Digital Camera Help - Checklist For Buying a Digital Camera

Over the last few years I have purchased quite a large number of digital cameras, and I came up with a list of questions one should ask before buying one.

1. Focal length

If you are familiar with older cameras, you should always ask for the 35mm equivalent of the focal length of the zoom lenses. With most models, this is printed on the camera itself, but you should ask, just to be on the safe side.

2. Return policy

Depending on your country, there could be a minimum mandatory period in which you can return the purchased item. Some stores might charge you a restocking fee.

3. Highest resolution

What's the maximum number of megapixels this camera can shoot at? Is that resolution enough for me if I want to print the photos in a larger format, say, A3?

4. Distinguishable features

How is this camera better than others? Does it come, for example, with in-camera red eye removal? Does it come with direct-to-printer support?

5. Maximum storage space

For any models with less than 1GB of memory you should buy at least one 4GB or larger memory card. With the constant decrease in the price of the storage media, you have no excuse to miss taking a great shot due to lack of disk space.

6. What accessories are included with the camera?

Do I get a data cable, to transfer the pictures to my computer? What about spare batteries or extra memory cards?

7. Software

Is it Windows Vista compatible? Even if you are using XP at this moment, you might consider upgrading to Vista in the future, and you wouldn't want to find that your camera is not supported. Also, you should ask whether it is automatically recognized by the operating system without installing any additional drivers: you never know when you need to download the photos to a friend's or colleague's computer, and you will want to be able to do it without using a drivers CD.

8. Warranty and extended warranty

How long is the warranty period? Does it cover both labor and spare parts cost? Can it be renewed or transferred to a third party? If so, at what costs?

9. Service and support

If I get stuck using it, can I call someone for help? Should the camera break down, is there a local repair shop where I can take it, or do I have to mail it to some other location?

Camera Buying Tips - Digital Versus Analog

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In my experience as a photographer I came across countless of cameras, both digital and analog. This article is meant to explain the differences between the two technologies and serve as a camera buying guide for the undecided shopper.

Digital and old 35mm film cameras look and are operated almost the same: you look through the viewfinder, frame your shot and push the shutter button. However, the great difference between them lies in the way they capture and process the image. While the 35mm predecessors used the film to capture the image, their digital successors use a charge-couple device (CCD) known as the image sensor. This silicon chip, not larger than a letter key on the keyboard you have in front of your now, contains several grids of photosensitive diodes called pixels and each one of these will store exactly the information contained in one pixel from the picture that will be rendered so nicely on your desktop.

So, when the shutter opens to take the shot, each pixel will memorize the intensity of the light that fell on it. Milliseconds later, after the shutter closes, this value is converted to a digital number, and the sequence of the several millions of numbers representing the pixels in the picture is compressed, then stored in the memory of the camera (be that internal or the memory card). When switching the camera in playback mode, this sequence is decompressed, and every single digital value is translated into a pixel on the LCD screen. So, in fractions of a second a lot of calculations are made, and this happens with every photo we take or replay.

There are two separate devices / media involved in the process: the image sensor, that captures and digitizes the image, and the storage device, similar in functionalities with the hard disk drive on your computer. With traditional 35mm cameras, the film is used both to record and store the image.

The technology behind digital cameras allows users to view the images on the built-in LCD screen (or TV set, if the camera has such an extension). Also, once captured, digital photos are already in a format we are all familiar with: you can insert them in Word documents, send them to your friends over your favorite instant messaging client, upload on Facebook, burn on DVD's or simply store them on your hard drive for later usage. This is not the case with the old 35mm-ers, where you had to drive downtown to have the pictures developed, then use a scanner to get a digital version.

To wrap it up, if you are to choose between buying a digital camera and an old film one, there are lots of reasons why you should go for the latest technology.

Digital Camera Buying Guide

Planning to buy a digital camera? Not sure how to get started?

Read on to discover how.....

1. What do you need the camera for?

If you buy a simple one that can be used at home, you will not get interesting capabilities that you need for taking really good photographic pictures. On the other hand, it would be a waste of your money if you have the latest digital camera only to be used for personal photos at home.

Based on the purpose one can choose from the following main three types.

o Point and shoot: - reasonably compact, with features and size like 35mm cameras.

o Lifestyle: - with moderate features, it's sleek and compact, so you can carry it around with ease.

o Professional: - with interchangeable lenses, flashes and other accessories, this camera is robust and feature laden, just the right choice for a professional or serious photographer.

