Choosing a new camera… sometimes it can be a major hassle if you're not sure what to look for. These days, you can be easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of digital cameras available at any photography or electronics store. With so many brands and catch-words like megapixels, digital zoom, movie mode, and stabilizers; distinguishing between a viable feature and a marketing ploy can often make or break your purchase.
How do I know which camera to choose?
Firstly and most importantly, you have ask yourself what you want out of your bran new camera:
Are you looking to learn how your camera works and manually adjust every picture?
Or do you want to point-and-shoot pictures but still have great results?
Point-and-shoot (automatic) photography is easy to do, but you have little to no creative control. Your camera will assess the environment and choose all your settings to the best of its programming. Some cameras, the more expensive ones, are better at assessing the situation than others.
Shooting manually allows you to have full control over your camera. This enables you to control depth of field, exposure, focal distance, as well as many other aspects that contribute to snapping great photo. Though, in order to apply these settings correctly you have to learn what each function does and how it will effect your photo.
How
does this all relate to purchasing a new
Camera?
In essence, your photography purchase should come down to buying an SLR (manual) or Compact (automatic) camera. Both cameras have pros and cons depending how you look at them.
Single Lens Reflex (SLR) vs. Compact:
Modern day digital cameras are split between two categories: The Single Lens Reflex (SLR) and the Compact Camera. To simplify it, the interchangeable lens (SLR) and the fixed lens (Compact).
A Compact cameras lens is part of the body and can not be removed or changed. The lens is generally short (28mm - 55mm) and rather limited. On a rare occasion there may even be no optical zoom option, only digital zoom. Which is extremely bad.
The SLR stock lens is generally much larger (35mm - 70mm) and has a few of the camera controls built on the lens: zoom, focus, aperture. SLR's also allow you to swap lenses. Longer lenses (70mm - 200mm) let you shoot objects in the distance, while shorter lenses (16mm - 35mm) let you shoot scenery and closer objects. You can also swap for a macro lens, which enables you shoot small objects close up. Like bugs! There are many different lenses that allow you to achieve different results.
 |
 |
 |
| 16mm (Scenery) | 200mm (Portrait) | Macro (Close-ups) |
In short, yes. If you're looking to take the best picture; pictures like the ones you see on TV or the internet, with shallow depth of field, and the bright vibrant colors. A compact camera just wont produce the same results a SLR will with a good lens.
That being said, just because you own a top of the line SLR camera wont mean you will automatically snap a perfect, beautiful photograph. That will always come with time, knowledge, and practice. If you're going to use an SLR on automatic mode, you might find it difficult to notice a true difference in quality from the compact camera.
The Megapixel Craze:
When digital cameras first
became mainstream, you would judge a camera on the number of
megapixels it possessed. It was the number one selling feature. A
camera with 6.0 megapixels was far superior to a camera with 5.0
megapixels.
What
exactly is a megapixel anyhow?
It is the number of pixels per inch the camera shoots at its highest quality. The more megapixels there are the larger your image will be. The larger the image is the nicer it will print.
Now adays, most cameras have 8.0 or more megapixels. The average consumer would never need anything above 8.0 unless you are planning to print large posters. Because of this, the features a camera requires to be high-end now are far greater. Lens quality is more important. Features such as image stabilization and ISO are taking front stage.
When talking with a sales rep, make sure he/she sells you on more then just the number of megapixels. Otherwise you may end up leaving with a camera that has 12.0 megapixels but lacking a lot of other important features.
I don't recommend purchasing an SLR camera unless you are willing to take the time to use it manually. This means learning what aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, focusing is and how it effects your photos. You won't get your moneys worth otherwise. If you are looking to dive into the life of a photographer, then an SLR camera is the way to go. Once you learn the ins and outs of your camera the photographs you take will explode into a new level of quality.
If you are the kind of photographer that wants to carry your camera everywhere. Pull it out and snap a few pictures then go about your business. Then a Compact Camera is your choice. They can be small enough to fit in your back pocket. They do have some manual settings, if you so choose, such as manually adjusting your aperture and shutter.
| Camera | Price Range | Photo Example |
| Canon EOS Rebel Series | $500 to $900 |  |
| Canon EOS D Series | $700 to $2000 |  |
| Nikon D Series | $600 to $800 |  |
| Pentax K Series | $600 to $800 |  |
| Camera | Price Range | Photo Example |
| Canon PowerShot G Series | $300 to $500 |  |
| Nikon Coolpix P Series | $350 to $500 |  |
| Kodak Easyshare Z Series | $250 to $450 |  |
| Camera | Price Range | Photo Example |
| Canon PowerShot SD Series | $200 to $350 |  |
| Nikon Coolpix S Series | $150 to $300 | Image |
| Olympus Stylus Series | $200 to $400 | Image |
| Panasonic Lumix Series | $200 to $400 | Image |
As always, feel free to discuss this lesson in the comments below. What camera do you currently own? Is it an SLR or a Compact? Do you love, hate, or just like your camera? Are you planning to purchase a new camera soon? If so, which one?
I look forward to hearing all your comments.
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