise it only when you need to keep from getting camera shake. Most digital cameras provide great images all the way up to 400 ISO. If you need to go higher than 400 ISO, you can run the risk of introducing a noticeable amount of noise to your photos. Play with your digital camera to figure out which ISO produces unacceptable noise levels.
Jpeg vs. Raw- This is an easy choice. If you want to manipulate every photograph in your computer, shoot RAW. This format is much more flexible and enables you to correct errors in exposure and color cast without downgrading the quality of your image. If you do not have the time or desire to work on every image, then use the highest quality Jpeg mode. Jpeg mode uses a minimum amount of image compression and provides extremely high quality pictures.
Image Size- Many cameras automatically come with multiple resolution choices. The options may look like this: 2304×1728, 1600×1200, 1280×960, 640×480. Basically, always choose the highest resolution. In this case that would be 2304×1728. This setting will supply you with the highest quality images possible.
Digital Camera Accessories It is an understatement to say that there are a lot of accessories for the digital camera! It boggles the mind the number of choices available such as cases, cards and storage units. Not all of the accessories are a necessity, in fact there are only a very few accessories that are absolute necessities.
Compact Flash-The first accessory is the type of storage medium that your camera uses to store your photographs. I prefer cameras that use Compact Flash as I have found this medium to be the best all around Flash Card. Compact Flash cards are sturdy, durable, not too small to lose or to big to be bulky. They also come in very large capacities-up to 8 gigabytes! Personally I recommend that people should have at least two cards in case one card becomes damaged or lost. How much you want to spend will determine your total amount of storage (cameras rarely ship with a card that is adequate for most photographic purposes). Having two 512Mb cards might be enough for most shooting situations, unless you take loads of photographs. Having 4 of these cards or two 1 GB cards will ensure that you will never be without storage.
Portable Storage-If you have an ample amount of Flash Card storage, you will not need a portable storage unit. This is however contingent on downloading your cards on a daily basis. If you are in a situation where you will not have access to your computer for long periods of time you may want to consider a portable storage unit. The most basic form of storage is one that allows you to plug your card into the unit, and download your images. You can then put the card back into your camera, reformat it, and continue shooting. When you get home you simply attach the storage unit to your computer and transfer the images. Most of these units come with enough storage space for many days of shooting. I would consider a unit with at least 10Gb of storage.
Storage and transfer are the most basic function which all of the models will perform. From here they can get really fancy. There are units that will automatically burn Cds from your cards, which produces an immediate archive of your images. Others come with an Lcd screen that allows you to view your images right on the storage device. Advanced features will even enable you to organize your images into folders and albums. Think about the length of time you will be away from your computer before purchasing one of these storage units. You may not need one.
Extra Batteries / Charger Digital cameras go through batteries at an alarming rate. You will definitely need to have back up batteries. Given that you will go through so many batteries, rechargeable batteries are the intelligent choice. Most digital cameras come with a proprietary battery with a charger. This is helpful as it allows a stronger battery. If this is your situation, it is a good idea to purchase extra batteries when you buy your camera. If your camera is powered by common AA batteries, you would be wise to buy a couple sets of rechargeable batteries.
Bulb blower- If you are considering an interchangeable lens SLR this is a must as when you change lens on these types of cameras it is common to introduce dust into the camera body. Ultimately this will migrate to your sensor and embed itself as small blurry splotches on your final image. It is a smart investment of your time to spend a few seconds with the blower bulb which will save you hours on the computer cleaning up your photographs!
About the Author:
Looking into digital photography, ever want to start Learning Digital Photography? Get Great Tips on how to shoot Digital Photographs with This Free Report
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