Photography
PHOTOGRAPHY: Choosing a Digital Camera
By Shelleyrae Cusbert 2005
Sep 10, 2005, 03:07

Choosing a Camera

The best way to choose a camera is to start with identifying what features are most important to you.

• Know what kind of photographer you want to be – are you content to take “happy” snaps or do you think you may want to pursue photography as a hobby or even move into professional photography? The type of photographer you want to be will determine what features you need in your camera. If you are planning to take photography seriously then you will need a camera that allows you manual control.

• Know what kind of photographs you want to take – portrait photographers require different gear to landscape photographers for example. If you are a traveler then your requirements of a camera may include being able to fit in your pocket, if you like taking photos of flowers you will need a camera that can be attached to a tripod for macro shooting.

• Check how the camera feels in your hand. You need to be able to manipulate the important features easily and support the camera.

• 3MP is the minimum recommended resolution– however the more MP you can afford the more flexibility you have in photo editing. For an amateur photographer anything between 3MP and 6MP is ideal.

• Consider accessory costs. The costs of wide and angle and telephoto lenses if desired can add significant costs, as can the price of brand specific lens filters, bags, flashes and more.

• Purchase enough memory so you are not restricted to a smaller resolution. Two 256MB cards are ideal. Having a single very large card such as 1GB increases your risks of losing a significant amount of pictures should the card be lost or damaged. You will need to consider what the camera is capable of in terms of size for a high quality image and determine how many pictures you can take on a single card. Card speed is also important to consider as a faster card speed will reduce the time your camera takes saving an image to the card, allowing you to take shots at a faster speed.

• Make sure you have a spare battery or batteries. There is nothing worse than looking forward to taking some pictures and the battery dies after a handful. Set your charger up somewhere in your home and get into the habit of placing the battery in it after being out with your camera. If you travel you may want to consider a charger system that uses a vehicles cigarette lighter. Generally high quality batteries will last longer than cheaper versions.

• Shop around for the best deal. Many places are happy to add in extras with your purchase, potentially saving you a good deal of cash.

• dpreview.com is an excellent web site for comparing and reviewing models – if you are deciding between a model or two use their side by side comparison chart feature.


Other resources:

shortcourses.com A Short Course in Choosing a Digital Camera






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