Digital Cameras

Guide to Digital Cameras

Introduction

There are many different features to look at when choosing a digital camera and it can be very confusing choosing the digital camera best suited for your purposes. We will discuss the various features to help you decide what type of camera and what price range to go for.

Things to Consider

Price

Digital cameras are fantastic things to own, because they give instant results. There's no need to take that film to get processed and no waiting to see your results. Connect the camera to your computer or put the camera's memory card in your computer, download your pictures and see them instantly on the screen. Digital cameras give great picture quality, but the results you get depend on the features the camera has, and how much you are willing to pay for those features. Digital camera prices start at £30 to £40 for a very basic model, moving up to thousands of pounds for the latest digital SLR models.

Resolution

The resolution of a digital camera is the number of pixels (or dots) it can capture. More pixels mean better resolution and crisper sharper images. The more pixels that your camera supports, the higher the resolution and quality of photos that you can take. Images taken at higher resolutions will look much clearer and sharper when printed, and large prints will look better.

Viewfinder and Display

On a normal camera, you look through an optical viewfinder to see the picture you are going to take. Most digital Cameras these days have an LCD screen that will show you the image you are going to capture. This is the same type of digital technology found in flat panel displays. Many cameras rely purely on this screen for its viewfinder. The LCD provides much more than just a viewfinder. You can scroll through your images and delete ones you don't like. Some can display your shots as thumbnails too.

Focus

Most digital cameras are either fixed-focus or autofocus which is most suitable for the average user. Fixed-focus lens Cameras are great for landscapes because they will focus everything from a four foot distance and beyond, but they are not good for close up shots. Autofocus automatically brings whatever is in the middles of the viewfinder into focus. Some digital cameras allow you to set the focus point by pressing the shutter button half way down.

Memory

Most digital cameras support some type of removable memory card for storing your images. Some have a small amount of internal memory as well as the ability to use external memory cards. Obviously the size of the memory card determines the number of images that you can store on it. The resolution of the images also determines this - higher resolution pictures take up more memory. There are several different types of memory card available such as Compact Flash, SmartMedia, MMC and XD Picture card.

Batteries

Digital cameras are power hungry gadgets, especially when the LCD and flash are being used. Some cameras use four AA batteries but even the best alkaline batteries will go flat after quarter of an hour. It's therefore important to get a camera that will utilise rechargeable batteries. There are a few types of batteries available Nickel Cadmium (NiCad), Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium-ion (Li-ion or LiOn). The two Nickel based batteries are a lot cheaper than Lithium ones, but they lose their charge faster when not in use. The most widely used rechargeables are NiCad but they progressively hold less charge as they age. NiMH batteries don't suffer from this problem and also last about 30% longer on a charge. Lithium batteries last twice as long on a charge as NiMH batteries, don't have memory effects and don't lose their charge as quickly when not being used. Both NiMH and LiOn batteries last for around 400 recharge cycles.

Interface

The type of interface on your camera is important. Most digital cameras come with a USB interface so you can connect them direct to the USB port on your PC. Some cameras have firewire interfaces which are even faster than USB. One quick way of transferring images to your PC from your camera is to use a card reader in your PC. That way you simply take the memory card out of your camera, put it in the card reader and transfer the pictures from the card to your PC

Zoom

It's important to understand the difference between the two types of zoom when choosing a digital camera. These are optical and digital. The difference between the two is that optical zoom is a true zoom so the camera's lens actually moves forwards and back, changing the magnification of the shot while the resolution stays the same - like altering the magnification in a pair of binoculars. Digital zoom is achieved through the camera's software. When digital zoom is used the camera takes a picture then digitally crops it. This results in lower image quality because the resolution is reduced. Optical zoom is better than digital zoom so if you want to be able too zoom in without loss of image quality, go for a camera with a high optical zoom. most cameras have a certain level of optical zoom complimented by some level of digital zoom.