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Tech Tips - Lights! Digital Camera! Action!, by Todd Columb
Based on market reports nearly half of US households today own a digital camera, so chances are you either want one too or you’re ready to upgrade. But how do you know what to buy? We’re going to help you make the right decision, not by providing a list of the best cameras, but by providing tips on what you should look for in today’s digital cameras and how these specs relate to your wants and desires.
If you review the specs for any camera today you’ll find a whole host of numbers and letters, most of which mean nothing to you. We’re going to focus on the most important aspects of these cameras and provide you enough information to make sense of the alphabet soup. Our list covers megapixels, memory, speed, zoom, LCD, batteries and some options.
Megapixels
A megapixel is a million pixels, aka a million dots. The higher the pixel count, the higher the resolution. With higher resolution you get more detail in your photos and can print larger photos. Getting a camera with a higher megapixel rating than you need is just a waste of money. How do you decide what you need? Basically by the size of the prints you want. Use this table to determine the megapixel rating you need based on the print size you want.
|
Desired print size |
Buy a digital camera with |
Resolution |
| 4x6" |
2 megapixels |
1600 x 1200 |
| 5x7" |
3 megapixels |
2048 x 1536 |
| 8x10" |
5 megapixels |
2560 x 1920 |
| 11x14" |
6 megapixels |
2816 x 2112 |
| 16 x20" |
8 megapixels |
3264 x 2468 |
Memory
All digital cameras have memory, the decision you have to make is what type of memory. There are several standard types – at least 8 if you include floppy and CD-RW. The two most popular are Compact Flash, SD but there’s also XD, Smart Media, Memory Stick and Multi Media. Your decision should be based on what your computer or even other cameras use. Sometimes you have no choice, the camera you want probably only has one option. In this case you may need to purchase a smart card ready, or rely on the transfer cable that should ship with your camera, usually USB.
As for the actual amount 16MB, 64MB, even 1GB - really comes down to how many photos you will shoot in a single session or trip before downloading them to your computer. How many pictures fit on a card depends on the resolution (megapixels) and compression techniques the camera uses. For the average .JPG photo at 2 megapixel, fine quality a 32MB card can store 35 photos, 64MB stores 71, 128MB stores 142 and 1GB stores a whopping 1,136. And there’s no reason to not have more than one memory card, we recommend at least one 64MB card and you can always buy more.
|
|
32MB |
64MB |
128MB |
256MB |
512MB |
700MB |
1GB |
| 1 MPixel |
91 |
182 |
356 |
731 |
1462 |
2002 |
2924 |
| 2 MPixel |
35 |
71 |
142 |
284 |
568 |
777 |
1136 |
| 3 MPixel |
26 |
53 |
106 |
213 |
426 |
581 |
852 |
| 4 MPixel |
16 |
32 |
64 |
128 |
256 |
350 |
512 |
| 5 MPixel |
12 |
25 |
51 |
102 |
204 |
280 |
408 |
| 6 MPixel |
10 |
20 |
40 |
80 |
160 |
217 |
320 |
Speed
When we talk about digital camera speed we’re usually not talking about shutter speed, rather we’re talking about the number of shots you can take quickly. This can be a concern because the time to store the photo, recharge the flash and the amount of memory all affect the speed. If you want to take a lot of action or sports photos then you need a fast camera. Camera speeds range from a few shots per second to 6 seconds per shot.
Zoom
There are two types of zoom – optical and digital. The decision between the types is very easy, ignore digital and always look for optical. Optical zoom is what you expect, the lens moves to zoom in or out. Digital zoom is an electronic cropping and resolution enhancement technique. Basically it crops out a smaller section, expands that section which leaves empty spaces, then predicts what color would be in the empty spaces and fills them in accordingly. For the best image quality just ignore the digital zoom factor. How do you know what zoom factor you need? How far away are the shots you want to take likely to be? Select a higher zoom for sports, bird-watching and other shots that are far away from you.
LCD
The LCD display is used for picture preview, review and menus. The larger the display size the better because you’ll be able to see more. Of course, the larger and brighter the display means you’ll use more battery power. This is another feature that is not selectable on a camera like you would on a laptop. The camera model will have the one size, if you want a larger size you’ll have to start the selection process all over.
Batteries
Faster, more megapixels, more memory and other options all require power. Some cameras have non-removable, rechargeable batteries. Many use standard AA batteries which can be alkaline, lithium or rechargeable. If your camera uses AA we highly recommend purchasing one or two sets of rechargeable batteries and of course the charger. Using the flash and LCD all the time will consume battery power the quickest. Take photos using the view finder and not the LCD to conserve the batteries.
Options
Some options are obvious – additional memory cards, extra batteries, carrying case. Other options you may want to consider include software, CD-RW, photo printer and camera docks.
Your camera will come with basic software for storing, organizing and even editing your photos. But you may want better software or advanced features such as useful organizing, and quality editing tools.
CD-RW you say? Yes, to store all those photos you’re going to take. Yes, your hard drive is big and has lots of room, but it will run out of space eventually. And what if it fails? Burning your photos onto CD gives you unlimited storage, backup (with peace of mind) and is a great way to give copies to other people. So, if you don’t already have one on your computer consider buying a CD-RW drive and a stack of blank discs.
Photo printers are specialized printers, obviously, for printing photos. The key here is that they produce higher quality (resolution) photos using more colors (usually 6 color inks as compared to 3). Some inkjet printers perform double duty, some are intended for photos only. Keep in mind that printing photos costs more (ink and special paper) than regular printing. So if you get a photo printer, don’t use it as your everyday report printer.
Camera docks are a convenient way to download photos, recharge the batteries and print photos. The dock will connect to your computer and to an outlet. Your camera will sit on the dock and connect via a built-in connector. Some docks even include dedicated photo printers that can print directly from the camera onto 4”x6” or 5”x7” photo paper. Docks are not universal across brands and even within brands they are designed for certain models.
Price
Oh yeah! The price you ask? Expect to spend anywhere from $100 to $500 for a basic camera with the average around $300 for a 3 to 5 megapixel camera. High-end digital SLR cameras for professionals and enthusiasts will cost from $600 to $1,700 but closer to the $1,000 mark for all the bells and whistles and around 8 megapixels. |
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