How to buy a digital camera

How to Purchase Digital Cameras

Purchasing a Digital Camera can seem like a daunting task. All those numbers, 6.0 mega pixels, 640 x 480, 64 MB Flash memory , who can understand or convert between different cameras? This tutorial will help you understand what all those terms mean, which aspects of a digital camera you may be interested in while shopping, and be able to compare different cameras with seemingly different descriptive terms. Digital cameras allow for instant access to your pictures. Most cameras on the market have an LCD screen to view the pictures immediately. You can then choose which pictures to keep and which to delete. Using different methods, you can then send the pictures to your computer to email them, print, or store them for future use. Important Characteristics of Digital Cameras Depending on what you want to use the camera for, different characteristics will interest you over others. As your features increase, so does the price. Resolution The resolution of your digital camera tells you how sharp the pictures will come out. The resolution is measured in dpi, or dots per inch. It is an expressed in pixels, each pixel is a dot of color. For example, 640 x 480 has 480 lines from top to bottom and 640 pixels that make up each of those lines. A typical inexpensive camera will be 640 x 480, which is suitable for web or emailing, but if you want to print pictures, anything below 1280 x 1024 is probably unacceptable. When a camera has more than a million pixels, it is commonly referred to as a "mega pixel" camera. For example, a description of a camera may say "Digital Zoom Camera, 1.5 mega pixel, 1280 x 1024 resolution." This camera has over 1 million pixels, which means it is a high quality camera. Storage Space The storage space on digital camera varies from model to model. Generally, the feature is expressed in MB (megabytes) of RAM of storage. Sometimes, a manufacturer will express the storage space in the number of pictures the camera will hold in low or high resolution. Typically, a 16 MB card can hold 20 pictures at high resolution, though this will vary from camera to camera (depending on the number of mega pixels the camera can take). When purchasing a camera, 64 MB is the minimum recommended amount of memory to fulfill the average needs. If you camera doesn't have this memory standard, you should take into account an extra card purchase cost. We currently use a 512MB card in our 5 mega pixel camera - anything less just won't hold enough pictures for our needs. Method of Storage There are several methods by which a camera can store the pictures you take. These range from regular old floppy disks to removable media that can be plugged into laptops or card readers. Floppy Disks allow for an easy removable media which can be plugged into your Macintosh or PC and read directly. There are very few (if any) floppy disk cameras left on the market. Compact Flash and Smart Media are removable types of media that are popular in older cameras. Compact Flash cards are more durable than Smart Media, so those should be preferred over Smart Media cards. When purchasing, ensure the camera comes with a memory disk, or you may be stuck purchasing cards to hold your pictures. Fuji cameras have a standard called XD which is about the size of a stamp. Sony cameras use Memory Stick as their standard memory type, but most cameras use Smart media or Compact Flash. Some cameras have nonremoveable storage, which once you run out of memory, you will have to delete pictures or transfer them to your computer before you can take more pictures. This is the least wanted kind of storage, though most of the cheaper digital cameras save pictures this way. Transfer Method The transfer method is the method which you can get pictures back into your computer . Most cameras include a USB or serial cable to transfer pictures from your camera into your computer. With PCMCIA compatible storage cards, you can also access them via a PCMCIA slot or PCMCIA drive. A lot of cameras also have video out ports, so you can show your family, friends, or business associates pictures on the TV. Exposure The more expensive cameras let you switch between manual and auto focus modes, like a regular SLR camera. This allows you a greater control over the outcome of your picture, from focus to aperture settings. Digital cameras are also increasingly featuring other functions, like zoom, metering, and multiple flash modes to help set your picture how you want it. Picking the right digital camera for you may seem like a daunting task, but with enough research, you should be able to find a great camera for you.