By Peter Martin Jones
Digital photography has taken the world by storm, with millions of digital cameras being sold and used every day. However, getting started doesn't mean having to bankrupt yourself or learn complex new skills. If you haven't used a digital camera before, or if you're trading up from a camera phone or film camera, you'll be amazed at how user-friendly the latest models are.
The biggest difference in using a digital camera is the built in LCD screen, which you can use to frame your shots perfectly (no more cut-off heads as with many film cameras!). You can choose your settings and, best of all, review your shots instantly on the screen. Forget waiting for days and spending all that money developing film, now you can view and share images just seconds after you've shot them. If they don't come out as good as you'd hoped, you can simply delete them and try again.
Today's digital cameras come in all shapes and sizes, from pocket-friendly camera phones to top of the range models packed with features and long zoom lenses.
Cheaper cameras can take great snaps and even movie clips. More expensive cameras have dozens of high end features like the Samsung Pro815 A with a larger zoom lens that lets you get close to the action, and its manual controls will really let loose your creativity.
Most digital cameras store their images on tiny memory cards, making it simple to transfer them to your computer. Once on your PC, you can fix problems like red-eye, boost colours and edit your images to print out on as greeting cards, send as e-mail or even create your very own picture gallery website.
Printing your images is just as straightforward. Home photo printers can now produce glossy colour prints that rival anything you can get from a traditional photo lab for price and quality, and printing can be as easy as popping your memory card in the printer or attaching a cable - no computer required.
Although modern digital cameras are generally very easy to use, they make use of highly sophisticated technology. Here's a guide to the components and features you'll find on most of today's cameras.
The Camera Lens
The most important part of any camera is the lens. A high quality lens will give sharper images and let you shoot in dimmer conditions. On a standard camera, look for at least a 3 x optical zoom to get in close. For extra flexibility, look for a longer optical zoom - 10x or more is great for wildlife and sports photography. Don't be fooled by digital zoom - it only zooms in at the expense of image quality.
LCD screen
Almost all digital cameras have colour LCDs, but some are much brighter and sharper than others. As a general rule, displays over 2 inches in size are easier to frame your shots with and great for playing back images to check your results. If you prefer the older screen + direct viewfinder, check that the camera has these features as the direct finder is now being phased out in favour of bigger screens. However the larger screen only models do make viewing your shots much easier.
Camera Handling
Before committing yourself to purchasing a digital camera, visit a camera shop and actually handle a few models to see how they feel. It should feel comfortable in your hands. Some models have very small buttons making it difficult to operate for people with large fingers or those with arthritic problems.
Also it is important to view the screen in sunny conditions - some lower quality LCD screens can look washed out. Also check to ensure that the screen is large enough for you to see the image clearly. This is particularly important for people with less than 20 - 20 vision. Even if you decide to purchase your camera online, visit a store first to check out and handle the camera and then buy it online if you can buy it cheaper there.
Flash
Flash is essential if you want to take pictures indoors or at night. Most cameras come with a built-in flash these days, including a red-eye reduction feature to avoid glowing red eyes in portrait shots.
Sensor chip
At the heart of every digital camera is an electronic chip that turns light into digital information. The more information the chip can create, the higher the camera's resolution measured in megapixels. A 3 or 4 megapixel (3 or 4 MP) chip, found in cheaper cameras, is perfect for day-to-day snaps printed at traditional postcard sizes.
The better quality cameras in this category will produce quite acceptable prints up to A4. However higher resolution sensors will give better quality and let you print poster-sized photos at A3 sizes and above. Generally speaking the higher the resolution (Mega Pixel size) of the camera, the higher it's cost and the bigger the print you can make.
Digital photography has taken the world by storm, with millions of digital cameras being sold and used every day. However, getting started doesn't mean having to bankrupt yourself or learn complex new skills. If you haven't used a digital camera before, or if you're trading up from a camera phone or film camera, you'll be amazed at how user-friendly the latest models are.
The biggest difference in using a digital camera is the built in LCD screen, which you can use to frame your shots perfectly (no more cut-off heads as with many film cameras!). You can choose your settings and, best of all, review your shots instantly on the screen. Forget waiting for days and spending all that money developing film, now you can view and share images just seconds after you've shot them. If they don't come out as good as you'd hoped, you can simply delete them and try again.
Today's digital cameras come in all shapes and sizes, from pocket-friendly camera phones to top of the range models packed with features and long zoom lenses.
Cheaper cameras can take great snaps and even movie clips. More expensive cameras have dozens of high end features like the Samsung Pro815 A with a larger zoom lens that lets you get close to the action, and its manual controls will really let loose your creativity.
Most digital cameras store their images on tiny memory cards, making it simple to transfer them to your computer. Once on your PC, you can fix problems like red-eye, boost colours and edit your images to print out on as greeting cards, send as e-mail or even create your very own picture gallery website.
Printing your images is just as straightforward. Home photo printers can now produce glossy colour prints that rival anything you can get from a traditional photo lab for price and quality, and printing can be as easy as popping your memory card in the printer or attaching a cable - no computer required.
Although modern digital cameras are generally very easy to use, they make use of highly sophisticated technology. Here's a guide to the components and features you'll find on most of today's cameras.
The Camera Lens
The most important part of any camera is the lens. A high quality lens will give sharper images and let you shoot in dimmer conditions. On a standard camera, look for at least a 3 x optical zoom to get in close. For extra flexibility, look for a longer optical zoom - 10x or more is great for wildlife and sports photography. Don't be fooled by digital zoom - it only zooms in at the expense of image quality.
LCD screen
Almost all digital cameras have colour LCDs, but some are much brighter and sharper than others. As a general rule, displays over 2 inches in size are easier to frame your shots with and great for playing back images to check your results. If you prefer the older screen + direct viewfinder, check that the camera has these features as the direct finder is now being phased out in favour of bigger screens. However the larger screen only models do make viewing your shots much easier.
Camera Handling
Before committing yourself to purchasing a digital camera, visit a camera shop and actually handle a few models to see how they feel. It should feel comfortable in your hands. Some models have very small buttons making it difficult to operate for people with large fingers or those with arthritic problems.
Also it is important to view the screen in sunny conditions - some lower quality LCD screens can look washed out. Also check to ensure that the screen is large enough for you to see the image clearly. This is particularly important for people with less than 20 - 20 vision. Even if you decide to purchase your camera online, visit a store first to check out and handle the camera and then buy it online if you can buy it cheaper there.
Flash
Flash is essential if you want to take pictures indoors or at night. Most cameras come with a built-in flash these days, including a red-eye reduction feature to avoid glowing red eyes in portrait shots.
Sensor chip
At the heart of every digital camera is an electronic chip that turns light into digital information. The more information the chip can create, the higher the camera's resolution measured in megapixels. A 3 or 4 megapixel (3 or 4 MP) chip, found in cheaper cameras, is perfect for day-to-day snaps printed at traditional postcard sizes.
The better quality cameras in this category will produce quite acceptable prints up to A4. However higher resolution sensors will give better quality and let you print poster-sized photos at A3 sizes and above. Generally speaking the higher the resolution (Mega Pixel size) of the camera, the higher it's cost and the bigger the print you can make.
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