How To Properly Evaluate Digital Cameras Before Buying!
Posted on 18. Aug, 2008 by vincent manga in Photography
Most people when buying a digital camera really don't know what to look out for. Let's face it, most of us are not particularly tech savvy, so we have to rely upon what other supposedly tech savvy people advise us on. It really is essential that you know what you're buying when it comes to buying a digital camera, so in this article we will discuss the most important factors to lookout for and what to avoid.
A digital camera's megapixels
Generally speaking, the more megapixels a digital camera has the better quality photos it will be able to produce. It is true that with the higher end cameras or 8 to 12 megapixels, the quality of the digital cameras lenses will also play an important role, but for digital cameras of 6 and below megapixels, the number of megapixels is generally the most important factor in the quality of the digital pictures it produces.
When comparing digital cameras by the number of megapixels they are capable of, you will need to look closely at the small print on the digital camera or in the digital cameras manual. You may find that the camera is in reality capable of less megapixels then it leads you to believe.
Here's what I mean, it is normal for digital cameras to have the number of megapixels they are capable of printed on them in big print, however quite often you will also find printed in relatively small print underneath the big print something like, five megapixels software enhanced to six megapixels. This will never be the same as a true six megapixel camera and will not be capable of the same quality as a true six megapixel camera would.
A digital camera's zoom
You're going to have to decide just how much zoom your camera will need, for this think about the type of photography you want to take with the camera, if a lot of long-distance photos are going to be taken, obviously more zoom will be very useful.
There are two kinds of zoom, optical and digital. Optical zoom zooms in using lenses within the camera, so there will be no quality lost. Where as digital zoom on the other hand will simply make your pictures bigger and so will lose you are lot of picture quality.
Many digital cameras here too can be misleading since they will often state the maximum digital zoom in big letters on the camera without actually stating that it is in fact digital zoom, they will of course tell you that it is digital zoom so as to cover themselves legally but again only with very small print nearby.
Personally digital zoom isn't of much use at all! You see, it's much better to digitally make your image bigger at home on your computer, since by doing so you will be able to see how much picture quality you will have to give up and you will just have so much more control. Not to mention the fact that you will still have your original photograph at full quality.
The powersupply for your digital camera:
The powersupply is something greatly ignored when people buy digital cameras. People just don't consider it, yet when you think about it having a reliable power source for your digital camera is vital to make sure you don't ever run out of power right when you need your digital camera most.
A lot of the lower end digital cameras will simply use AA or AAA rechargeable batteries, this isn't necessarily a bad thing since AA and AAA batteries are very cheap these days, you just need to make sure you have plenty of spare sets charged and ready to use when you need them.
Pretty much all of the higher end more professional digital cameras utilize their own specific powersupply. The powersupply will normally be lithium-based and in many cases can be quite expensive.
They will generally give you the advantage of lasting longer, however it is still wise to have at least one spare pack charged and ready to go with you at all times. When considering price on different cameras remember to take into account the added price for battery packs in the future.
A few digital cameras have the capability of being able to take both their own specific battery pack and normal AA or AAA rechargeable batteries you can find at any supermarket.
When comparing different digital camera models remember to take into account all of these details. You should also read up on camera reviews on the different digital camera models you are reviewing to see how each camera compares to each other.
This is especially important if you are buying a high-end digital camera, since as I have mentioned there are other factors such as the digital cameras lenses that will affect the quality of the pictures the digital camera takes.
