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PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
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Photo "Quick Tip" #18:
WHICH CAMERA TO BUY? 5 Important Things to Consider Before Purchasing Your Next Camera
WHICH CAMERA TO BUY? 5 Important Things to Consider Before Purchasing Your Next Camera
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Article by Nathan Anderson FreePhotoCourse.com Staff Writer/Photographer all rights reserved I'm buying a new camera, but what's most important? Megapixels...Optical Zoom... Digital Zoom... DSLR... Point & Shoot... Battery Life??? A visitor to our site recently wrote to us with the following question. “I'm in the market for a new camera and keep getting bogged-down in the technical details. Every time I think I'm ready to decide on which camera to purchase, I end-up changing my mind because there's word that the manufacturer is planning to release an ever higher megapixel version in the near future. Arghh! How important are megapixels and what about the other things like optical vs digital zoom, point & shoot vs dslr...I'm so confused. Please help! |
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Yes, I'll admit that even camera experts can get "bogged-down" in the details, as you say. It seems as though the major camera manufacturers constantly throw new goodies into their products and with each new model, increase one thing or another that will supposedly result in what we all really want and expect - the best pictures possible. Right?
Well, let me try to make your decision easier by summarizing five things you really need to know about buying a new camera, to help you choose the best one to suit your individual needs. That way you can be most fair to your wallet, most confident in your decision and most creative with your picture-taking.
"...resolution is not necessarily synonymous with clarity. Resolution
is dictated by pixel depth. Clarity is influenced by lens quality,
image processor and proper use of the camera itself...
1. Megapixels and Resolution
Perhaps the title of this tip should be titled "Megapixels and Clarity", because the term resolution is a bit misleading. Let me explain. In my previous article "What is a Megapixel", I suggested that digital cameras produce pictures that are comprised of millions of tiny dots, each dot being a pixel. An 18 Megapixel camera produces a picture using around 18,000,000 (18 million) dots. The more dots, the higher the resolution.
That's easy enough to understand. But the logic becomes increasingly fuzzy when you blindly opt for the camera with the highest Megapixel capacity, favored over certain other even more important considerations. The advice here is simple. Unless you are a professional photographer or plan to crop the heck out of most of your pictures, the practical difference between 12 MP (Megapixels) and 24 MP is a non-issue and is certainly not something that should sway your decision very much.
Think about it this way; a meager 2 MP camera (very old school!!) is adequate to print 4"x6" photos at a standard 300 dpi resolution. Try to print anything larger than that and you will actually see the pixels (the image becomes noisy or pixellated). A 6 MP camera will produce images that are acceptable as 8"x10" prints. Having said this, you would be hard-pressed to find any camera on a store shelf in today's market with a resolution that low, unless you were at a second-hand or pawn shop.
Almost all of the new models of cameras being sold these days have a minimum resolution of 10 or more Megapixels. (You can still find some new cameras with 5-8 MP, but they are generally kids' toy cameras, cell phone cameras or very low-end point-and-shoots in the $60 and under category.) Consider that a 10 MP camera will produce images that will reproduce beautiful enlargements up to 12"x18". They will also show-up with life-like crispness on any size digital frame or computer monitor. So, you see, most average picture-takers will notice very little difference between a 10 MP camera and one that has far more pixels and a much higher price tag.
The final point here is that resolution is not necessarily synonymous with clarity. Resolution is dictated by pixel depth. Clarity is influenced by lens quality, image processor and proper use of the camera itself.
Bottom Line: Don't wait for the next model with "even higher resolution" and think twice before shelling-out more money for more Megapixels! 10-14 MP chips will produce very well-defined resolution that is more than acceptable for most amateur photographers and photo-enthusiasts.
Well, let me try to make your decision easier by summarizing five things you really need to know about buying a new camera, to help you choose the best one to suit your individual needs. That way you can be most fair to your wallet, most confident in your decision and most creative with your picture-taking.
"...resolution is not necessarily synonymous with clarity. Resolution
is dictated by pixel depth. Clarity is influenced by lens quality,
image processor and proper use of the camera itself...
1. Megapixels and Resolution
Perhaps the title of this tip should be titled "Megapixels and Clarity", because the term resolution is a bit misleading. Let me explain. In my previous article "What is a Megapixel", I suggested that digital cameras produce pictures that are comprised of millions of tiny dots, each dot being a pixel. An 18 Megapixel camera produces a picture using around 18,000,000 (18 million) dots. The more dots, the higher the resolution.
That's easy enough to understand. But the logic becomes increasingly fuzzy when you blindly opt for the camera with the highest Megapixel capacity, favored over certain other even more important considerations. The advice here is simple. Unless you are a professional photographer or plan to crop the heck out of most of your pictures, the practical difference between 12 MP (Megapixels) and 24 MP is a non-issue and is certainly not something that should sway your decision very much.
Think about it this way; a meager 2 MP camera (very old school!!) is adequate to print 4"x6" photos at a standard 300 dpi resolution. Try to print anything larger than that and you will actually see the pixels (the image becomes noisy or pixellated). A 6 MP camera will produce images that are acceptable as 8"x10" prints. Having said this, you would be hard-pressed to find any camera on a store shelf in today's market with a resolution that low, unless you were at a second-hand or pawn shop.
