What to Know When Buying a Digital Camera

So it's finally time for you

to shell out some of those

big bucks a digital camera?

Well, buying
one can be more than
a little difficult.
What types of
features should you
look for?

This brief
guide will tell you
what I think is important

to know when buying a digital camera.

When
it comes to
megapixels, the more
the better. I
recommend a minimum
of 2, but 3 or 4 is
great. We did a test
to see if a camera
with 2.3 megapixels
(actually 1.92 -
1600 x 1200) could
produce a good
quality 8x10. Turns
out it can, if you
have the right paper
and printer. I used
HP Premium Plus
photo paper with an
HP 970 series
printer and made a
fantastic 8 x 10.
The
resolution at 8x10
(we had to crop in
to make the picture
proportional to
8x10) was only 150
DPI. Most printers
would not make a
real good 8x10 at
that resolution, but
this one did. So, if
you want to be sure
you can get good 8 x
10s, you may want to
go with a 3
megapixel camera or
better (that gives
you around 200 DPI
at 8x10 size, still
not quite the
optimum 300 DPI, but
it looks good with
the right printer).

You've probably
noticed that most
digital cameras have
both a specification
for digital and
optical zoom. Pay
the most attention
to the optical zoom.

The optical zoom
magnifies (zooms in)
using glass. The
digital zoom
basically crops out
the edge of the
picture to make the
subject appear
closer, causing you
to lose resolution
or to get an
interpolated
resolution (i.e. the
camera adds pixels).
Neither of which
help image quality.
Finally, make sure
you get enough
(optical) zoom. A 2x
zoom isn't going to
do much for you. A
3x is the average
you'll find in most
digital cameras will
probably be good for
most uses. More on
lenses later.

How does
the camera connect
to your computer?
If
you have a USB port
in your computer,
you'll want a camera
that can connect via
USB as opposed to a
slow serial
connection. On the
other hand, if your
computer doesn't
have a USB port, is
there a serial
connector available
for the camera
you're looking at?
If so, is it a
special order and
how long does it
take to get it?

What does
the camera use to
store images with?
If it uses a memory
stick, make sure you
consider buying
additional sticks
when you get your
camera. A typical 8
meg memory stick
that comes with a 2
megapixel camera
only holds 5 or 6
images at the
camera's best
quality. Some
cameras use a 3.5
inch disk for
storage. Be careful
of these! Although
it may sound like a
good idea, a 3
megapixel camera at
high resolution
produces a 1 meg
file (compressed!).
That's only 1
picture per disk.

When
you're trying to
decide on which
digital camera to
get, check and see
how many different
picture formats it
supports. You want
something that can
produce both
uncompressed
(usually TIFF) and
compressed (usually
JPEG) images. I
personally use the
high quality JPEG
setting on my camera
for most of my
shooting. TIFFs are
just too big and the
difference in
quality is not
ascertainable by
mere mortals. You
also want to be able
to shoot at a lower
resolution than the
camera's maximum.
That way, If you're
running short on
memory, you can
squeeze a few more
shots on your memory
stick.

This
was a biggie for me.
While a 3x zoom may
work for the
"average" user, I
needed something
that allowed me to
do some wide angle
work as well as have
a good telephoto
lens. So, the camera
I purchased a few
months back was a
Nikon Coolpix 990
(note that this
isn't the only
camera that can
accept lenses). It
has auxiliary lenses
that screw into the
filter ring on the
front of the lens. I
now have an
ultra-wide fisheye
lens plus a nice
telephoto. In
addition to lenses,
I wanted a good
flash. The flash
that is built into
most of these
cameras gives you a
top range of 15-20
feet - at best. I
wanted a camera that
could take a
powerful auxiliary
flash (again, the
Nikon isn't the only
camera that fits
this requirement,
but I liked it
better than the
rest).

If you need
more reach than the
small built in flash
can deliver, then
make sure you can
attach an external
flash to any camera
you consider. As an
added bonus, if you
get a camera that
can take an external
flash, you can place
that flash on a
bracket and
eliminate red-eye.

Speaking of flashes,
make sure you check
the distance the
built in flash is
good for. You don't
want a camera with a
wimpy flash that
only travels a few
feet (well, unless
you can get an
external flash for
it as described
above).

This may not sound
important, but it
is. Anyone who owns
a digital camera can
tell you they eat
batteries the way a
sumo wrestler eats
at a buffet. Make
sure the camera can
run on regular (or
rechargeable) "AA"
type batteries. You
don't want a camera
that eats through
expensive lithium
batteries every 10
shots or so. One
thing to remember
about digital
cameras, they do eat
through batteries. I
recommend getting
some Nickel Metal
Hydride rechargeable
for it. I have some
for mine and they
have saved me a
fortune.

Choosing a digital
camera isn't easy.
There's a huge
selection out there
and only you can
determine which
features you need.

For instance, if you
shoot wildlife
photos, a small 3x
zoom probably isn't
going to cut it
(unless you can
attach auxiliary
lenses to it). If
you shoot lots of
close-ups, make sure
the camera has some
sort of macro
capability. If you
shoot big group
photos indoors, an
external flash may
be necessary.

My
advice is to make a
list of things you
want to be able to
do with the camera
then go to somewhere
that can help you
make a good purchase
decision.

Finally,
buy the BEST camera
you can possibly
afford. Or wait
until the price
drops on one with
the type of features
you want.

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