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Buy
A Camera
Choosing
a digital camera can be very confusing because of all
the camera features that are available. However, there
is a logical way of making your way through all of the
choices.
Probably the first thing to think about is how much
you want to spend. The price ranges are huge and you
will most likely be able to find one that fits within
your budget. From the most simple cameras of less than
one hundred dollars to the most advanced digital cameras
that run many thousands of dollars, there is a camera
out there for everyone.Point
and Shoot cameras are typically less expensive than
DSLR digital cameras. However, that is not a hard and
fast rule in today's market. Intro DSLRs have come down
in price and Points and Shoot cameras can be quite sophisticated.The
main difference is that a DSLR camera has interchangeable
lenses, while a point and shoot camera lens is part
of the camera. So the lens you buy with a Point and
Shoot camera is the lens you get. Period. So one of
the most important things if you are purchasing a Point
and Shoot camera is the quality of the lens and that
it will do what you want it to, regarding wide angle
or zoom features.As
far as other features go, here are some of the basic
options that are offered:
Amount
of Megapixels
Many
cameras of today will offer 10MP or more. A high
amount
of megapixels is a good option if you will be printing
large
prints or doing a fair amount of cropping.
Optical
Zoom
The higher the optical zoom number, the closer in
you will be able to focus and shoot a subject. Optical
zooms can range from 3x up to 24x.
Shutter Speed
Fast shutter speeds (high numbers) are advantageous
if you are shooting quick moving objects, such as
sports, birds, etc. An example of a high speed would
be 1/2000th of a second.
ISO Settings
High ISO settings are typically used when you are
taking photos in dimly lit or dark situations. Here
is where the quality of the camera is important.
Just because a camera offers a very high ISO setting
does not mean that the image captured will be noise-free.
Noise is tiny specs that appear in a photo. If this
is important to you (taking pictures in dark areas),
be sure to buy a camera that produces quality photos
even at high ISO settings.
Scene Modes
If you like things to be very automatic, be sure
the camera you are considering has lots of Scene
Modes, where you can set the camera to just shoot,
for example, Sports. The camera makes the correct
settings automatically.
LCD
This is the viewing screen on the camera. Generally
they will range from 2 to 3 inches in size...the
larger, the better. Some cameras offer this with
or without an electronic viewfinder, which is the
small opening you look through when framing a shot.
Flash
Automatic flashes usually work for a specific distance.
If you are shooting in situations where you will
need to use the flash, check out the flash distance
of the camera to make sure it will work well for
you. |
These are some of the main camera features. There are
others also. The best thing to do is to decide what
you will be using the camera for and choose one that
has features and options that are most important to
you.
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