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Step 1
When buying a digital camera the first thing you need to indentify is what the camera will be used for. A $6,000 Pro Camera is not exactly ideal for a new photographer who wants to take random snapshots while on vacation. On the other hand a 4 megapixel point and shoot camera would not be a good choice to shoot a wedding. Do you shoot people? Nature? Everyday life? Random Snapshots? Determine what you want a camera for and it will help you narrow down your choices.
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Step 2
Once you have determined the type photography you intend to use your brand new camera for, you need to determine a budget. Determine how much you realistically can spend. Don't find out what you "CAN" or "WANT" to spend but rather make a budget for your camera. Doing this will help you find a camera quicker rather than allowing yourself to be talked into spending "just a couple more dollars" to get a feature that serves no real purpose other than being "A Feature".
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Step 3
Once you have made all your decisions it is time to research. I highly recommend researching online for camera information. There is more info on cameras on the internet today than ever before. One good reason for looking online rather than in a store first, is stores often specialize in specific brands of cameras and often push that brand over the competitors based on no real facts. They want to sell you a Nikon because they sell Nikons! Another key reason to research online is due to the fact most "REAL" reviews; not fake youtube videos were someone claims they know what they are talking about, are reviews where the author has thoroughly tested and used the camera being reviewed.
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Step 4
When looking for a new camera, do not buy a camera based on its features hyped about. Most cameras have pointless features that you can live without and some that do help. Please read the following:
Touch screen: This is COOL. Does it help the camera take better pictures? NOPE and Pointless in my book. Put your money elsewhere.
In Camera editing: This is not really a big deal. FREE photo editing software usually comes with the cameras. There are also many different photo editing programs online for free.
Digital Zoom: This feature is the worst thing in the world. Even if you buy a camera with a digital zoom do not use it. You can crop and resize you image on your computer. All a digital zoom does, is crop and resize the image. You lose image quality. Once the image is on your computer then resize and zoom in. Cameras today have a lot of Mega Pixels and can be cropped without losing image quality. -
Step 5
Insanely High Mega Pixels: Ok here is the deal, having a high mega pixel camera (12mp) or higher, is not a bad thing. Most people are often confused at the so called Mega Pixel Myth. Realistically anything or 6MP is fine for most people. A 6MP camera can print a great looking 10X13. Do people print over 10X13....well YES and a 6mp will print fine up to about a 30x40. I shoot a 10mp DSLR and print 40X60 prints. They look spectacular. With this being said, do not run out and buy the highest MP camera you can. You can get a good camera that will shoot 10mp for a great price. If you want to plunk down all your Money to get the highest MP your money can afford, well be my guest.
Durability: This is a good area to look at. Depending on where you will be shooting and what kind of photography you will be shooting will help greatly in determining how durable a camera you need. Some cameras offer drop protection, though it comes with a higher price. This can be a good thing for clumsy people or people who live and active lifestyle. Some cameras are waterproof. There are point and shoot cameras that you can throw in 5 feet of water and they will work just fine. If you vacation in area with water a lot this can be a great thing as water tends to be a killer of cameras. Some cameras are made of different material. If you plan on doing a lot with your camera I would recommend not getting a plastic body. I am not saying they are bad cameras but if you are going to be doing a lot where the camera can get bumped or jarred, a metal type body will be a good thing. -
Step 6
FEATURES CONT:
Movie Shooting: You are buying a camera for vacationing and random clips than this may be a big deal for you. For those people who are shooting photography don't worry about what kind quality the camera shoots. There are cameras that shoot hd video but take so so pictures. Why would you spend all that money to get a camera that takes so so pictures? Focus on the Picture quality not the video quality.
ISO range: This is a good thing to look for. Having a better ISO range can help with the quality of the pictures for all types of photography. A good camera for most people will have from 100-1000. More is good but not needed.
Tilt Screen: Don't need it. A good photographer is always behind his camera. This will no way improve your picture quality.
RAW File Format: if you plan on taking serious pictures and doing serious processing, I recommend looking for this. If not then stay as far away from it as you can. Raw is good as it captures all the data and keep it. When shooting JPEG, the file is compressed and important data is lost. If you are the average person, a normal JPEG image will suit you just fine and will be easier to work with. A RAW image needs special software to process. -
Step 7
FEATURES CONT:
Lens Quality: (does not apply to DSLR cameras) look for reviews that tell about the Lens Quality. Point and Shoot cameras often have lenses that are either Good or Bad. A bad lens will show distortion or warping and Chromatic aberration in the image. Chromatic Aberration is the purple haze or glow around objects in bad lenses. This is not good. ALWAYS ask about the quality of the lens.
Autofocus speed: The faster the better.
Image Stabilization: This is handy. I know some people that take pictures and every one of them is blurry from the person shaking. IS has come a long ways and greatly help especially when using the lens zoomed in all the way. -
Step 8
All things considered there are good features and there are features that are not really needed. Determine the reason for the camera, find out your budget and pick a camera that fits your needs. Do not get the one recommended because it is the latest thing and will pay the salesman the highest commission. It may be that lasts year's model is a better deal for your needs than the current camera.
Keep in mind there are other thing that will help your picture taking that can be purchased with the money saved by getting the right camera for yourself such as: a tripod, a monopod, an external flash, filter, different lenses and a carrying case.
Comments
mikeg21v said
on 11/2/2009 Awesome article. Thank you for being thorough. Buying a camera can be a pain. Thanks! 5* and rec
midcenturymaven said
on 7/30/2009 Helpful tips on what features to look for when buying a digital camera. Thanks for the advice. I'm going to stop using digital zoom from now on.