What must you consider once you’ve decided to buy a digital camera? Well lots of things, but let’s make the task a little easy for you. Let’s outline some key elements you can control which will affect your purchase. We’ve come up with 10 different components that will help you make up your mind…
Pixel and Sensor Size
The megapixels and sensor size indicate the resolution of your camera. Depending on your needs, you should get as many megapixels as you can afford. Don’t skimp on this if you’re looking to take high quality photos, because you want to achieve as much detail as possible. If you’re purchasing a DSLR camera, then your best bet is to get one with a sensor that approximates the size of a 35mm film frame. This feature is called “Full Frame”, and the majority of cameras that have a Full Frame sensor have over 14 megapixels; more than enough to give great resolution.
ISO Sensitivity
ISO is a determinant of how light-sensitive the camera’s image sensor is. ISO sensitivity affects the level of digital noise an image will have, when shooting in less than ideal lighting situations. It’s recommended to get a digital camera with the lowest possible ISO value (i.e. ISO 100) and with the largest possible sensor - this will determine how smooth your photos are (lack of graininess). The grain is the digital noise, those random colored speckles that mar an image when the lighting isn’t quite right. As ISO is increased, so does the grain or digital noise. A lower ISO number will provide a smoother final image. The downside is that the lower the ISO number, the more light needed for effective exposures – exposures with accurate color and sharp images.
Shooting Modes
The various Shooting Modes allow you to select the amount of automation that your camera uses in order to deal with various lighting and subject conditions, and environments. This is a fairly easy choice in some respects, because when you get down to it people fall into two camps – fully automated (i.e. amateurs), or those who want some degree of control (i.e. enthusiasts, professionals). Which are you? Answer this honestly, and then make a purchase that suits your needs. The standard shooting modes on most digital cameras are: Portrait, in which the camera selects a wider aperture to blur the background so the portrait is more flattering and has less distracting elements; Landscape, in which the camera selects a narrow aperture for the greatest depth of field; AV - Aperture Priority, which lets you set the aperture (for control over depth of field) and then the camera selects the other settings to achieve an optimal exposure; TV or S - Shutter Priority, which lets your set the shutter speed and the camera selects the other settings to achieve an optimal exposure; and finally P - Program mode, which is similar to Auto mode - the shutter and aperture settings are determined by the camera, but the photographer can adjust the shooting and image-recording functions.
Burst Mode
Another cool feature is BURST MODE; this shooting mode is really spectacular. With a simple release of the shutter, the camera fires off successive images– capturing a subject in motion; it’s the next best thing to the auto-winder. The fps (frames per second) determines how many shots the camera can grab, before the images are written to the memory card. Burst mode is great for sports photography and is also helpful in mixed-light conditions.
HD Video Recording
HD video is becoming the must-have feature on digital cameras. And if you think about it, it’s not really a far stretch for a digital camera to shoot in HD, because many digital cameras shoot in the RAW format, and what is HD but a string of RAW picture frames recorded then played back at 24fps. One drawback of recording in HD is that it chews up a lot of memory, so be careful when using this feature. Also, it would be wise to keep a few extra memory cards around.
Memory Cards
You would think that storage space is the key element to memory cards, but it’s not… because large amounts of storage is available at a low cost these days. What’s important is the memory cards’ writing speed. By that we mean how fast images are saved to the card. This is important when using your camera to acquire HD video or you’re shooting Burst Mode and are capturing 5+ frames per second.
Live View
There’s this nifty bit of technology called Live View, which enables you to use the camera’s high resolution electronic display as a viewfinder, which makes framing easier and more enjoyable. Some DSLRs have live view, but it doesn’t function nearly as flawlessly as on the fixed-lens cameras. This has to do with the variable focus and exposure capabilities inherent with a DSLR. Also, live view on DSLR’s doesn’t show 100% frame coverage the way a standard digital camera’s viewfinder does.
Zoom Lenses
Zoom Lenses… every photographer needs at least one of these, they’re too versatile not to have. The varying focal length range of zoom enables you to have lots of different framing options. But be prepared to give up some image quality, because the additional lens elements depreciate the sharpness. It’s not so readily apparent, but it’s noticeable when you blow up your images to big sizes. In addition, the wider aperture settings are curtailed as you zoom out the lens.
Size and Weight
The size and weight of your camera is something important to consider; it’s the whole ergonomic thing. You want your camera to be an extension of your hand (as well as your eye), so you don’t want a camera that’s too big for your hand or weighs too much. After an hour or two of carrying something, you don’t want to feel like you have an unwieldy rock in your hand.
Price
What is price? Price is what you’re willing to pay for an object. Also, remember: You get what you pay for especially with optical equipment. The good news is that in the world of digital photography, you can get top notch equipment at reduced prices by using the internet and doing research. So go for the best bargain you can get for the level of camera that you wish to buy. By that we mean, don’t purchase a 12-megapixel camera just because you can get it at 35% off.
Conclusion
When you’re buying your camera, consider it an investment – a means to collect moments in time that will never happen again. Therefore you’ll want some flexibility in the price that you’re willing to spend for the features you want, while considering how serious of a photographer you intend on being.
