More and more people are switching to digital cameras. Like any other technology, once you buy one, it’s not long until there are newer and better cameras, so it’s good to get the best you can to start with. The cameras are becoming more compact, the optical zoom and resolution are getting better, and the storage capacity of the memory cards is getting bigger. Deciding which camera to buy can be a challenge, and it’s best to have some idea what you’re looking for before you get serious about buying a digital camera.
How To Compare Before You Buy A Digital Camera
There are reviews on digital cameras in both print and online. PC Photo Magazine has reviews in both their print magazine and their online website, as does Outdoor Photographer.
Another good place for in-depth reviews before you buy a digital camera it to Digital Photography Review They have hundreds of excellent and detailed descriptions of many different brands of cameras.
Decide Before You Buy
It helps to have an idea how you’re going to use a digital camera before you buy one. Are you interested in a lot of indoor photography, landscape or wildlife photography, sports or other fast action photography? No one camera will do absolutely everything well.
Also, do you want to buy a point and shoot camera or a single lens reflex camera (digital SLR)? Point and shoot cameras are mostly automatic, although they usually have various options that allow for some control. They also hook up easily to a computer to download pictures, or you can just take the digital media to a photo lab to have pictures printed.
Digital SLR’s are for the serious hobbyist and professional photographer who want total control over each picture. With the digital SLR’s, you have to focus the shots yourself as nothing is automatic and these cameras can also be connected to telescopes and microscopes as well.
Other Decisions Before You Buy A Digital Camera
Deciding on a point and shoot vs. a digital SLR is the biggest decision, but there are many other things to consider.
- Resolution – How many megapixels? The more megapixels, the bigger pictures you can print, but it also means you need more storage space to hold the digital files.
- Optical Zoom – Don’t even bother to consider the digital zoom. All that does is enlarge the picture, and it loses clarity. Decide how much optical zoom you want. The bigger the number, the further away you can pull in pictures.
- Storage Capacity – Some cameras have a little storage built in, but for the most part you’ll be using flash memory cards of some sort. The card that comes with the camera usually isn’t very big, so you’ll need to buy at least one extra, bigger one.
Try Before You Buy
Decide what sort of camera you’re interested in, and look at some reviews about it. Does it sound like it meets your needs? Does it fit in your budget? Once you decide that, check one out in a store to be able to hold it and get a feel for it, and see if it really works for you. You may decide it’s not quite what you want when you actually get to try it out.
Once you’ve found the camera that best suits your list of wants and needs, then it’s time to buy! You can buy at a physical store, or go online and look for deals. Whatever you decide, get the camera you like best and enjoy digital photography!
