So then it begins. I read one review, that wasn't very helpful. I read another, well that's exactly opposite of what the last person said. And another, wait, what does ISO mean again? Now I'm looking up definitions of camera lingo and I am not one step closer to deciding what camera to buy.
I am in no means a professional photographer, as in no one pays me to take photographs. However, it is a hobby of mine. I have bought a lot of cameras in my day, and I do take a lot of photographs. I do read a lot of photography blogs and websites.
A lot of people have asked me what camera to buy. And a lot of people have asked me what camera I use. So, I decided to write a blog about the types of questions I ask myself when buying a digital camera. I ask myself these questions in this particular order.
What this post doesn't do is give a list of cameras for you to purchase. Cameras change daily. What camera I suggest today will be irrelevant tomorrow.
1. What is my budget?
The idea is to set a realistic goal on what you're able to spend. In my opinion, it doesn't matter if you're planning to become a professional photographer with this new camera or just using it to capture moments within your life. If you don't have the means to buy a DSLR, you can't buy a DSLR. The fact of the matter is, there are great cameras at every price range, some of which can prepare you for a time when you can purchase your dream camera. After determining a price range and choosing a camera in that range be sure to include accessory items. You will most likely need to buy a memory card, case and even batteries, all of which can add up.
2. What kind of photographer am I?
In the off chance that budget is not important to you, this question becomes the most important. There are a lot of questions that go into answering that question. Particularly, what am I going to be using this camera for? what will I be shooting or like to shoot? Am I going to take the camera with me everywhere? Do I want to learn more? Am I my cameras friend?
The answer to each of these questions will lead you to a particular type of camera and to the features that you need and determine the type of photographer you are. Obviously, a mommy on the go who wants to capture all her child's growing up moments requires a different camera than a budding photographer or a commercial artist.
3. What camera features are most important to me?
Answer this question based on the type of photographer you are and your answers to the previous question. I'll take a moment to break down basic camera features now that may be important in your camera purchase. After you figure out which features are most important to you, choose a camera that meets 80% of those needs. In reality, chances are you'll rarely use most of them. Here are a few of the features that I find most important for your basic camera needs.
Viewfinders
Viewfinders are what a photographer uses to look through to view and sometimes focus a picture, it shows the field of view of the lens. Some point and shoot cameras no longer come with look-through view finders. In those cases, the photographer is left to use an LCD screen. This can make composing a picture difficult. Also, some LCD screens are very hard to see in direct sunlight. So, if you are a budding photographer or like more options when composing a picture or will be shooting most of your photos in sunlight then I suggest a camera with a viewfinder you can look through. If you really don't care what the composition of the photo is, want something a little more compact and don't care about the consequences of sunlight then choose one without.
Optical and Digital Zoom
There are different kinds of zoom, one is much more important than the other, at least I think so. Putting it simply digital zoom only enlarges pixels in your shot to give the impression that things look bigger. While optical zoom actually zooms and enlarges the image. Digital zoom actually causes a loss of quality in your images. So, if you're the type of photographer that will be taking a lot of pictures from a distance then you may want a camera with high optical zoom. That's not to say that digital zoom is bad. I'm under the impression that all cameras have at least some digital zoom. Digital zoom comes in handy when you don't plan to be using after shooting editing software. Plus, with the high number of pixels most cameras have these days you'll still get great clarity when using digital zoom, especially if you aren't printing pictures any bigger than 8x10.
Megapixels
Speaking of megapixels, what are they exactly? They're tiny squares of color on a screen that are so small that they appear as a dot. 1 million of those tiny little squares equals one megapixel. Most cameras these days advertise high megapixels, which in my opinion, is great. However, they're not all that necessary. Especially today, when the most the typical person does with their images is upload them onto their computer and then load them onto a social network like facebook or flickr. Yes, the more pixels the clearer the image is going to be, but it also means larger images, larger file sizes, larger memory cards, and more hard drive space. So what kind of photographer are you, the type that leaves your photos on your computer or at most prints out a 5x6 or an 8x10 here or there? Then all you really need is a camera with 4 megapixels. Or are you the type that prints larger images often, likes to do a lot of post editing with lots of detail then you'll want a camera with more megapixels.
ISO
Internal Organization of Standardization. The acronym is not so important, but what it measures is. It measures how sensitive the image sensor is to light. The higher the number the more sensitive the image sensor is to light. If you have a lot of light you use a lower ISO setting, if you have dim lighting use a higher ISO setting. However, be aware that high ISOs cause the image to become grainy and produce a lot of noise. Most DSLRs still do ok at the higher ISO settings, but point and shoots rarely do well over 800. Once again, decide what you want to use your camera for, and then decide whether you're really going to be shooting in such variable conditions that you need to play with your ISO settings.
Image Stabilization
Basically camera manufacturers have come up with a number of techniques to reduce blurring from motion during image exposure. Tilt/shake can become rather consequential when shutter speeds are reduced. There are all kinds of stabilization. Lens-based, sensor-shift, and optical image are a few. In my opinion all point and shoots are pretty standard and you're rarely going to be slowing your shutter speeds down so low that it will make a very noticeable difference. However, again decide the type of photographer you are and determine how much image stabilization you need. Plus, it never hurts to invest in a good tripod if your hands are really that shaky.
Image format
This isn't so important for point and shoot cameras. Most of them primarily use JPEG formats. JPEG is a small compressed file that can be opened by any computer. These are great for those not doing any editing or wanting to invest in post-editing software. But the ability to edit these images are limited basically to exposure and color. Some point and shoot cameras do allow you to shoot RAW images, which are not overly processed. But RAW image files tend to be larger in size and it will take longer for your camera to record them. So, it may not be possible to catch all the moments when shooting images of your kids with a point and shoot camera and using RAW formats. However, most DSLRs are very capable and shooting in RAW can allow you to make a bad image a great one after editing. So again, decide what kind of photographer you are, the type that wants flexibility when editing or one with no desire to edit at all.
4. How does this camera feel in my hands?
I suggest you don't just buy a camera online without going to a store and holding it first. Some point and shoots are so compact that even my hands are too large to comfortably use them. My fingers end up covering the LCD screen or the lens. On the other hand, some are so large and bulky that they wouldn't fit comfortably in my purse. Even further some DSLRs can be heavy. If I can't hold it up to take photos for an extended period of time, then what's the point?
5. What do the reviews say?
It's important to read the reviews. There is no better source than the people who already own the camera you're planning to purchase. I generally scan the Best-Buy review pages, as well as check out sites like CNET Reviews, Steve's Digicams, and Epinions.
6. When should I buy my camera?
If you don't need it right this second then it's best to plan your purchase time. It can end up saving you a lot of money. What's important to you, price or the latest versions? If price is then consider buying your camera on 'Black Friday or Cyber Monday' or around the holidays like Christmas. Even further, if buying online, buy it on a Monday. According to extrabux.com there are more sales on cameras that day of the week. If the latest version is more important then consider buying in February-March. New cameras are generally released at the start of the year Jan-Feb and hit the market in February and March.
So, those are the questions I ask myself. They are very basic and the list of features are the ones I find most important without getting too technical. I also tried to keep the post relatively short concise. I hope it helps a little bit, and if you have any questions just ask! Good luck with your next camera purchase.
By the way, these are two pictures that I've taken recently, one with a point and shoot and one with a dslr. There are subtle differences (some of which you might not be able to pick up on your computer screen), but in my opinion both have good image quality. You be the judge.
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