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Things to Consider before Selecting a Digital Camera

2008-07-02T03:18:00.005+05:30

Things to Consider before Selecting a Digital Camera

There are various factors that come to mind when purchasing a digital camera. You are going to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars for a camera, so, you need to make sure you don’t buy a model that doesn’t really suit your purpose or is much too advanced for your requirements.
These are the few poins that you can consider in making the right buying decision:-

The Price Factor
This is the most important thing to consider.
The price for a decent 3-megapixel digital camera can start at around $60 and can go to well and above $350 for a 7-plus Megapixel model. Features vary from one model to another. Definitely, if you want to purchase a high-end camera with all features that are there to offer you need to sped a lot more. While some low-end cameras offer complete manual control for amateur photographers who wish to experiment, some stick to the strict point-and-click function.

CCD sensors or CMOS sensors?

CCD stands for Charge Coupled Device and CMOS is Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. They are the two most-used sensors in digital cameras.

Most hobbyists’ cameras use CCDs because they offer better image quality. Some professional cameras, though, are now employing CMOS sensors since the power consumption is less.

CCD and CMOS are the two types of image sensors used in digital cameras.
Cameras with CCD sensors are recommended over CMOS plainly because the image quality is tremendously better in the former. Though CMOS lenses are significantly cheaper to manufacture and easier to implement than CCDs, the difference in image quality is simply passable.

CMOS sensors are extremely portable and require considerably lesser battery power—this is the reason they are
mostly found in things like webcams and phone cams.
So, CMOS sensors are much better than CCD sensors and nowadays most digital camera comes equipped
With CMOS sensors but there’s no harm in checking it.

Some famous CCD Cameras include: Nikon D60, Nikon D80, Nikon D40X, Canon PowerShot G9, Canon PowerShot
Pro1, Ricoh GR Digital

Some CMOS Cameras include: Nikon D2Xs, Nikon D3, Nikon D300, Canon EOS 450D, Canon EOS-1D Mark III, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, Canon EOS 5D, Samsung GX-20, Sigma SD14

If you belong to the latter category, the lowest end model will be more than enough for your needs, but if you take photography seriously and would prefer to have options to tweak every setting that affects your images, you may want to spend a bit more.

Megapixel Myth

First of all, clear your mind if you believe on this myth. Higher megapixel count is in not a way to measure the quality of your pictures. Quality is determined by the image sensor, megapixel count simply denotes how big your image would be. For any home user who wants to post snapshots on the Internet or print them on a maximum of an A4 size photo paper do not need anything more than a 3-megapixel camera.

Though the megapixel count does not directly relate to image quality, it is noticed that the higher megapixel cameras have more professional features, hence they are generally more expensive.

Amateur photographers may want to invest in a 4-5 megapixel camera for some of its advanced options. I have listed a set of guidelines as to what megapixel count would be suitable for a particular sized print. You can choose your type of camera based on the size of your prints.

3MP -- 5 x 7 inches to 8 x 10 inches
4MP -- 8 x 10 inches to 8.5 x 11 inches
5MP -- 8.5 x 11 inches to 9 x 12 inches
6MP -- 9 x 12 inches to 11 x 14 inches
8MP -- 14 x 17 inches to 16 x 20 inches

Some additional features you may require

When you buy a digital camera, there are some additional features you may want. Manual override function may be appreciated by advanced users as they can have complete control on what they are shooting.

Besides that just keep your eyes open for basic features such as the kind of flash options, red eye flash, self timer, modes like Black and White or Sepia modes and the most important that everyone would need is optical zoom level. Also remember, Camera manufacturers are not averse to publicizing the zoom with a particular camera as “30X”. But in most cases, it means 10X Optical multiplied by 3X digital effectively leaving you with 10X zoom that is practically usable. Watch out for this when deciding on a camera to buy. Optical zoom is definitely preferred over digital zoom, that’s the reason that I said “it’s the most important feature to consider”.