2. These are the important features to look for?

Pixel resolution

Digital images are made up of dots called pixels. The higher the number of pixels in your image, the better will be the quality of the image. This will therefore enable you to enlarge your image to higher pixel dimensions without creating a pixilated (broken) image.

Compression

Compression shrinks a photo's file size, thus accommodating more images in the memory card. However compression causes a small amount of data loss. If you need the absolute best-quality images, you have to consider buying a camera that takes uncompressed photos but will accommodate less number of images.

Memory

A camera's memory size will decide the number of images that can be stored. Memory of 128MB will be good enough if you want to use the camera mostly at a social do or a party. If you are on a vacation or when you cannot download images for days at a stretch, a memory of 512MB to 1GB will be most favorable.

LCD screen

Most digital cameras come with at least an optical viewfinder but many digital cameras also come with an LCD screen built into the back. For a digital camera, they vary from 1.5-2.5 inches.

Lens

It is the length of a camera's lens that determines how much of a scene will fit in a picture. A "Normal" lens is about 50mm, most closely approximate to what your eye sees.

Optical zoom

This enables the photographer to zoom in on an object without any problem in picture quality. Depending on the magnification number, you can zoom in more.

Digital zoom

This feature enables the photographer to zoom in on the centre of the picture by removing the edges of the image.

Focus an exposure

In most cameras, the correct exposure for the lighting conditions is automatically determined. A camera rated ISO 100, has approximately the same light sensitivity as that of a traditional film camera loaded with ISO 100 film. A higher ISO rating means that the camera is more sensitive to light and is potential enough to take pictures in darker settings.

Audio and Movie capture

This feature allows you to record sounds and moving images at the same time, in exactly the same way that a camcorder functions. Some digital cameras provide the facility to record a few seconds of audio with each shot, thus letting you add a personal sound bite to your photos.

Movie mode

This is a feature that lets you take short film clips with your camera. The total record length is typically limited to 10 to 90 seconds.

Flash

Most digital cameras come with an in-built flash. Some cameras however include additional features, such as red-eye reduction or night portrait mode.

Image erase

Most cameras also let you select pictures to erase. This handy feature gives you the chance to edit out the photos you don't want in order to create space in the memory.

Self-timer

A self-timer allows your digital camera for a delayed exposure, usually giving you about 10 seconds before the picture is taken.

Computer connections

Most high-end cameras have software and connections for both Mac and PC computers. However it is necessary to make sure the digital camera you want is compatible with your platform before you buy it.

Image stabilization

This feature enables the photographer to capture still images of something moving very fast.

Printing

Nowadays you can buy special printers, depending on the compatibility of your camera, to print off your pictures without connecting it to a PC. This applies both for digital and SLR Professional cameras.

3. How important is size and portability to you?

Size is another very important factor to consider. If you are to use the camera for non professional purposes the size has to be small as you cannot afford to carry huge sized cameras when you are enjoying a trip.

4. What is your budget?

Based on the budget the features will vary and the overall offering of a camera. Today's digital cameras run anywhere from Rs 800 to Rs 30,000, depending on resolution and features. While the initial expense of a digital camera is still high you may find that the added convenience and savings in film and processing costs are worth it.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Camera Lens

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Purchasing a DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera comes with a basic kit lens that could give decent quality pictures. But the advantage in DSLR cameras is being able to switch lenses, depending on the type of shot you want. There are powerful zoom lenses or macro lenses, for example.

Here are some factors to consider when buying a digital camera lens:

The Glass

o Focal Length - It is the actual distance in-between the focal lane of the lens and the rear element, measured in millimeters (mm). This is where the light's parallel beams enter the lens converging onto a point. It determines the viewing angle of the lens. When there is a shorter focal length, the field of view becomes wider, providing more scenes for your camera to capture. When you increase the focal length, the actual field of view becomes narrower.

o Aperture - It is one of the mechanisms that control the actual "amount of light" passing through the lens towards the image sensors. It is also referred as "f-stops," like f/2/8. The smaller the number, the larger the opening. This means more light enters the camera. Since it begins to collect additional light, a type of lens that allows you to open to a wider aperture also enables you to have a faster shutter speed. Such feature is essential in low lighting conditions to obtain sharp images, especially through a handheld camera.

o Image Stabilization - Slower shutter speed can result to blurry photos when cameras are handheld. Image stabilization counteracts the shaking, allowing one to shoot certain handheld shots amidst low lighting conditions. Canon's term for this is IS (Image Stabilization). Nikon use the term VR (Vibration Reduction).

