Digital Photography Tips – How to Choose the Best Camera
Technology and innovation has placed digital photography into the forefront in such a fast phase. Today the price of cameras are better, meaning it very common for adults and children to own digital cameras. This is not only because they are easy to use but also because many of these cameras are quite affordable. They are convenient to use and require no film. Due to the big number of consumers of digital cameras and prospective aficionados of digital photography, the number of companies and manufacturers of various brands of digital cameras has become quite numerous. It is no longer a problem of ‘where to buy’, but ‘what to buy’. The huge selection available on the market can make your choice quite confusing. When choosing the best digital camera, here are some important tips to take into consideration.
- Price
When buying anything, it is usually the price that is first considered, unless the buyer is filthy rich. With the large number of brands of digital camera available, you will surely find one that will fit your budget. Obviously the more expensive the camera is the better the quality is likely to be. Therefore, if you intend to make a living out digital photography, putting more money in it becomes an investment and will be more beneficial to you in the long run. If you intend to use the camera for fun or a hobby, then look for something a little less complicated which in turn will be cheaper.
- Intention for Buying
In connection with the price, you need to first think of your main reason why you wanted to buy the camera. As mentioned already, if it is to seriously take up digital photography, a good quality one will be the ideal choice. When using for everyday basic photographs possibly a lower megapixel camera would be a cheaper choice.
- Durability
If buying, whatever amount of money is involved, you will of course want something that is durable. Technically, the more you spend, the more durable the camera should be. Find out about the durability of your camera from the store clerk so that you will know what to expect. Also look at products with a money back guarantee.
Aside from the abovementioned factors, there are still a lot of other important details to consider when buying a digital camera. Digital cameras are highly technical products, but it is indeed these technical features that require consideration. Below are some of the most vital features for consideration:
- Megapixel
Many of today’s camera is bought according to the number of megapixel the camera is capable of handling. Before buying some thought into how you want to use the pictures must be considered. If you are into professional digital photography, then you may opt for the higher megapixel types since you may enlarge the photos taken without compromising the integrity of every shot. While for hobby and fun, there is no need for high cost, high resolution cameras.
- Lens Quality
Optical zoom lens of various cameras of today range from about 3x to 18 times optical zoom lenses. Largely, it depends really on your future intentional use of the camera.
- Feel of the Camera
It is important to make an actual test of the camera by putting it in your hands and testing its familiarity. Do not simply rely on the look of a camera. It is best that it will feel right in your own palms to ensure great shots when already doing some digital photography.
- USB Capability
Today’s gadgets are now almost always linkable to the computer, making it easier to transfer, modify, print and do many other things with it. Most cameras today will be fitted with USB capabilities but always check to be sure. Be sure that what you are buying has this feature present.
- Manual Focus
Although optical zoom features are highly important, it would be handy to also have one with both zoom lens and manual focus. This allows you to have more control over your photos.
- Tripod Feature
Although some may not find it important, it would be useful to have a camera that can be screwed to a tripod. This helps to stop camera shake and prevent blurred photographs. You won’t always need to use this, but it is convenient to have it when needed.
- Macro Setting
This feature, most especially in digital photography, will allow you to take photos of anything at a proximity of 3 to 4 inches. Not having this feature will be a quite frustrating particularly for a photographer to be.
Other important features can be considered before buying a digital camera that will surely help you produce great photos. All of these will depend largely on how you intend to use your camera. It is up to you then which feature is better that the other if the camera for your budget does not contain all of the above in just one.
MattsCanvas has over over 15 years experience offers quality Canvas Prints, Photos on Canvas and Pop Art Portraits.
Top 5 Reasons to go Digital vs. Film
One thing I discovered during my experience with digital photography is that it is very well suited for the portrait photographer. So why are they the last to jump on the band wagon? For some reason portrait photographers have been slower to switch to digital cameras than the average commercial photographer has.
My thought is that possibly they are afraid? Afraid of the learning curve and afraid that the quality just isn’t there unless they spend an ungodly amount of hard earned cash on some scary looking gigantic array of confusing and awkward, let alone “how am I going to learn how to use this stuff” equipment.