Most digital cameras have some video shooting capability. Don’t forget to check whether the digital camera you are buying records video with or without sound. This is something which most of us forget when buying a digital camera

Bundled Goodies

Digital cameras usually come with little or no onboard memory. Even if the manufacturer does put some onboard memory, it won’t exceed 8-16 megabytes, which is really not enough. Few of the manufactures also give free memory card of along with your camera that is not more than 128 megabytes. So, it’s important you consider a seller who bundles a memory card of high capacity along with the camera.

Also, make sure that along with drivers for your computer, there’s some bundled software included for sorting and
minor image manipulations.
The good news is you won’t have to worry too much about this part because the abovementioned bundle has become an industry standard. However, it’s a good idea to keep your eyes open for additional accessories you may want to purchase for your camera.

Durability and Warranty

When it comes to electronics, bad things always happen when you least expect them to. It is a good idea to be prepared for the worst.
This means even having to pay a little more when you purchase your camera.

Almost all officially purchased cameras are accompanied by a one year warranty that covers manufacturing defects. Moreover, most warranties are valid worldwide (although, it would be a good idea to check this for every individual purchase).

Transferring your images to computer- Intro

2008-06-28T08:13:00.005+05:30

When you attach your digital camera your camera will be detected automatically if you are on Windows XP or above else you can also use the disc that comes with your digital camera to install the required drivers for the other operating systems.
After your camera is detected, images are automatically transferred to the My Pictures folder. The default image viewer too is for Microsoft Windows is fine for casual users.
And, if you need to do a little bit more functionalities such as fixing small problems like exposure level, red eye reduction,resize and also fix some common problems, then try a software like ACDSee 7.0.

ACDSee makes a great companion to your digital camera as it has just about every feature an amateur photographer would need. It can acquire snapshots from your camera, help you eliminate minor issues, and also change the size of the image to an e-mail friendly format. It can automatically generate an HTML page with thumbnails of your snapshots that lead to the full-size, ready for you to post it on your Web site. For people who prefer printing the snapshots, ACDSee has a plethora of options for printing single or multiple images at a time. On the down side, ACDSee 7.0 is quite system heavy so you need to have a pretty decent configuration to
run things smoothly. There are some other software available for free like Picasa 2.0.

Accessories For Digital Camera (continued)

2008-06-26T05:37:00.000+05:30

.... Last Post Continued..

Tripods: This is something which is more than neccessary for a serious or professional photographers. Your hands can move while taking an important shot. This is something natural. Most of us do not have steady hands and this will always affect your photographs.

So tripod will help you to place your camera in a steady position to make the shot more beautiul. On top of that, many tripods comes with the tilt functionality through which you can take different angled shots very easily.So using this, you can concentrate more on your photograph rather than on keeping your hands still. Also, it would be very helpful in case you want to take long-range zooms.

Accessories For Digital Camera

2008-06-21T13:55:00.000+05:30

Generally, digital camera comes with everything that a casual user may require. But if you want to know about few important things that can be used with your camera before you go for your shoot then here is a small list. But, remember this list is not extensive, there are lot many things that are there in market and new things are alwayscoming up.

Batteries: Digital cameras are really battery intensive so its always suggested to keep at least one set of spare batteries at all times.

Memory Cards: Digital camera usually comes with a 64 MB (mega byte) or a 128MB memory card which is really not enough(attleast for me) even if you are a casual photographer. Getting a bigger memory card will be beneficial for you since you will be able to store all the great moments and will be able to record large videos with being bothered about the message "Your memory card is Full." Memory cards are quite portable. Remember, investing in purchasing more memory cards is never a bad idea.

(I will write more items in the next post,so,keep checking back)

Basics of Composition

2008-06-17T21:55:00.000+05:30

Basics of Composition

So now here I am going to tell you about some basic rules in digital photography that will help to improve the composition of your images or in easier words, it will give your images the right focus that is required.

