How To Choose A Digital Camera
If you're looking to buy a digital camera but aren't sure where to start among the vast and confusing array of different brands, zooms, resolutions, formats, aperture speeds and other features then keep reading. This page aims to point you in the right direction so that you buy a digital camera that suits your particular requirements.
So what are the important things you need to consider when buying a digital camera?
To answer this question, there are two sets of information you need to know before you make your decision. The first type of information is defining what YOU need and want in a digital camera. To do this, ask yourself the following questions:
What Kind Of Pictures Do You Want To Take With Your Digital Camera?
Before you buy a digital camera, it is important to determine what kind of pictures you want to take with it. For example, will you be using it for:
- General purpose pictures such as recording family events,
vacations etc.? If so then a decent Point and Shoot may be all you need.
- Sports photography where you will need fast shutter speeds?
In this case an Advanced Digital Camera or Digital SLR camera would be
the best option.
- Macro Photography (close up photography) which means you
will either need a dedicated Macro lens or extensions for your regular
lens. This dictates your need for a Digital SLR camera as you can't change
lenses on the compact types.
- Low Light Photography? If so then you will need a camera
with advanced functions, such as aperture and shutter control and white
balance adjustment.
- Portrait Photography? Once again you will have to consider
resolution, aperture speeds and lighting.
What's Your Budget?
This is a very important question. No matter what your needs and wants are for your digital camera, your financial resources will play a huge part in dictating the type of camera you will be able to buy.
It's a good idea to map out your requirements and budget on paper to see if they match. If they do, great. If not, then you may have to make some compromises and adjustments to match what you can afford. For instance rather than buying that brand new Nikon DSLR you may have to look round for a similar second hand model or find a deal that will meet your budget. If this is the case, eBay is a great place to start your search.
But the spending may not end there. You also have to consider:
- Additional memory. You may need additional memory for
your digital camera so you don't run out of space before you can download
your pictures onto your computer.
- Spare batteries. You will also need a supply of batteries
if the camera model doesn't have rechargeable cells and if it does, a
spare, fully charged battery will ensure that your camera won't die on
you for lack of power during a shoot. Incidentally, it's good practice
to ensure that both your rechargeable cells are fully charged for a shoot.
For rechargeable batteries you will probably need a charger unit.
- A bag or case. You will probably need a bag or case to
protect your digital camera when it's not in use, especially so if you
buy a DSLR or advanced digital camera.
- Your computer. Is your computer powerful enough to support
image editing, storage and retrieval? (Digital photos range between 1
and 10 megabytes each or more depending their resolution).
- Printing. Does your current printer support your photographic
printing needs? If not, you will probably need to get one that does. You
will need supplies of ink and paper for printing if you intend to print
your photos.
- Blank CDs/DVDs. You will need blank, writable CDs/DVDs if you intend to burn and store your images on these media.
Important Points To Consider When Choosing Your Digital Camera
After answering the questions above, and before you go out and buy your digital camera, you now need to decide on the specification of the device you want to buy. Here ar some of the things to consider:
- Look and feel. It's essential for you to feel comfortable
holding your digital camera while shooting. So, before you buy one, it's
good to idea to test and check out a few at your local camera store to
find the models you are comfortable handling. Consider where the buttons
are located and how they are spaced out and see also if you feel comfortable
using the viewfinder or LCD display and the controls etc.
- Lens. This is the most important part of the camera. Get
a good optical zoom lens.This will allow you to get in much closer
to your subject and give you more detail. Avoid digital zooms as they
only blow up the picture and crop the remainder resulting in loss of definition.
The better the lens the better your pictures will turn out.
- Resolution. The current pixel range currently is from 1.2 Megapixels to 22 Megapixels - price goes up with number of pixels. The higher the resolution the higher it's capacity to produce sharp, high quality photo images in larger sizes without losing definition. The chart below provides is a guide to maximum print size by resolution, based on prints at 150ppi (pixels per printed inch) acceptable photo quality :
| Pixels | Megapixels | Max print size |
| 2464 x 1632 | 4 MP | 16.42" x 10.88" |
| 3008 x 2000 | 6 MP | 20.05" x 13.34" |
| 3264 x 2448 | 8 MP | 21.76" x 16.32" |
| 3872 x 2592 | 10 MP | 25.81" x 17.28" |
| 4290 x 2800 | 12 MP | 28.60" x 18.67" |
Memory. Digital cameras need memory cards for picture storage.
When you buy digital camera, make sure that the camera you buy has a "built-in"
memory and a card slot for additional memory. The built in memory will normally
have a very limited storage capacity.
For example, a typical 5 megapixel camera with 64MB of "built-in" memory
can hold about 24 high resolution JPEG (photo) images. As memory is so cheap
nowadays a 1 gigabyte (1000 megabytes) memory card is now a popular option
and will allow adequate space on your camera to store your photographs when
you may not have access to a computer.
- Viewfinder. All digital cameras have a digital viewfinder
- a small LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel located on the back of the
camera which make it easy to frame the pictures you want to take. You
can also review pictures you have taken immediately on the screen. However,
these viewfinders suffer in bright light situations and can become difficult
to see, because of this it's a good idea to buy a camera with optical
viewfinder as well.
You should also be aware that the LCD screen is very power hungry and can drain your batteries if used to excess. The larger the LCD screen the more power it will use. So get a model with the smallest screen you're comfortable with.
- Battery life. Digital cameras use up batteries fast as
LCD, zoom, flash and computer downloads are a major drain on power. Consider
a model with a lithium or nicad rechargeable battery and keep a fully
charged spare with you if you're likely to be taking lots of pictures.
Depending on the number of pictures you take in a session you will probably
need to recharge your battery every other session.
Getting an AC adapter is also a good idea when you buy a digital camera, if the model you choose doesn't already have one. You can attach this to the camera when you are viewing your pictures or downloading them to your computer and save some battery power.
- Special features. Special features that will suit your needs should be thought about too before you buy your digital camera. If you want it to have control over exposure and shutter speeds you should be looking at one of the standard plus or advanced models. If you want complete control over the pictures you take you should opt for one of the digital SLR models. A diopter adjustment on the digital camera's viewfinder (a device that allows you focus it - not the lens) will also be beneficial if you regularly wear glasses.
Note: This is NOT an exhaustive list of every thing you should consider when buying a digital camera but with this information under your belt, you should now be able to figure out what you need and get one that suits your needs.
How To Choose A Digital Camera - Video Guides
Here are two excellent video guides to help you choose the right digital camera to meet your needs (They open in a new page so you wont lose this page, they may take a little time to download, so please be patient):
For an explanation of digital camera types click on the thumbnail images below:
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| Standard Compact | Standard Plus Compact | Advanced Digital | Digital SLR |