Zoom lenses included in a variety of DSLR kits offer focal lengths ranging from 18 to 35mm. Depending on the cropping capability of the camera, it can reach up to 55mm. This means that you can go from only a moderate "wide-angle" view towards a so-called "slight telephoto."

If you have plans of expanding your digital camera's features, here are some things you need to consider:

o Prime Lenses - These should possess a longer type of zoom lens or a lone focal length between 35mm up to 85mm. Prime lenses have a better glass on them.

If you get the "fixed-length lens", there is a tendency that you will be required to move around when getting your shot. Of course, over a certain time, this will already help you make better compositions. Prime lenses also possess a wider type of maximum aperture, making it easier to get sharper shots, especially under low lighting.

o Zoom Lenses - For those wishing to get action photos, the best would be the "telephoto lens" which ranges from 100mm up to 300mm. This is due to the DSLRs crop factor. There is not much zooming needed. A good example would be Nikon D40 which has a 200mm type of telephoto lens that can turn into a 300mm one.

Olympus SLR Camera Buying Tips

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When it comes to digital photography, my brother was the one that taught me everything he knew. He started enjoying it when he got a Canon F series 35mm from our father. His digital camera right now is a 20D SL with a 420EX flash, which costs thousands of dollars when you take into consideration the L series lenses. Some time ago I bought the E500 dual lens kit paying only a small percentage of what he paid, and it seems that it really offers the best bang for the money you're paying.

In the vast majority of cases, when photos go wrong, the camera isn't to blame, but the person using it. That's the case in 49 cases out of 50. A friends of mine that uses a model from 2001, a Canon S230, takes much better photos than me, even though I have an excellent digital SLR.

I tested the 20D model that my brother has and the E500 that I own, and my camera focuses slower, but apparently that can be solved by doing a firmware upgrade. When we tried taking the cameras in our hands, the E500 felt lighter than the 20D model.

One thing that I loved about the camera were the LCD controls, which controlled everything from flash speed, to exposure, ISO and any other setting that you want changed. One observation that my brother had was that he was missing the small LCD screen that his Canon had on top of the camera. The quality of the photos was good, so the post processing was minimal. When the vivid settings were activated, the quality of the photos was better than the 20D model. Overall, this model was definitely worth the money paid for it.

A few months since I bought it and I'm just as happy today with the quality of the photos it takes. I still use the camera on a regular basis, and I recommended this Olympus SLR camera to others as well. So far, three people bought it based on my recommendation and they're very satisfied with it.

Comparing the money invested, my brother spend $4000 on his camera, while my own camera has only $700 invested in it. His latest investment in the camera was a flash (580EX) and a lens that is wide angel L. I love how he can take photos in burst (3-4 photos) while using flash for all of them.

PP= Post Processing (Photoshop and other image apps)

PQ= Picture Quality

Breaking the cycle of buying digital camera

That's it for me that I have way too many digital life has come to my house. At last count there were four or five digital cameras in circulation here, and I'm not sure exactly how all had, but I think it has something to do with my children and a bag loose. The book is mine. I do not even want to think about the number of digital cameras that I bought as gifts for others. Then of course there are all mobile phones in circulation, that digital cameras embedded herein it. People are afraid of an invasion of privacy when they walk or drive on the road with all the surveillance cameras, but I'm worried only about getting up in the morning.

However, joking aside, I think the world seen enough of the cheap digital compact camera to make it last several millennia. The next camera I buy is to buy a camera will be. For years everything has refrained from reflex, because they are too complicated or too difficult, or shouldto carry many lenses and accessories. Well, last time I went on a family vacation, I'm sure the weight of all our supposed culmulative easy to carry and easy to compact cameras that cost me an extra twenty dollars a baggage handling. not to mention all those chargers, USB cable, camera bags and expect to lose all individuals.

What should really have taken a single lens reflex camera was good, the HD movie showed tons images, notbreaking the bank. A good SLR these days, it also breaks the myth that they are too complicated to use. The truth is that if you regularly use a digital camera, your more than qualified for a digital SLR camera. They all have the same (and more) settings Auto, so you do not have to fiddle with manual controls, unless you do not want. And believe me, once you get the bug with your SLR photography, you'll love to fiddle with manual controls. It opens a wholenew world when it comes to shooting creativity.

Therefore, a recommendation of the experts is to sell on eBay, all compact cameras cheap (except one) I have read that someone on this point is not, and get a good start in digital SLR camera. All Canon Rebel or ladder Nikon D40 / D60 should do the job.