Digital Cameras

These days everyone is jumping on the digital camera bandwagon. Offering convenience far greater than film cameras, digital cameras provide a quick and easy way to capture all your favourite moments. However, digital cameras also bring a lot of confusing new terms and it can be difficult to know what you should look for when buying one, so here are a few tips to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.

The buzzword for digital cameras has always been megapixels, and this hasn’t changed in recent years. Everybody wants more megapixels at the expense of everything else. But this isn’t necessarily the right way to go about things. Megapixels are important, but they are only one of the things you should look out for when buying a digital camera.

How many megapixels you need depends on how big you plan on making your photos. If you are just making regular sized 4x6-inch pictures, then you won’t need any more than about 7 megapixels. On the other hand, if you want to make bigger pictures, you will see the benefits of a 9- or 10-megapixel camera.

One of the big things you should look out for is the zoom. You can get some absolutely gigantic zoom lenses on compact cameras. Most models have a regular 3x optical zoom, but it is common to find models with 5x or 10x zoom, and some even go as high as 18x zoom.

The number represents how many times the picture will be magnified. So with a 5x optical zoom, whatever you can see through the lens when you are not zoomed in can be magnified up to five times before you take the shot, allowing you to get much closer than normal to a target. If you just want a camera for party snapshots then a standard 3x optical zoom should be fine, but if you are taking landscape or sporting shots, or just want to be a bit more creative, then you may want something bigger.

Another big difference between cameras is their features list. You can get anything from a totally basic unit with just a few scene modes, to an advanced model that has shutter speed and aperture controls. The key features to look out for are burst mode (this takes many quick shots in a row), ISO sensitivity (how sensitive the camera is to light) and white balance (corrects the colours depending what sort of light you are in). Some more advanced models will offer things like shutter speed (how long the shutter stays open) and aperture (how much light is let into the lens). If you have a unit with a big zoom you should also look for a camera with image stabilisation, which will help stop your shots blurring at high zoom levels.

You should pick a camera based on your needs and skill level. If you’re a more experienced photographer looking to take the next step, then an advanced model with a range of modes and shooting options will suit you. If you just want a happy-snap model there are plenty of great cameras to choose from.

While most cameras these days use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, some still stick with the tried and true AA batteries. Each has their advantages. On one hand, AA batteries can be replaced the second they run out, so you have very little downtime. On the other hand, they tend not to last as long as lithium-ion units and since you have to buy new ones each time they can wind up costing more.

Digital cameras come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. There are fashionable, petite models that slip into your bag, all the way up to behemoth advanced models with large zoom lenses and jutting grips. If you’re after something that’s easily portable, you will likely have to sacrifice some features. If, on the other hand, you want something more robust and are less concerned about how big it is, you can go for something a bit more powerful. The size of the optical zoom is also important here, as a big zoom lens takes up a lot of space.

Depending on the brand and type of camera you buy, the type of flash memory used to store your pictures will be different. If you previously owned a digital camera and are upgrading, you may want to try and find one that uses the same sort of card.

If you are a first time buyer, note that some flash memory cards are more widely used than others. SD cards tend to be supported in a whole variety of devices, while Sony’s Memory Stick will only go in Sony brand products. If you have or are thinking of buying other devices that will use flash memory, try to find something that is compatible.

There is also another type of digital camera available called a digital SLR. SLR stands for Single-Lens Reflex, and refers to a special kind of digital camera that is designed for more advanced users. These cameras have detachable lenses and tend to use a viewfinder rather than an LCD screen to frame shots. They offer a whole host of advanced features well beyond what you will find on a regular digital camera, and are great for the experienced photographer. One downside to digital SLRs is that they are very large.