How to Choose a Beginner Digital Camera
The market seems to be flooded with all types of technology these days, making it nearly impossible for the average amateur to keep up. If you aren't reading technology blogs on a daily basis, you really have no idea what to look for when shopping for something even as simple as a camera. If you don't need a professional camera, then there is no need to spend the money to buy one, but then again how do you know what is and isn't professional in the first place? To make it easy for you, here is a list of things that you should look for when buying a beginner digital camera.
Megapixels are all the rage, people say that the more you get the better, but do you really need a 10 megapixel camera? Well, to start with you need to ask yourself what size of pictures you will most often print. You will rarely be able to tell the difference between a 6 megapixel and a 10 megapixel camera unless you are using pictures bigger than an 8x10 size. If you just need something for quick shots on the go, then a 6-8 megapixel camera may work just fine for you, however if you want to regularly print large shots, then you'll need something a little bit more.
The second feature to look for is optical and digital zoom. Most cameras boast a 2x - 5x zoom, but not all zooms happen to be equal. Optical zoom almost always results in better picture quality. If you can, try to get to a store and take pictures yourself and test the quality of the images after zooming. Just because a camera has 5x zoom doesn't mean that it takes quality pictures at that range.
Most cameras use rechargeable batteries and accept standard SD cards, which is exactly what you need. Don't fall for products that offer special batteries or greater memory capacity because you can fix all of that with plain old rechargeable battery kits and 1GB to 4GB memory cards. However, be cautious of a camera that cannot offer this basic functionality. Most beginner digital cameras will be advertised as point and shoot cameras, which basically means that you won't have to worry about manually adjusting the settings in order to take a good picture. However, try and pick a camera with a quick shutter speed, as there is nothing more than pressing the button and then missing the moment because of a slow camera. SLR cameras are very nice, as are many upscale feature-rich cameras, but you won't have a need for those features unless you plan on selling professional quality prints. At that time, you can always upgrade once you know what you like and dislike about a camera.
Many people get discourage by all the technical jargon when they are shopping for a camera, and I think the camera companies do that to encourage you to buy something you don't need. Stick to the basics and buy a camera in the $100-$200 range. Once you've used it for a while you will have a much better understanding of how they work and what you'll need in the future.
This article was posted on December 28, 2008
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