So, here are few suggestions to improve composition of your images-

The Rule of Thirds: It is known as the Golden Rule of Composition which states that you imagine the viewfinder (LCD Screen) is divided into thirds,both horizontally and vertically, to form a grid.

This grid creates four intersection points around the center. Place your subject where the line is intersecting, instead of placing it in the center of the frame. It will also give a different look to your picture.
My camera have this option where I can actually activate the grid option which will show a grid on the LCD screen.

Using Lighting Properly: A very well known fact of composition is that light can make or break your picture. That means light really plays an important role in the pictures you take. Hight contrast images will make the compositon stand out from the rest. You should try playing with lights and shadows to get what you want. Playing with lights and shadows will also help you in understanding how light behaves in different enviroments.

Check the Backgrounds: Before taking your shots it's impotant that you check for the unwanted elements around your subject or in the background.

Now here's an important tip, you can find best lighting conditions around dawn and again at dusk. Try to take your pictures during this time and notice the effect. The brightest part of the day when the sun is right above your head can wash the pictures out and also causes ugly shadows under nose or eyes. You should always try to avoid this time when taking pictures.

So, this was just a basic introduction to composition or using lighting to your advantage.
In future, I will be writing few other articles related to some advanced composition techniques.

Differences between Digital and Conventional Photography (Part-2)

2008-06-16T01:15:00.001+05:30

..This is the continuation of the Last Post...

Scalability

Pictures taken with a digital camera can be used in lot many creative ways than just a photo album. You can store them in your computer easily and set it as your wallpaper or edit it in creative ways using some easily avalable photo editing softwares (I will explain you more on this in m later posts).

Presence of LCD

The best thing that you will find in all digital cameras is LCD screen. LCD stands for Liquid Color Display. This is thing that will help you in previewing your pictures before you consider any any picture as a final shot. This is really amazing feature of Digital Camera. It will also help you in viewing all the pictures that are present in memory of your Digital Camera.

Getting Exactly what you want

After taking a picture if there is something missing, you can easily add it digitally on your own home computer. Like red eye correction, contrast and brightness of the picture or anything that you think of. Remember, with the softwares like Adobe Photoshop the only limit is your imagination.

Differences between Digital and Conventional Photography

2008-06-09T19:22:00.000+05:30

This is my first post in this blog. Here I am going to discuss the advantages of digital photography over conventional photography --

No Extra Costs

Due to the presence of an LCD screen on all digital cameras you can view your photos immediately and decide whether you like them or not.

Moreover,when it comes to printing your photos,you do not have to print all of them. You can choose the good ones and print only those. Chances are,though, that you will print all since the bad ones were deleted anyways !!! But the value for money remains high !!!

Room for Experimenting

Digital camera is a liberating tool. They allow you more room for experimentation. Even if you have nothing to do, you could simply pick up your digital camera and shoot away !! Later just delete them, no costs !!

Such dynamism allows you to perfect your photographic skills so you don't go wrong again when you are taking a real shot.

Functionality in a small package

While it's a fact that SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras generally offer better results that any compact camera, and while Digital Camera is not a substitute for this,it can be a handy replacement if you really don't need a large, buly SLR cameras with numeous lenses, flashes, tripods,etc...
Today's digital cameras are equipped enough to offer you the quality and creativity options that SLR's offers. While SLR's have evolved, digital cameras, having been the center of attraction over the last few years, have evolved faster than expected.

Digital Cameras are smaller, normally offer an ISO range of 100-400 in three steps(100,200 and 400) and the lenses range from 35mm to 120 mm and are reasonably fast. This actually allows for quality photos in daylight and indoors(using the bult in flash) and nice photos in low-light conditions..

Digital cameras also offer few features such as Macro, Long Exposure,fill Flash etc. (I will explaing everything, no need to worry after reading these words even if you are not able to understand right now). Also one more thing, you DO NOT need to buy attachments to do all this!! These functions are built in.....(Continued in the next Post)