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What Makes a Good Digital Camera?
So let’s face it, not everyone who is going to pick up a camera is going to know the difference between a Telephoto lens and a Wide-Angle lens, or the true meanings of aperture and f-stop size. Because unless your profession or utmost passion is centered on photography, the meaning of all the technical terms of the process’s used by the camera can remain in the users guide. If your simply looking for a camera which offers great features with even better photos, here you can read about what you should look for and what really makes for a great camera. Now, there is some general knowledge you should know before looking for a camera such as; the different amounts and types of zoom available, is it user friendly, resolution and sensor capabilities all the way to how heavy it is?
By Mason Doyle
I hope this article has been of aide to you and has helped you better understand What To Look For In a Good Camera. Please feel free to leave a comment over this article as your input is greatly appreciated and needed for creating better articles for my viewers in the future. As always, Thank you for visiting Photographer 29, I hope you enjoyed your visit!
1) Overall Body and Button Layout
So let’s start with this, the first thing you’re going to notice when you pick up a camera are the buttons, dials and different features visible on the outside of the camera. So what good is a camera if you spend more time trying to figure out how it works opposed to picking it up, turning it on, and taking the photos worth capturing? A relatively basic set of buttons and dials which are easy to use would probably suit best for someone in search of a reliable camera without a large amount of know how. But there are some functions you should try to have with your Camera. A white balance control is a plus as a shade of blue, orange or even green may coat a photo making it look un-natural in varying light; white balance allows you to render this to make it look like your standing there in person. An exposure compensation button is also helpful as it renders how much light is let in and how its processed, cutting back on or letting more of the light in allows for a more visible image in high/low light situations. So your button set should be easy to read, and be user friendly with basic, straight forward functions without becoming too complicated.
2) What Type Of Lens Does It Have?
The next thing that makes for a great camera is the difference between Optic zoom and Digital Zoom lenses and the aperture size. As far as lenses go, when you have the ability to choose between an Optic Zoom Lens and a Digital zoom lens, always try to go for the Optic zoom lens. This is because with an optic zoom lens, the lens itself focuses in and out on a scene, like a binocular does when adjusting the focus. With a digital zoom lens, the ‘zooming’ becomes more of an effect opposed to an action, as the sensor inside simply takes the viewed image, crops it to a smaller ‘zoomed in’ image, then displays it for your viewing. The best way to describe this is that cell phones use a digital zoom, that’s why when you zoom in too much; the image becomes more blurry, due to the sensor cropping and processing it. So always try to go for a optic zoom lens opposed to a digital, even though a digital zoom will still get the job done. As far as aperture goes, try to find a 2.8mm+ as this will help you take better photos in low light situations, try to avoid though going too high such as a 5.6mm.
Another thing to consider in a great camera is the sensor, a block of pixels which collects the image you see and displays/stores it. This sensor acts just like how the eye does; an image comes through the lens, then is picked up at the back of the eye on the retina ( acting as the sensor) by a large amount of cones and rods ( being the pixels). Now, having a large amount of pixels great, it allows for a higher resolution and finer quality image, but there is a point where the pixel amount becomes too large, where it is literally not even needed for casual photos. Megapixels are used describe the sensor, being that one megapixel is 1000 pixels. A good camera for any casual photo taker where you’re going to be printing on anything smaller then a mat board, will have around 6-8 megapixels. Don’t be fooled by 20, or 24 megapixel cameras as these are primarily used by, as they’re only really needed by, people looking to print billboards or very large images
3) Sensor Quality and Megapixel Amount
4) Does It have an ISO Control?
Lastly, what is ISO? ISO stands for the International Standard organization, which puts a rating on how sensitive or fast that cameras film/sensor is to light. A lower ISO (50-100) means that it requires more time for the film/sensor to be exposed to the light. On the contrary, the faster or higher the iso is (1500-1600) the less light is required. This ultimately means in very bright, sunny situations, a low ISO would create a better image then a higher ISO which would be better for darker, lower light situations. Also, a ISO Balance button on the camera would also be a plus as it would allow you to better enhance an image for the setting it is in, whether it is bright or dark.
- Weight-is it firm? Does it feel light/cheap? Is it too sensitive to shaking?
- Material- Is it made of cheap parts or plastic or is it sturdy and durable?
- Price- does it seem too cheap/Expensive for what it offers?
- Buttons/Options- Is it easy to use? Does it have all the funtions youd like?
- Lens- Does it have an Optic Zoom Lens or a Digital Zoom Lens?
- Aperture- Is it wide enough? Or is it too wide?
- Sensor- is it not a high enough grade or does it over process the image?
- Megapixels- How many does it have? Are you paying for something you don’t need?
- ISO- Is the set ISO too high/Low for your needs? Does it have an adjustable button?
So, What makes a good camera?
Having some basic knowledge over cameras, what all goes into them, and what specifications would work best for your needs can help you in finding a camera which is designed best for you. A camera is something one shouldn't have to purchase very often, if ever again for a long time, and finding one that not only is functional for you but is also reliable is the main goal.Now granted, you don't need some $2000 dollar DSLR camera to take better than life pictures,but you also don't want to get a $50 camera which offers everything a camera can. Investing a reasonable amount of money in a camera can usually assure you that you're going to get a reliable camera which won't give out on you for a while. With any other electronic, you do get what you pay for, and in the end, you don't want to spend more money on having to replace something that you could have avoided if you were to put in a little more for a better camera. Trust me, there's no sense in having to pay for something twice when you could pay a little more for it once, and have it last a lot longer without having to replace it.