Almost all of the new models of cameras being sold these days have a minimum resolution of 10 or more Megapixels. (You can still find some new cameras with 5-8 MP, but they are generally kids' toy cameras, cell phone cameras or very low-end point-and-shoots in the $60 and under category.) Consider that a 10 MP camera will produce images that will reproduce beautiful enlargements up to 12"x18". They will also show-up with life-like crispness on any size digital frame or computer monitor. So, you see, most average picture-takers will notice very little difference between a 10 MP camera and one that has far more pixels and a much higher price tag.
The final point here is that resolution is not necessarily synonymous with clarity. Resolution is dictated by pixel depth. Clarity is influenced by lens quality, image processor and proper use of the camera itself.
Bottom Line: Don't wait for the next model with "even higher resolution" and think twice before shelling-out more money for more Megapixels! 10-14 MP chips will produce very well-defined resolution that is more than acceptable for most amateur photographers and photo-enthusiasts.
2. The Importance of the Lens
When I recently purchased a new cell phone I found it somewhat amusing that the salesperson couldn't seem to get over his apparent obsession with the resolution of the on-board camera. He kept repeating the phrase "10 Megapixel chip" as though it was his meditative mantra. In reality, I couldn't help but laugh to myself about the absurdity of equipping such a crude and cheap "lens" with such a sophisticated CMOS image sensor. Talk about dumbing-down technology!
Cell phones have cheap plastic lenses that are about the size of a match head. They take pictures that are somewhat acceptable under the most ideal outdoor daylight shooting conditions, but the picture quality deteriorates rapidly as available light is dampened. The problem is not the sensor, but the lens. The poor quality optics virtually ensure terrible barrel distortion and skewing. The miniscule dot of a lens reduces the amount of light entering the "camera", so that the camera performs poorly in average or low light conditions. These devices have to amplify the meager light entering the lens to such a degree that noise is apparent in any indoor shots. Either that or slow-down the shutter to speeds that produce blur.
This serves as a reminder that serious photographers and photo-enthusiasts always think about LIGHT as the one most important factor in any type of photography. Always look at the diameter of the lens. The smaller the lens diameter, the less light gets in. This is different from photographing with a wide lens and a small aperture. There's a reason you never see professional photographers shooting with tiny lenses. This is also the reason that the widest of lenses fetch handsome prices...they can produce images that have such beautiful clarity that they can name the price and are worth the money.
Bottom Line: If you are serious about photography, when deciding on your next camera, look at the front of it before looking at the viewfinder.
For Point & Shoot Cameras: If you want a camera that gives you better overall picture clarity and flexibility in less-than-perfect lighting conditions, the lens should be at least the diameter of the quarter in your pocket.
For DSLR Cameras: If the camera comes with a "kit lens", ask the salesperson how it compares to other lenses of similar focal length made by the same manufacturer. You may get a really good deal on a DSLR with a basic kit lens, but for one or two hundred dollars more, you might be able to get a wider diameter lens that is in a whole different category in terms of optical quality and flexibility.
3. Optical Zoom VS Digital Zoom
This one is really easy. Ignore the "Digital Zoom" nonsense. Digital zoom is not zooming at all. Your lens is the only thing that can truly "zoom into" a subject to make it appear closer and larger than it actually is in real distance and that is what optical zoom is all about. On the other hand, digital zoom merely takes a smaller portion of the available picture and crops it so that it seems like the camera zoomed-in. It didn't. Digital zoom is useless because it necessarily decreases the effective pixel depth of your image sensor. For example, if you have a 14 Megapixel camera and are using a digital zoom by a factor of 2X (ie. things appear twice as close as they are in reality), you are now shooting with only 7 effective Megapixels. If you are using 10X digital zoom, you are now shooting with the equivalent of a 1.4 Megapixel camera. Not real impressive.
If zooming-in close from a long distance is important to the type of photography you wish to do, such as wildlife pictures, then you either need a DSLR with a 300mm or greater zoom lens or a Point & Shoot with a 12X or greater optical zoom.
Bottom Line: Ignore the Digital Zoom nonsense. If you need to zoom in for your individual style of photography, you need true Optical Zoom.
4. DSLR VS Point & Shoot
Far more Point & Shoot cameras are manufactured and sold than DSLR's (Digital Single Lens Reflex), but may reflect the cost differential as much as the fact that many people simply opt for the convenience of compactness over bulkiness - and - simplicity over complexity. Which one is better? It really depends on what type of photographer you are and what type of photography you want to pursue.
DSLR Cameras have the following advantages:
Provide a true view of what the lens 'sees' through a real glass viewfinder
Provide ultimate in creative control through easy to access manual focus and exposure controls
Provide superior optics in the form of interchangeable lenses
Provide higher quality image sensor chips and image processing technology
Allow for more experimental photography, such as ultra high-speed, slow-shutter and long-exposure projects
Accept the widest diameter lenses for maximum light, clarity and extremely shallow depth of field
Provide best movie functions at true HD resolution/frames-per-second with truer movie picture and sound quality
Point & Shoot Cameras have the following advantages:
Ultimate in convenience; everything is built into one device with no need for extra lenses, etc.
