How To Choose The best beginner camera dslr:
In today’s market, there are many different types of digital cameras to suit your different needs. We hereby list some considerable factors for choosing a digital camera. Due to the different purpose of using digital camera, it is difficult to have a camera which is perfect to everyone. Therefore it is recommended to choose the camera to suit your own needs.
The following are what you need to seriously consider before buying a digital camera.
1. Pixel:
1.3 mega pixel is suitable for screen viewing, 1280×960 is well enough for screen of 17 to 21 inches.
2-mega pixels can achieve print out under 4×6 inches. The detail of such photo can be compared with photo taken by traditional cameras.
3 mega pixel and above will make computer editing move convenient. You can do whatever you like with the image taken.
4 mega pixel and above can be used to print larger photos – 6×8 inches or print out with finer detail.
Most major digital camera manufacturers have already stepped into 5 mega pixel. It is believe it will become the mainstream very soon.
The pixel size of the digital camera will decide the resolution of a photo to be enlarged. However, the output file will be larger. Which means, more storage space will be needed for your photos. And it will also take longer time for image display, transmission or process.
But be noted that resolution is not the only factor of the camera performance. The quality is not only decided by resolution but also the quality of the picture. High resolution not necessarily means good picture quality.
2. Resolution
How much resolution you need depends on how you plan to use your digital camera. Obviously you plan to take pictures, but what you plan to do with the pictures is what matters. If you plan to take pictures only for online use, such as to e-mail to friends and family or to place on a web page, most any amount of resolution will accomplish this.
However, if you plan to print large photos or need clearer pictures for business use, you will need more pixels. A good rule of thumb is to choose a digital camera with the highest resolution you can afford. At the very least, buy a camera with a minimum of 2 to 3 mega pixels.
Beware of sales hype, which tends to emphasize high resolution over all other features. While resolution is important, there are many other features, which influence a camera’s output. Make sure the camera you choose has a combination of features important to you, not just high resolution.
3. Lens
A glass lens is preferable to a plastic lens. Do not skimp on the lens. It is best to choose an optical zoom lens over digital zoom. Many lower cost cameras do not have optical zoom lenses. Optical zoom is essential for better quality pictures. Optical zoom actually moves the lens to capture the image, while digital zoom captures fewer pixels and magnifies the captured image. Pictures taken with digital zoom are often blurry and look digitized.
4. Battery and Power Consumption
If you treasure your battery life, you can turn off LCD display on your digital camera. One of the most power-consumed parts in a camera is LCD display. In order to obtain clear display, LCD background illumination consumes power heavily (You can turn off the LCD display to save the power). For general Alkaline Battery or Ni-CD/Ni-MH battery, the power can last for around an hour (with LCD on) whereas for camera Lithium battery, it can last longer.
In addition to LCD display, CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) also consumed lot of power. For those models that use LCD display as view finders, in order to drive CCD continuously, the power loading is heavy. Sometimes, the power of four dry batteries can only last for less than 30 minutes.
Therefore, take a check of whether rechargeable batteries or charger are included in your camera package or whether other relevant charging information is mentioned
What a Point-And-Shoot Camera Can Do
If you like to keep the process simple, the point-and-shoot camera may be a better choice for you. Point-and-shoot cameras can take high quality photos, and as the technology behind them improves, point-and-shoot cameras are attracting attention from some serious amateur photographers.
Obviously the higher quality cameras are more expensive, but for vacation photos a standard point-and-shoot will do just fine.
Here is an overview of what you can expect from a point-and-shoot camera. An important thing when considering the quality of a camera is its shutter speed. This is what used to make a big difference between the point-and-shoot and the SLR.
Advances in technology have reduced the delay in shutter speed that the point-and-shoot has, so that now you can get much better photos out of a standard camera. A disadvantage remains with point-and-shoot cameras- when you zoom, you are only getting an enlarged digital image instead of an optical zoom. This results in slightly distorted images as the zoom is not achieved through the lens of the camera.
Single Lens Reflex Cameras
People who buy digital cameras fall into three groups. The professional, the serious amateur, or someone who sometimes wants to use their camera on occasions like weddings or on holiday. If you fall into the first two categories you should be considering a SLR camera.
A serious photographer will need the higher quality that a SLR camera provides. We will explain why despite the improvement in technology of point-and-shoot cameras, SLR cameras are the real photographer’s only choice. The limitations of the point-and-shoot camera design means that the SLR camera will always exceed it in the quality of image it produces.
SLR cameras allow a far more artistic image to be produced. This is because the SLR gives the user more control over it with its varied manual features. These can be confusing for the average consumer, but they let the professional have more input over what kind of photo he or she wants to take.
For example a point-and-shoot camera has a shutter with a lag time of around 2.5 seconds. The SLR has a lag time of less than a second, which gives the SLR more efficiency in capturing the images you want. Simply put, the SLR will take higher quality photographs.
EQUIVALENT FEATURES – DIGITAL CAMERA VS. REGULAR CAMERA
Noise in a digital camera’s image is amazingly similar to film grain in a film camera. At high ISO levels (film speed) the grain/noise becomes more evident in the final picture. Although film ISO levels can be lower than digital ISO levels (25 and 50 in that order), digital settings can be changed rapidly according to requirements, while film must be physically replaced and sheltered from all light during this replacement. Also, image noise reduction methods can be used to remove noise from digital images and film grain is fixed.
From a creative and artistic point viewpoint, film grain and image noise may be sought-after when creating a particular mood for an image. Modern digital cameras have similar noise/grain at the same ISO as film cameras. Some digital cameras however, do display a pattern in the digital noise which is not found on film.
Pricing yourself accordingly is the most logical tip in purchasing a digital camera. Doing your homework prior to beginning your online or camera store shopping is important. A digital camera can come with a wide variety of options to choose from.
There are more than a few dozen brands of cameras available alone, and you must take care not to get confused. Before investing in a large high-end SLR camera, consider the smaller, yet more powerful camera. High-end cameras will offer the best zoom, the most added features and increased megapixels.
Remember that more megapixels does not mean you are guaranteed great photo quality. For the beginner, it wouldn’t be practical to spend a large sum of money on a high-end camera. A much more reasonable option would be to look for less expensive, smaller, yet functional, small digital camera. They are much easier to hold and to travel with. Take the time to learn the fundamentals of digital cameras and develop a love for photography before making a larger purchase.
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