Digital Camera Buying Guide

Modern digital cameras have come a long way in the past few years, and are now a real alternative to film cameras at all levels from novice to pro-photographer.  There are now a bewildering number of models to choose from in all shapes and sizes.  To help you decide which is right for you here is a run down of the different types of camera and their features.

Beginner’s Compact (basic point-and-shoot) camera

A basic point-and-shoot camera is ideal for people who need an inexpensive camera to keep with them all the time ready to capture the action as it happens. Many also have HD video capability too which makes them a good alternative to a camera phone.

These are simple to operate cameras usually with automatic focusing and exposure with scene modes and built in flash.  They are available in a huge range of styles some models are also useable as underwater cameras.

Try to avoid the trap of looking for super high megapixel counts as these cameras have small sensors and this can actually result in lower image quality and picture noise/grain.  Instead concentrate on the lens and look for one of a reasonable size with good wide angle capability. If it has a zoom lens this will be at the low end of the zoom. Around 28mm is ideal for landscape shots, self portraits and group shots.

Pros

• Cheap to buy
• Extremely easy to use
• Light-weight and portable
• Runs on regular batteries

Cons

• Limited zoom range
• Slow shutter response
• Inferior low light picture quality
• Typically lacks manual controls

Mid-range Compact/Compact Superzoom

Mid-range compact cameras are similar to the beginners compact in terms of ease of use and automatic features.  They tend to have a greater zoom range however and sensors with more megapixels.  They are slightly larger than a compact camera while being smaller than a fully fledged Superzoom.

These cameras are ideal for everyday use and to take on vacation making use of their large zoom range to take in a wide landscape scene or perhaps wildlife distance photography.

Cruicially these cameras have excellent image stabilisation to make use of the zoom lens hand held without getting blurry images.

Pros

• Large zoom range in a compact size
• Typically has image stabilisation
• Light-weight and compact
• Simple to use
• Can produce high quality images
• Runs on regular batteries

Cons

• Not as portable as a compact camera
• More expensive than basic point-and-shoot
• Can be power hungry so batteries need frequent replacement
• Not compatible with accessories
• LCD screens can be hard to see in bright sunlight

Prosumer Camera/Superzoom Camera

These cameras fill the gap between compact cameras and DSLRs. They are very adaptable cameras with good wide angle and telephoto ability.  They are often very similar in appearance to a DSLR without the ability to change lenses and might be lacking the optical viewfinder.  These cameras typically have large zoom ranges with 24x and 30x being common. They generally also accept accessories such as flashes or lens adaptors.

Pros

• High quality images
• Large zoom range
• Accepts accessories via hotshoe
• Fast shutter response
• Video capability

Cons

• Bulkier than point-and-shoot cameras
• Smaller than DSLR but similar in size to Interchangeable Lens cameras
• Expensive for fixed lens camera
• More complicated to operate

Compact Interchangeable-lens Camera/ Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens (EVIL) Camera

Compact mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras are a new type of camera mostly aimed at people looking to upgrade from a compact camera, who maybe would like DSLR quality images without the bulk.  If you can manage without an optical viewfinder,  which most point-and-shoot upgraders could, these interchangeable-lens cameras offer most of what a DSLR offers in a more compact body: a large sensor, fast shutter speed, interchangeable lenses, noticeably better still image and video quality than your average point-and-shoot, with manual controls.

The lack of an optical viewfinder is the main way the manufacturers have managed to make these cameras so small: by eliminating the large mirror box that lets you view your shot through the lens, manufacturers were able to make these interchangeable-lens cameras more compact.

Because this type of camera hasn’t been around long, there aren’t as many lenses  to choose from. Most of these cameras can use DSLR lenses with an adaptor, but they’re often quite expensive- costing as much as the lenses themselves in some cases.

Pros

• More compact than a DSLR
• Excellent photo and video quality comparable to DSLR
• No shutter lag
• Interchangeable lenses
• Manual controls for exposure and focus

Cons

• No through-the-lens optical viewfinder
• Can be quite expensive
• Not as broad a range of lenses as a DSLR yet
• Bulkier than a compact for everyday use

Digital SLR cameras

Digital single lens reflex cameras offer more advanced features and full manual control.  The main advantage of an DSLR is the large sensor and large,  high quality lenses. Interchangeable for different shooting conditions and effects, this enables them to achieve better picture resolution and low light performance at higher ISO settings.  aA vast number of  interchangeable lenses are available ranging from macro to wide angle and telephoto.

A DSLR can be quite  intimidating to the novice photographer,  with the seemingly huge number of buttons and controls visible on the camera body.  Don’t be put off by this as most DSLR models these days have compact  point-and-shoot-esque features such as scene and auto exposure  modes and LCD viewfinders in addition to the optical one to make the upgrade path from point-and-shoots easier.

• Professional quality images
• Large choice of lenses
• Accepts accessories such as a flash unit
• Very fast shutter response
• Full manual control for focus and exposure
• Through-the-lens optical viewfinder so you see the shot exactly as your camera will capture it

Cons

• Camera body large/heavy
• Extra lenses to carry
• Expensive
• More complicated operation
• Not all DSLRs have video capability

What do I need the camera for?

When buying a camera you must first ask yourself what you will use it for. If you just intend to use it for holiday snapshot use a “point and shoot” camera would probably be your best bet.  A point and shoot will automatically select the correct settings for the conditions and leaves you free to compose your shot. If you are new to photography they are a good place to start and many have manual and semi automatic modes which allow you to progress as you learn. If you intend to use it for more creative artistic photography, for sports photography, or perhaps have a desire for higher image quality and better low-light performance, then an entry level DSLR might better suit your needs.  A DSLR allows greater control of the camera with complete manual control available.

Don’t only focus on the Megapixels

It is a common misconception that the higher the number of megapixels the higher the picture quality will be.  Megapixels are simply the size of the stored image, basically how large it can be printed without losing quality.  It is the size of the cameras sensor which determines image quality, a DSLR with 8mp will produce far higher resolution images than a compact camera with 8mp for example, due to the size of each pixel on the larger sensor gathering more light.  Compact cameras with a high megapixel count can actually have worse image quality than one with fewer megapixels.  Unless you intent to print poster sized images an 8mp camera is fine for up to 8”x10” prints.

The Camera Lens

As a general rule the larger the lens the more light it can gather, so the better the pictures.  Most digital cameras have zoom lenses nowadays with 3x, 4x and 10x being the most common. For general use 3x and 4x magnification are fine. For distance shots though it is useful to have 10x plus magnification which can give you more flexibility in your composition.  Optical zoom lenses enable you to get good quality images from a distance. Many cameras also have digital zoom but this is simply the same as cropping the image in an editing program and results in reduced picture quality.  When it comes to comparing camera specs  ignore the digital zoom and just look at the optical zoom power.

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