Tips on buying a digital camera

This article is by Harsha Malvenna, originally published in The Sunday Times Online, Sri Lanka. Many thanks Harsha for an excellent piece of work.

Today, buying a digital camera has become a tedious task. Which digital camera is right for you? This is the key question to ask before buying a digital camera. If you’re not sure about the camera you want to buy, you are unlikely to pick the best model.

Why digital?

Even the most avid of film users has to admit that digital offers many unique benefits.

First of all, there’s the saving made of not having to buy copious amounts of film.

The digital equivalent to film is a memory card which comes in various capacities and can hold thousands of images. They can also be re-used.

The next is the instant results which appear on the cameras LCD. This means you can delete the bad shots and eliminate the problem of waste prints.

A further excellent reason is the immense control it gives you over your images at every stage. A digital image can be edited by reviewing the image on camera and on computer.

This gives you the opportunity to eliminate unwanted objects and also adjust colour or contrasts of your pictures.

Selecting a camera

First you need to ascertain why you need a camera. Think carefully about the kind of photographer you would like to be. Most people use their cameras for taking everyday snapshots of family, friends, special events and holidays.

If that’s the case you will be more concerned about the ease of use and pocketability.Most compact cameras have a straight forward “Auto mode” that takes care of every exposure decision for you.

Added to that there are many scene modes where the camera automatically adjusts it’s settings to meet the demands of a particular shooting situation making it easy to take excellent pictures without much effort.

If its as a hobby, it’s important that the camera be controlled to produce your desired effects. A camera with manual exposure controls and advanced shooting features will permit far more creativity when taking photographs.

There are plenty of mid range compacts and entry level SLR’s (Single Lens Reflex) cameras which boasts of high sophistication but still maintain user friendly control mechanisms. Even if you are a beginner you will find this shooting power does wonders for your photography.

Mega pixels

Mega pixel ratings have become the main selling point for digital camera manufacturers over the last few years, and this is for a good reason.

The number of pixels that your camera’s image sensor carries will determine the resolution of your pictures. More mega pixels available, higher the resolution, and therefore the colour and detail of the pictures are sharper.

However, it is vital not to overstate the importance of the mega pixels. In reality, a three mega pixel camera will provide more than adequate resolution for an ordinary 4x 6 photograph. It is only if you need to print larger versions that the picture quality starts to become a serious issue.

Today five mega pixel cameras have taken over from the three mega pixel cameras as standard. For every day photography, you will be hard pushed to spot the difference between 5 mega and 7 mega pixel image when printed out at a standard size. So don’t automatically go for the highest mega pixel rating. Check out for the camera’s other functions as well.

Camera functions

A lens is an important element in photography that is often overlooked by the first time camera buyer. The quality of the lens is paramount to the quality of your images. Therefore, always choose a time tested, reliable and world renowned camera brand.
When considering what lens is suited for your needs, think about the focal length. This will determine the proportion of the scene in front of you that will fit within the frame. The smaller the focal length the wider the scene.

So a focal length of 18mm will give you a far wider view. All cameras offer a complete “Auto mode” which requires nothing from you except to press the shutter button, or a Programmed “scene mode” which automates the exposure settings for a specific situation. Some cameras offer over 20 scene modes such as portrait, landscape, sports, close up, night mode etc. In fact, they will produce decent shots in most circumstances.

More sophisticated digital cameras will offer additional manual controls where you have the full control of camera settings. Another feature is a large LCD. Most digital camera buyers like to have a larger LCD’s.

Manufacturers are constantly outdoing each other with ever-larger screens and some times it could be advantageous to have a large screen especially in High-Lit outdoor photography.

Accessories

A key consideration for any digital camera buyer is Battery Life and Storage Capacity. Most cameras carry AA size batteries or their own Lithium-ion battery pack. They both are Ni-MH rechargeable. Some camera manufacturers won’t supply rechargeable batteries. So remember to check this out as this could mean further investment. The most common memory type of memory card is Secure Digital (SD) format. Nikon and Canon use SD and Fuji film and Olympus both use XD, while Sony sticks to its Memory Stick.

Warranties

It is a wise idea to check the warranty policy being offered when you make your purchase. It probably will be worth paying a bit extra to receive warranty and after sales service because digital cameras are of both high tech and high value. Always make sure to visit an authorized distributor/retailer in the brand you choose. Almost all world renowned manufacturers’ warranty policy on digital cameras states that “digital cameras are warranted only in the country where it is purchased from,” which means no international warranty.