The truth of the matter is all you really need is a 5MP digital camera. Don’t fear that DSLR’s create lower quality images, I’ve seen amazing work over and over with fantastic results. Yes, even with a 5 megapixel camera.
There are many reasons, here are 5 good ones.
1- Service
These days a real camera repair shop is very hard to fine and service for film cameras is evaporating even more rapidly. Most camera stores will just send your camera to the manufacturer and then charge you more than the flat repair rate that you would get from Sony, Canon or Nikon etc. yourself. If you look online you can still find a real camera repair shop including ones that specialize in digital SLR camera repair and charge much less than the $250-300 flat rate repairs that the manufacturers offer.
Many digital repair parts are replaceable by the consumer such as battery doors, memory card doors and other body parts like zoom switches. There are plenty of people who want to repair their own camera and replace the LCD screen or lens, but many prefer to leave the repair to a professional service instead.
The real problem with finding good Canon digital camera repair for example is lack of knowledge. Unfortunately retail shops are not knowledgeable regarding repair and will tell you that repairing your broken digital camera will cost far more than just buying a new one. A retail store has no idea that there are actual affordable camera repair options available, including parts for the do it yourselfer! A couple simple searches on Google will go a long way to help you find a reputable repair shop for your Sony digital camera repair.
2- Quality
The quality of images captured with a high quality lens, properly exposed and well posed is more than enough, even if you shoot JPEGS. Yes, JPEGS. More than 90% of the photos I take are shot in JPEG instead of RAW. Why would a professional want to take pictures in “low quality” JPEG mode? The answer is simple: It works.
Most of the time the average portrait photographer doesn’t need an extremely high resolution image to work with. If they have in the past, they’ve always degraded the image through retouching and other means. It’s ironic if you think about it? You can still shoot in RAW mode if you wish, but it isn’t really needed.
3- Control
People want their photos fast. We are living in a drive-through culture and every minute counts. In our studio we create a slide presentation for our sessions and we show them to the clients within 20 minutes of every shoot. Our customers love it. Customers get the results instantly. If the customer is there waiting to view the shots from the shoot is already planning on spending money then sales will go up. Their is ample evidence that when you show the images sooner, and you create large projected images, which is a cinch with digital, sales go up. Digital gives the portrait photographer more control over the sales process, and ultimately it means more profits.
4- Retouching
Let’s face it, people want to look good. What used to take hours and whole lot of aggravation with spray booths, smelly and dangerous lacquers, is now possible with absolute ease. Even when I decided to farm out all my retouching because I had had enough, it still took weeks or months, and huge retouching bills.
Not to mention the loss of control I had over the retouching aspects. It was up to the subjective interpretation of the retouching artist to enhance the images the way I wanted them retouched. All the time spent retouching photos in the past has been replaced with only minor Photoshop knowledge and much less time. In mere minutes. With fantastic results. This ultimately translates to satisfying a basic need that needs to satisfied in our clients, their vanity. Customers want to look good and they want to see the results right away.
5- Innovation
I could go on for days when it comes to what new products, ideas, services, sales processes, packages, etc, etc. . . I have been able to create because of digital photography.
I am once again excited about photography and the new possibilities. When you apply the power of digital, and get a handle on it in your workflow, you can create new and exciting products like never before.
I’ve seen it and experience it every week in our busy little small-city studio. The proof ultimately boils down to net profits, doesn’t it?
After all, we are in business first, and creative artists second, right? We are in business to make money and survive. We need new and exciting angles, ways to stay afloat, so we can pay our bills, keep the bankers happy and provide for our families. No one can predict how digital photography will ultimately evolve, but my bet is with it all the way.
Do you remember when color film was first released to consumers? I don’t, I was just a wee lad, but I heard stories about the many studio owners closing their doors and packing it in because they didn’t want to keep up with the demand and latest craze that color film and color paper had created.
Having grown up shooting film I didn’t think I would enjoy digital cameras. Now that I’ve spent some time shooting digital I won’t be going back to film, guaranteed.
