Apr 09 2009
Looking for a digital camera
Looking for a digital camera – Not sure what to look for – Is the jargon too much?
Some tips:
The specialists would say “Buy a camera with good glass in the lens, from a manufacturer that made good film cameras”
Pentax, Canon, Olympus, NIkon are those manufacturers
However, the others are also excellent and have many fans and good reviews
Sony, Panasonic, Kodak, Fuji etc
Most people want to just take great photos without having to fiddle with settings. Go for a compact camera.
Megapixels tell you how clear the photo will be – the less the number, the coarser the photo will look, the higher the number, the finer the “grain”. Choose a bigger number if you want to enlarge your photos, otherwise 5-8 Mp’s as they are called will do fine up to A3. However, bigger doesn’t always mean best so read the reviews
To get the best output, you will need a photo quality printer – Epson, Canon etc all make A4 photo printers from £30 – £100. If you want a scanner too, look at the Canon Pixma 600 series – the latest is the 630 which I think is wireless and produces stunning photos from its 5 inks – arouind £110. You will also need photo quality paper – go to Tescos – very cheap and ok for us amateurs.
Some people are now opting for colour lasers which print quickly, and are very good quality onto plain paper. Many makers will send examples if you ask
What else:
Make sure the camera has an automatic lens cover
Make sure the camera has a viewfinder
Most cameras have a screen at the back – is it clear and big enough for you to use? Most are 2 1/2 inches or bigger.
Can you hold it ok and is the size too big or too small?
Some allow more rugged use and even have waterproof cases – the Ixus 80is with w/p case is ok up to 30m depth!
Zoom – ignore digital zoom, only look at optical zoom numbers – these allow you to bring the subject towards you using the zoom button – try it out – does it zoom enough?
Most cameras have 3x zoom and I find this ok. Cameras with more zoom cost more money!
Do you want a rechargeable or ordinary battery?
If a rechargeable runs out, you stop taking photos(unless you buy a spare one at about £20), with ordinary batteries; you go to the shop . They can be charged up any time whether empty or not and last for ages – well mine does.
You will probably need to buy more storage for your pics – I would recommend 2 – 4Gb card around £10 – allows for video
Some cameras also take video, though not as good as a video camera. If you want this, make sure it also records the sound!! Some don’t, apparently
My own camera is the Canon I think it is brilliant and takes superb photo – try the Canon Ixus 80IS, around £115, 8mp and great video too
Check out http://www.amazon.co.uk for prices and also reviews from buyers
Jessops did price match Amazon when I bought mine - they may still do so – ask
A couple of excellent resource sites – American, I think, so cameras may have slightly different names
Digital camera resource page
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraList.php
Digital photography reviews
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/
Please also remember that none of them do a perfect job and research will help you to choose what works for you. Also remember that the reviews are only a guide and may reflect a personal preference
