How to Buy a Digital Camera

Contributor

By Richard Burke
eHow Contributing Writer

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(23 Ratings)

Point-and-Shoot Camera

There are so many different types and manufacturers of digital cameras today that it can be tough to make a decision. Before looking at the camera’s specifications, it is important to understand your requirements from a digital camera. Do you just need the camera for website images? If so, you don’t need to buy the highest resolution camera. Do you plan to print your images? If so, what is the largest size print you will need? Are you looking for a camera to replace your old film camera? Do you need different lenses? Ask these and other questions that will help you refine your needs. People selling cameras will always try to “sell up” and they always have “deals." Understanding your requirements will help you negotiate their sales pitches. Do your research online before entering a camera store--and follow the tips below to help you define your requirements.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

The Internet
Patience

Step 1

Point and Shoot Camera

What type of camera do you want? Even small digital cameras like the Canon Powershot SD1100 have resolution of 7.1 megapixels offering high quality. Do you want a camera you can carry in your pocket or purse? Do you need multiple lenses? What sort of zoom capabilities do you need? Explore the websites of the camera manufactures to understand and explore the capabilities of the cameras you are considering. There are basically three types of digital cameras. First there are cameras that come with your phone, which have fairly low resolution and can be frustrating to use. The second types are compact digital cameras or "point-and-shoot" cameras that offer many features and resolution choices and are small enough to carry in your pocket. The third types are digital SLR cameras which are full-featured cameras that look like old analog 35mm cameras and offer many different lenses and accessories.
Step 2

Pixels

What are your resolution requirements? Digital camera manufacturers describe resolution in terms of megapixels. A megapixel is equal to one million pixels. A pixel is the smallest component of an image, but the pixel also carries color and intensity information. Sometimes pixel information is presented by a grid expression like 800 x 600 resolution which is 480,000 pixels The higher the megapixel number, the higher the resolution and also the higher the cost. A 6 megapixel camera is roughly equivalent to a 35mm film camera. This will allow you to print images with clarity up to 11 by 14 inches.
Step 3

Camera Controls

What sort of controls do you need? Most digital cameras, including digital SLR cameras, offer a variety of automatic shooting modes. If you are taking a portrait, choose the portrait setting and shoot away. However, many of these cameras do not offer many manual controls. Do you need to control shutter speed to blur or freeze motion? Do you need to adjust ISO sensitivity to shoot in low-light conditions? Do you need to control the f-stop to adjust depth of field? Professional and advanced amateur photographers want to be able to control these factors and will frequently choose a digital SLR because these features are included. This doesn’t mean that it is the right choice for you. Personally, I think everybody needs two digital cameras: one for the pocket and one for the camera bag.
Step 4

Camera Lens

What sort of focal range do you need? One of the more confusing specifications is the listing of optical zoom and digital zoom. Optical zoom is the focal range that is produced by the camera's optics. On a digital SLR you actually zoom using the lens much in the same way you would on a film SLR camera. The range is adjusted by moving an element inside the lens that adjusts the focal range. Optical zoom produces clearer images than digital zoom in which the zoom is created by algorithms. When purchasing a point-and-shoot camera select the one that has the best optical zoom. Also keep in mind that the more zoomed in you are on a subject, the more camera shake will impact the clearness of the image. Consider image stabilization features on digital SLR lenses above 200MM.
Step 5

Digital SLR

Do you need to be able to focus manually? Anyone who uses a digital camera will tell you that sometimes auto focus just doesn’t work. Auto focus uses contrast information to help make the focus, and if there are heavy contrasts in the center of the image area it may have trouble focusing. Some point-and-shoot cameras and all Digital SLR cameras allow you to manually focus.
Step 6

Do you need to adjust white balance? White balance is the way the digital camera sets the white point allowing for the pure creation of color. Most people leave white balance set on auto and never adjust it. There may be times that you will want to change the white balance. This is especially true when shooting vivid colors. All digital SLR cameras and many point-and-shoot cameras allow for the manual adjustment of white balance. If you are just buying a camera for family snapshots this may not be a needed feature, but if you plan to approach photography seriously, you should consider white balance control as a needed option.

Comments

liljdy84 said

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on 10/12/2009 This was so helpful, I'm in the market for a new camera since my old one is no more...turns out sand and camera don't really get along. I wonder if there is a camera that is sand proof.

tracysmith159 said

on 9/22/2009 Thanks for the tips on buying a new digital camera. I'm looking to get a new one soon for the fall picture. I love living in the smoky mountain and I want to start sharing what I see.