Let's get
something straight right out of the box. If you're looking to buy a new
digital camera, you don't really have to be an expert in pixels and mega
pixels and all that kind of stuff. If you expect to find that kind of deep
technical discussion here, you're in the wrong place.
Actually,
there's a whole lot of stuff you don't really need to know before
tackling the daunting task of choosing the right digital camera for you.
First of all,
forget all the high-tech jargon. It's mostly a lot of sales hype anyway.
Choosing a good unit is pretty simple really...pretty much all you have to
remember is that the higher the mega pixel rating on the front of the
camera, the bigger picture you can make without it breaking up into little
chunks (called pixels) and most likely the more cash it's likely going to
pry out of your pocket. Each model has an array of techno-widgets that go by
different names but they all have the same basic focus, to help you take a
better picture.
I have a quick (and admittedly simplistic) overview of the
pixel story. The shot on the left on my web page
http://www.great-nature-photography.com/digital-cameras.html
is one I took with a high pixel rating and the one on the
right was with a much lower rating. They've been enlarged way beyond what
you would normally do, but I do have a point to make here. If you look
carefully you can see there's a terrific difference in the way they look or,
in the 'resolution'. The image on the right has already broken up into small
pieces (pixels) (I hope) you can readily see. The picture on the left was
magnified several times more than the one on the right which should give you
an idea of how big you can enlarge it and still retain a fairly decent
result. By the way, these shots are of a very, very small piece of a picture
I took of snapdragons in our front yard.
A camera with a 5.0 mega pixel rating or higher can produce
a decent 16X20 print but one with a 2.0 mega pixel rating or lower should be
restricted to a maximum of 4X6 prints. For the most part, you won't be happy
with pictures any larger than 4X6 from the lower rated camera.
Okay, Let's Pick A Camera...
Well, I have my favorites and my not-so favorites.
When I looked at all the digital cameras available, I was
more than a little astounded at the vast selection of available equipment.
It seems that every company that’s ever heard the word “computer” has jumped
on the bandwagon. It seems they lay their hands on some lenses, wrap a
computerized box around them, added a few techno-widgets and bingo, instant
digital camera! What can you say...it's money in the bank!
Where did I start looking? Well, I went back to my tried and
true method of buying a film camera that I talk about later. It’s always
worked for me and didn’t let me down this time either.
My personal digital camera finally wound up to be an Olympus
C-5050. By the way, in my opinion Olympus didn't do themselves or their
customers any favors by dumping the f1.8 lens on the C-5060.
I chose this camera for the fast f1.8 lens and ease
of use. I'm lazy at best and wanted a unit that's going to do most of the
work for me while leaving me with the option of doing what I want to do when
I want to do it.
This unit has all the automatic features I'll ever need but
I also have the ability to set up the camera completely manually. I can
still do minimum depth-of-field work among other things. I never want to
completely lose control to a mindless computer although they do have their
uses at times.
The first thing I did after I opened the box was print off
the user manual - all 265 pages of it! I figured I had done my duty by it
and promptly ignored it.
After very quickly killing my first two sets of
“high-capacity” alkaline batteries, I sprung for a couple sets of
Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) rechargeables. Not only did they last longer
but it was a heck of a lot cheaper than replacing the alkalines every darn
time I picked up the camera.
It boils me to have to admit this but I actually had to go
back to the user manual. I wasn't getting the results I wanted and there was
also some 'stuff' on the camera I had no clue about using. The moral of this
story is that you're gonna have to at least have a nodding acquaintance with
your user manual. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.
Back to choosing a camera...
Throughout the years I've learned that if a camera 'fit' my
hand it worked well for me. It may sound a little strange at first but just
think about it. If you're handling something that feels awkward, your
results are going to look like it. I had a Mamiya RB-67 for a lot of years.
It was a big, ungainly unit but it was a good 'fit' for me and produced a
great image. I also used a Hasselblad for quite a while but I much preferred
the Mamiya and it gave me better results than the Hasselblad. (Don't tell
Hasselblad lovers I said this, they'll kill me!)
So, rule of thumb...if it fits your hand nicely, if the main
controls are handy to your fingers, if it has the mega pixel number you want
and falls within your budget, you can be pretty confident this will do the
job you want it to do. Oh yes, if it's a brand you've never heard of before,
be very, very wary. It may work well and it may not. If it doesn't, there
may not be any tech backup for you to be able to access.
The major camera companies spend lots of money developing
new photo technologies. Although the latest techno-widgets go by different
names, they all have the same goal, to make your pictures look as good as
possible.
Pretty well every company in the world that has even come
close to producing a good digital camera has gotten into the "SLR Wars".
Single lens reflex cameras dominated the photo market for
years until digital technology hit the market. Because of design and price
limitations, SLR technology has not been widely available in the
non-professional digital cameras until the last year or so.
The furious pace of technological developments has
completely overtaken the market and even professional photographers are
being boggled trying to keep up.
Remember the old Nikon F2? It was the major link in the
Nikon chain of professional cameras for over 10 years! This was pretty much
the norm until the computer hit the photographic industry big time.
