Things to look for when buying a digital camera

The first thing you’d better do before starting to browse over the Internet for the best price is ask yourself what in the world would you be using the camera for? Once you’ve got that cleared up, set a maximum price you’re willing to pay. Still, keep in mind a 20% margin just in case your estimated budget falls a bit short of what you found.

Since you’ve already set your mind to it, why not get the hang of some of the most important terms you’ll be seeing on a technical specifications list. In theory this is where you should draw you final decision from. It’s better to leave things such as fancy color, cute tiny size, funny opening mechanism and so on to others.

Let’s get started then. The most hyped about feature of a digital camera in recent years has been by far its megapixel count. No matter if we’re talking about compact, bridge or DSLR cameras they all brag at some point about the size of their images. Right now I can only think about two scenarios in which you might find size to be the ultimate criteria: if you want to print to larger than A4 sizes or if you’re willing to do some post processing like cropping.

While knowing you have an error margin is good, you must know that bigger is not always better. While the quantity of pixels rises, the sensor itself usually stays the same, meaning that pixels are getting smaller and smaller. Given the way they work, this will sometimes degrade image quality to a point which will make it almost unusable. Point and shoot cameras have pixel densities up to ten times or more than that of the professional ones, and the differences are clearly visible.

Then there’s ISO. Some of the cameras in the lower end go up to 400, others 800 and the bravest venture into the realms of 1600. For this type of cameras it’s more about marketing than usable range. Why is that? Well, since they do have such tiny pixels, every time you raise the ISO number you take a step back as far as image quality goes.

Without going into technical details, the higher the ISO, the grainier the image will look. Anything like or above a prosumer DSLR camera has decent to easily correctable noise from 400 up to 800. Most of the others, either make their photos look almost pixelated, with a strange red or orange pattern of dots or turn them into a soft blend filled with smudges and serious loss of detail. For those with no previous photo experience, it’s better to know that ISO 100 goes for sunny days when you have plenty of light. By 400 you’re already starting to see some clouds, or you’re into a decently lit room, while 800 and higher are designer especially for evenings or dimly lit places.

What about the zoom? That big number followed by an X, either on the camera or on its lens (for bridges). As mentioned in a previous post that’s a bit unreliable. If you’re worried about size then don’t expect to get more than 5X, otherwise you could go for a super zoom with even 18X, but that will make it more noticeable and sometimes heavier. The trade off in this case is again image quality. As the zoom range gets wider, the chromatic aberrations such as fringing (those annoying color halos around high contrast margins) and the distortions get bigger. If you come across something called digital zoom just ignore it. It’s nothing but a lame way to claim a bigger range, without helping you in any way.

Another feature that’s been used extensively in marketing camera equipment lately is image stabilization. There is more than one thing to keep in mind when considering this. First of all it’s important for it to be mechanical. Just like manufacturers promote digital zoom they also claim to have some sort of stabilization which means nothing more than simply increasing the ISO number so you can decrease the exposure time. Eventually this will help freeze the scene but at the cost of increased noise. In reality, true image stabilization mechanisms only guarantee to compensate for your own hand movements or shaking and in some cases for panning.

What's the right camera for me?

So now that we have pretty much of the basics covered, let’s see what camera fits in each of the following scenarios.

Suppose this is the first time you’re buying a digital camera. You want it to be small, easy to use without having to press several buttons before taking a picture. If you intend to have it just in case, fire it up every once in a while and use the photos mostly on your computer either locally or by email, why not think mobile phone? Why not try to find a good cellular phone with a decent built-in camera? This way you don’t have to worry about packing an extra item in your bag and it does the job for most of the cases.

But what if this is not enough? You want to capture small children playing or have a slightly better performance for moving subjects. There are plenty of consumer cameras out there (bridges included) so the lines can be blurry sometimes. That’s why it’s not such a great idea to choose a middle of the road product. If you’re not a pixel peeper or don’t see photography as a full-on hobby, then go for one of the cheaper options available.

On the other hand, if you’re into a trial period, just gaining some skills before moving on to heavier equipment save up some cash for a few months and either buy one of the more advanced point and shoot cameras or jump straight to a bridge. While somewhat expensive these super zooms are best for amateur tourists in need of a walk around lens capable of capturing far away subjects.

Of course for those willing to go the extra mile there’s always the DSLR option. These cameras are great and you probably won’t be able to go back once you’ve tasted them. But be warned that once you’ve started it’s hard to stop. The first lens will feed your appetite for another, and then you’ll learn about filters, external flashes, maybe a tripod and so on. Before long you’ll find yourself having spent more than a few thousand dollars on camera equipment. Whatever you do, don’t go choosing between one of these cameras until you know a thing or two about photography or you might be a bit disappointed.

Also, keep in mind that each device has a ready to shoot interval and a focusing time. For consumer models expect focusing times up to one or more seconds depending on the available light or subject movement. Even kit lenses for professional equipment tend to hunt a while before settling on its target.
There are quite a few storage solutions available on the market. The most commonly used are SD memory cards. Try to avoid XD ones as they tend to be the most expensive without other obvious advantages besides maybe a smaller size.