Don’t Let The Digital Camera Companies Trick You!
Are you thinking of buying a digital camera? Maybe your old camera has stopped working or maybe you just want to get a better model, it really doesn’t matter, what’s important is that you understand what you are buying, so you can get the best possible camera for yourself at the best possible price. Below I will give you a list of the most important things you need to know and look out for before you buy your digital camera.
The number of megapixels the digital camera is capable of:
Generally speaking, the more megapixels a digital camera has the better quality photos it will be able to produce. It is true that with the higher end cameras or 8 to 12 megapixels, the quality of the digital cameras lenses will also play an important role, but for digital cameras of 6 and below megapixels, the number of megapixels is generally the most important factor in the quality of the digital pictures it produces.
A very important thing to look out for when you are buying a digital camera is to read the small print as it were in regards to the megapixels of the camera. You see a lot of digital camera manufacturers will try to trick you into thinking they’re digital camera is capable of a higher number of megapixels then is really true.
For example some digital cameras will have in big print on the camera and or in its documentation say six megapixels, but underneath in small print it will say something like five megapixels enhanced to six using software. Basically this means that the camera is really only capable of five megapixels but the software in the camera will attempt to enhance the quality of the photos to six megapixels, this will never be as good as a true six megapixel camera.
A digital camera’s zoom
How much zoom your digital camera should have is really going to depend on the sort of use you give your camera, so only you can make this decision. However it’s important to remember that the more zoom you have the more you are going to be able to do with your camera.
Most digital cameras come with two different types of zoom, digital zoom and optical zoom. With digital zoom the more you zoom in, the more the total number of pixels in the image will decrease resulting in a considerable loss of quality. With optical zoom the number of pixels in the image stays the same because the camera will make use of its lenses to make the area you are focusing on bigger thus not losing quality.
Again just like with the megapixels of a digital camera, the manufacturers often try to mislead you by using big wording stating how much digital zoom the digital camera has but only mention that the zoom is in fact digital in small print.
Personally I never use digital zoom. This is because I would much rather take my picture at full quality and then when I’m at home make use of my PC to make the image larger. This way it is possible to see in real time how much visual quality you will be giving up and of course you will still have the original photo at full quality.
3. Powersupply
The powersupply is something greatly ignored when people buy digital cameras. People just don’t consider it, yet when you think about it having a reliable power source for your digital camera is vital to make sure you don’t ever run out of power right when you need your digital camera most.
A lot of the lower end digital cameras will simply use AA or AAA rechargeable batteries, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing since AA and AAA batteries are very cheap these days, you just need to make sure you have plenty of spare sets charged and ready to use when you need them.
Some lower end and most of the higher end digital cameras will only accept their own powersupply specifically made for that camera. These powersupplys are normally Lithium batteries and can be quite expensive.
Since these batteries are normally somewhat more expensive you will also want to take this into account when comparing price on each different camera model. You do normally get the added advantage of a longer period of usage of the digital camera when using these battery packs.
A few digital cameras have the capability of being able to take both their own specific battery pack and normal AA or AAA rechargeable batteries you can find at any supermarket.
When comparing different digital camera models remember to take into account all of these details. You should also read up on camera reviews on the different digital camera models you are reviewing to see how each camera compares to each other.
Comparing cameras with the help of reviews is especially helpful when looking to buy a top end digital camera, since at this level the quality of the digital cameras lenses and other specifications can make a lot of difference in image output quality.
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