Changes used to come slowly and deliberately and it wasn't
hard to keep up with the latest and greatest when major new developments
came along only two or three times in a decade. The battle now is to produce
digital cameras that operate faster, can be sold cheaper and will produce a
better picture. Severe competition even exists within the same corporate
structure where teams of developers do their utmost to 'outgun' other camera
designers who work in the same building as they do!
Nikon has a distinct advantage over many of the other
manufacturers in that owners of some of the older series of Nikon lenses can
use them with the new digital bodies, a tremendous dollar saving to the
photographer.
Most of this rapid development is focused on the
professional photographer. But, with technology changing as rapidly as it
is, a camera technology that sells for several thousands of dollars today
will undoubtedly become available to people like you and me in the next
couple of years for a whole lot less money.
One of the hardest jobs a new camera buyer will have is
determine which of the new techno-widgets does the best job and is the best
value.
One thing to keep in mind about camera features…they all
have the same job and that’s to help you take a better photo.
Picture this if you will. If you lined up 10 cameras from
different manufacturers, each with similar basic features, took the same
picture with each, I think even the camera manufacturers would have a tough
time picking out which of the resulting photos came from their units.
Getting feedback from all kinds of users is one very
excellent use of newsgroups. Serious photographers, amateur and professional
both, love to talk about their latest 'toys'. This is a good way to spend
time and a good place to ask questions and (sometimes) get intelligent
answers.
Don't wait until you've made the investment to start
doing your homework.
Another rule of thumb, if you're happy with a particular
brand name already, my suggestion is to stick with it. You'll probably be
more satisfied in the long run.
Now, having said all that, there are currently five search
engine 'favorite' companies among the people looking for information on the
Internet, Sony, Canon, Olympus, Kodak and Nikon in this order of popularity.
Of this group, Sony is the only one with no prior experience in camera
building before digital.
Understanding how to set your camera's resolution is
absolutely vital. There's no shortcut and there's no way around it. This is
the core of taking a good, reproducible photograph. If, for instance, your
camera is set for 240X360, you can forget making any kind of decent print
above a 'thumbnail' size.
The low-end cameras are not a bargain if you're looking for
good photo reproduction. Labs are constantly arguing with customers who
submit low resolution digital images from a cheap camera for printing and
then aren't happy with the results. They simply don't understand why the
pictures from their brand new digital camera are so lousy. Lenses and the
type of digital image recording technology are also critical factors.
I won't get into the technical details of why but I will
suggest you consider spending in the $250 to $400 range if you want
something that will satisfy you.
Let’s spend a few minutes on lenses. Pretty well all of the
digital cameras these days have a form of zoom lens. Most of the higher-end
cameras have the capability for the user to add either an external telephoto
or wide-angle lens. Depending on the type of photography you want to do will
determine whether or not this is of value to you.
One thing to watch out for. The higher end cameras have very
good glass lenses. It’s part of what you're paying for. The lower-end units
have progressively less expensive lenses and consequently, a lower image
definition.
There are both optical and digital zoom capabilities on
digital cameras. The term "optical zoom" simply means you're using the glass
lenses to do the magnification. "Digital zoom" on the other hand simply
increases the size of the pixels to make the image larger. For reasons of
image clarity, the optical zoom is a far better way to go.
One last note - if you run across the "best deal in town" on
a very low-priced name brand camera, check to make sure it isn't badly
out-dated. Buying well-priced clearance stock is okay if it isn't too old.
In this computer age, pretty well anything over a year old is considered
'old technology'. As new technologies are developed the price keeps going
down so you could actually be money ahead by investing in the 'latest and
greatest'.
Always keep in mind the old adage that 'you usually get what
you pay for.
If you go to a 'box' store looking for the best price, don't
expect service. The folks there simply don't know what they're selling.
Their job is to move as much merchandise as they can as quickly as possible.
It's not to give you advice.
Go to the Internet to get the latest data directly from the
manufacturers. It changes very, very quickly. When you do this, try to climb
through all the sales hype to get to the 'meat' of what the cameras are all
about. Newsgroups can also a very excellent source of advice for 'newbies'.
Most people will be very happy to give you their personal
opinion of what you should buy. Just remember, they won't usually tell you
what the downside to their purchase is. They don't want to look less than
'expert' in your eyes. Do your own homework. This is an investment you
probably won't repeat for several years.
A specialty camera store on the other hand gives the buyer
both service and product and usually very well. Keep in mind that the
specialty store personnel are quite often very highly trained and will
probably be well prepared to help you find the best equipment for you and
will also give you a 'leg-up' in getting started using it.
We need to spend a couple of moments on storage media.
Whatever size media card you stick in your camera will determine the number
of pictures you can take and store. It's like a roll of film, the bigger the
roll the more pictures you can take. Digital images are no different. The
greater the number of available megabytes (Mb), the higher the number of
pictures you can take.
A word of caution - never, never, never leave your media
card in a photo lab. The incidence of loss is high and most labs won't
replace lost cards. Quite frankly, I don't blame them. Far, far too many
false claims have been made and labs now refuse to take any responsibility
for your memory cards.
That’s it for now. Keep your film dry your lenses clean!
Gordon
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Gordon has been involved in the photo industry in one way or
another for over 30 years. Long after he stopped using his mother's pie
plates as developing trays in the family bathroom, among other things, he
owned his own photo lab and professional studio for a number of years.
See more at:
http://www.great-nature-photography.com
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