Option to get the smallest cameras available that fit into tiny pockets
Wide angle to extreme zoom is available in some "ultra zoom" models
Some models accept highly-available AA batteries which can be more convenient
Inconspicuous - good idea for people doing street photography
Generally less expensive than DSLR's; some models are relatively very inexpensive
Bottom Line: DSLR for more serious photographers; Point & Shoot for convenience
5. Batteries and Memory Card Options
As far as batteries are concerned, if you are looking for a good all-around basic camera for traveling and vacations, you should consider a Point & Shoot that accepts AA batteries. AA batteries are available around the world at just about any convenience store, tourist trap or gas station. Cameras that have dedicated specialized rechargeable batteries may not be the best idea for the casual photographer who loves to shoot while on vacation.
On the other hand, this can get expensive and keep in mind that some manufacturers of cameras that accept AA batteries do not support their warranty if rechargeable batteries are used, as their fluctuating voltage of some off-brands can damage the delicate electronics. This means that you will either go through a lot of AA alkaline batteries or will spend quite a few dollars on the longer-lasting but highly expensive single use AA lithium batteries. Some Point & Shoot cameras absolutely eat batteries and use them up at an astounding rate of as little as 200 frames per 2 AA batteries.
Keep in mind that DSLR cameras do not have AA options. They all have their own dedicated rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries that generally hold a much longer charge than the versions that come with Point & Shoot cameras. Professional photographers routinely purchase 2 or more of these specialized rechargeable batteries so that they do not run out of power during any type of shoot; be it on location, at a wedding or in the studio. Then again, some DSLR cameras have supplied batteries that will last as massively long as over 1,000 frames per charge.
As far as memory cards are concerned, most cameras use SD cards. They are most convenient, usually cost less than other formats and fit into most standard card readers. The type of memory card is less important than the battery issue. At this point in time, most people have already decided on the format that suits them best. Keep in mind, though, that if you are using a new camera that accepts an SD card, you are well advised to use a Class 6 or Class 10 card. These ensure the fastest read/write speeds. If you have a DSLR camera and/or are planning to do any video work, you should use a Class 10 card.
Bottom Line: The AA battery option offers convenience for casual photographers who like to travel a lot. DSLR cameras have dedicated rechargeables that allow you to shoot up to 1050 frames per charge. If your camera accepts SD cards and you are using a DSLR cameras and/or are doing video work, use a Class 10 card for the fastest read/write speeds.
As far as batteries are concerned, if you are looking for a good all-around basic camera for traveling and vacations, you should consider a Point & Shoot that accepts AA batteries. AA batteries are available around the world at just about any convenience store, tourist trap or gas station. Cameras that have dedicated specialized rechargeable batteries may not be the best idea for the casual photographer who loves to shoot while on vacation.
On the other hand, this can get expensive and keep in mind that some manufacturers of cameras that accept AA batteries do not support their warranty if rechargeable batteries are used, as their fluctuating voltage of some off-brands can damage the delicate electronics. This means that you will either go through a lot of AA alkaline batteries or will spend quite a few dollars on the longer-lasting but highly expensive single use AA lithium batteries. Some Point & Shoot cameras absolutely eat batteries and use them up at an astounding rate of as little as 200 frames per 2 AA batteries.
Keep in mind that DSLR cameras do not have AA options. They all have their own dedicated rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries that generally hold a much longer charge than the versions that come with Point & Shoot cameras. Professional photographers routinely purchase 2 or more of these specialized rechargeable batteries so that they do not run out of power during any type of shoot; be it on location, at a wedding or in the studio. Then again, some DSLR cameras have supplied batteries that will last as massively long as over 1,000 frames per charge.
As far as memory cards are concerned, most cameras use SD cards. They are most convenient, usually cost less than other formats and fit into most standard card readers. The type of memory card is less important than the battery issue. At this point in time, most people have already decided on the format that suits them best. Keep in mind, though, that if you are using a new camera that accepts an SD card, you are well advised to use a Class 6 or Class 10 card. These ensure the fastest read/write speeds. If you have a DSLR camera and/or are planning to do any video work, you should use a Class 10 card.
Bottom Line: The AA battery option offers convenience for casual photographers who like to travel a lot. DSLR cameras have dedicated rechargeables that allow you to shoot up to 1050 frames per charge. If your camera accepts SD cards and you are using a DSLR cameras and/or are doing video work, use a Class 10 card for the fastest read/write speeds.
Hopefully these tips will make your camera purchase experience and decision an easy and enjoyable experience, and will help you to find a model that best suits your own personal needs and style. Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony, Fuji, Samsung....the options are seemingly endless, but your decision need not be a stressful one. While these and other manufacturers continue to upgrade their wares, offering various new options in the coming months and years, the basics in this article will continue to hold true with all upcoming models.
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