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Digital Camera Buying Guide
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Digital Camera Features
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Digital Camera Features
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Resolution
Maximum resolution is one of the most important ratings of a digital camera. Digital images are made up of many dots called pixels. The resolution of a digital camera depends on how many pixels it can record horizontally and vertically (640x480). Resolution of a digital camera is determined by the number of image sensors in the digital camera's array. If you multiply the number of horizontal pixels by the number of vertical pixels this will give you the total number of pixels (640 x 480 = 307,200 pixels).
Some digital cameras are rated by megapixels. A megapixel is one million pixels. Less expensive digital cameras have around 1.3 megapixels. Better quality digital cameras have 3 to 4 megapixels or more. The more pixels a digital camera has, the higher the resolution and quality of photos that you can take.
The resolution you need depends on what you plan to do with your photos. In order to print good quality color photos using standard photo sizes (4"x6" or 5"x7") at least a 1-2 megapixel digital camera would be needed. If you just want to e-mail photos to your friends or put them on the Web, you'll be happy with a lower resolution like 640 x 480. If you're interested in printing larger digital photos (8"x10"), the digital camera must be capable of capturing more pixels. You'll need a 2-3 megapixel digital camera higher resolutions for larger prints. Some megapixel cameras give you the option of taking lower-resolution photos so that you can fit more photos in the camera's memory. Some of us are really picky about producing high quality images and may want to buy a 4 megapixel digital camera.
Viewfinders & LCDs
Traditional film cameras have an optical viewfinder look through and frame your subject. The less expensive digital cameras use an optical viewfinder and the more expensive digital cameras come with a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), similar to flat panel computer screens, games and digital watches.
Digital cameras with an LCD allow you to frame shots more accurately but your grip on the camera can be more shaky. Another drawback of digital cameras with LCD's is that they can't capture and process pixels fast enough when shooting moving objects. Outdoor photography can also be a pain with LCD's because bright sunlight can make the screen difficult to see. Digital cameras using an LCD viewfinder will drain your camera's battery very quickly. Buy a digital camera that comes with an optical viewfinder and a LCD display. That way you can turn on the LCD only when you want to view pictures.
Focus
Another consideration in buying a digital camera is how the camera focuses on a subject. Most digital cameras have either fixed-focus lenses or autofocus. A fixed-focus lens produces sharp images from about four feet out to infinity, but you won't be able to shoot close-up subjects. Autofocus lenses will automatically focus on whatever is in the center of the viewfinder. These are good for snapshot photography and not recommended for professional photographers.
Digital Camera Lenses
Normal lenses, about 50mm on film cameras, most closely approximate what your eye sees. Lenses that are shorter than 50mm are wide-angle and longer lenses are telephoto. Lenses on digital cameras tend to be much shorter than on traditional cameras so be sure to look for the "35mm equivalent" rating to get a better idea of the camera's range. Many digital cameras offer zoom lenses, which take you from wide-angle to telephoto. This allows you the most flexiblilty. Some cameras also have macro capability, which lets you focus very close and take pictures of small objects.
Exposure
Most digital cameras automatically determine the correct exposure for the lighting conditions. But, sometimes the image will appear too dark or too bright. You may want a digital camera that offers manual exposure compensation, allowing you to set the exposure a few stops brighter or darker.
Battery Power
Limited battery life is one of the biggest problems with digital cameras. Digital cameras may run out of electrical power before its memory is full, especially if you use the LCD viewfinder or flash frequently. Many digital cameras use four AA batteries which can be drained of power in 15 - 20 minutes of use. Consider purchasing a digital camera that will accept rechargeable batteries. You can also buy an extra battery pack or invest in rechargeable AA batteries. And rember to always have extra batteries on hand.
Nickel batteries are cheaper than Lithium camera batteries, but the Nickel batteries lose their charge much faster when not in use. The most popular rechargeable batteries are NiCad (nickel-cadmium). They charge quickly and can be recharged around 700 times. The NiCad battery holds less electrical charge every time you use it or if you overcharge it. To avoid this, you must completely drain the battery before recharging or get a recharger/conditioner.
NiMH batteries don't suffer these effects and will last 30% longer on a charge than similar NiCad batteries. You can get an hour or so of operating time from a set of NiMH batteries, but they take much longer to recharge than NiCad batteries, up to 16 hours. These batteries are commonly used in digital video cameras. Lithium batteries last twice as long on a charge as NiMH batteries and don't lose their charge as quickly when not in use. These batteries last for approximately 400 rechargings.
You can also get a digital camera that uses an AC power adapter. A camera consumes a lot of power when it's downloading images to your computer or displaying photos on the TV. So it's good to be able to power it from a wall outlet. You can also shoot with the camera plugged in.
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