• Basic Digital Camera Buying Guide

    Basic Digital Camera Buying Guide

    Soham Raninga, Nov 12, 2004 0000 hrs IST

    In this hi-tech age, choosing the right digital camera can be an uphill task, especially with the choice available to you

    mail share

    next

Digital imaging is advancing rapidly, thanks to the rapid innovation and technological advancements in this field. In this hi-tech age, choosing the right digital camera can be an uphill task, especially with the choice available to you. This guide has been written keeping in mind novices and first time buyers. Before laying down the technical factors and assessing the market situation, let's first start with what a digital camera is all about.

Why go digital?
Digital technology is touching all aspects of our life and photography is no exception. Digital technology brings accuracy and precision to cameras, providing better results in terms of details, color reproduction and flexibility. Apart from the obvious benefits, in the long run, digital cameras also turn out to be cheaper than traditional cameras. The cost of film and developing is totally eradicated, saving a lot of money as well as time. Digital cameras offer greater control over photography and enhance the experience by giving a preview of the results on the spot. All these factors together provide a better and an "evolved" imaging experience.

Resolution Matters
Measured in Megapixels, a digital camera captures images in various resolutions. The higher the resolution the better is the ability to capture detailed images; however, the quality of image depends on the sensor and the lens. The resolution does not influence the image quality. Larger resolution means more data recorded per frame, thus allowing bigger prints. Typically, a 3.2 MP sensor captures 3.2 million pixels for single frame/shot. A 3.2 MP camera produces images with a max resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels.

Lens
The lens plays a critical role in the final image quality produced by digital cameras. The focal length of the lens is usually in the range of 35 mm to 105 mm. Most digital cameras use Zoom lens for added ability to capture distant objects. An Optical zoom alters the focal length of the lens, thus magnifying the image. Digital zoom simply enlarges the pixels, giving a bigger but inferior image. It is always advisable to choose optical zoom over digital zoom. A 3x optical zoom is sufficient for most entry-level users.

The lens also operates in macro mode, allowing highly detailed captures of smaller objects. In this mode, the depth of field is very low, but extremely accurate, thus producing detailed and accurate images of near objects. Macro mode is widely used in nature photography.

Flash
Identical to traditional cameras, digital cameras also use the flash for capturing images in lowlight and dark areas. The most common flash modes are Auto, Forced or Fill Flash and Red-Eye Reduction. Forced or Fill Flash is useful in outdoor photography as it lights up the shadows that may exist depending on the angle of the sun. Red-Eye reduction as the name suggests reduces the redness in the eye cause by the flash. The flash options are applied as per the shooting conditions and user preferences.


Follow Techtree on Twitter

    next

Do you agree with this aritcle?
YesNo
Related Links



Opinion Poll