??Which
Camera to Buy??
One
of the most frequent questions I am asked is "Which camera should I buy?" The simple answer is "It
depends."
It depends on several factors. There is no single
correct response for everyone. If there was a perfect digicam, there would
not
be so many in the marketplace. Buying a digicam is much like buying a
car.
First we need to decide what our needs are. If
we have 10 kids and frequently truck around strollers, pallets of
groceries, toys, diaper bags and what not, the last car you would
want to invest in would be a Ferrari. Likewise, if we are just out to
capture happy moments in our life, we do not need a $25K professional
digital camera with 22mp of resolution.
On the other hand, if you live by yourself, are well-to-do,
know how to drive to get the most out of every sports car and just want
something to get from here to there quickly and in style, that Ferrari
may be just the ticket for you (notice the pun - intended).
Similarly, if money is no option and you are willing to put up with the
inconveniences, that 22mp pro digital camera might indeed work out for
you.
Budget Digicams
The $99 Wal-Mart Special - These cameras have those snazzy LCD displays,
offer live previews and are so easy to use even a 1 year old child can
take cool photos. When my daughter sees something she likes, she
simply flicks on the camera, waits for it to startup, frames her shot and
fires away. Most of her photographs come out with decent quality,
though it is nothing to write home about.
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The photo to the left was taken by my daughter when she was 1½
years old. It is unretouched, except for resizing. Notice it has a fairly
good exposure, sharpness and color to it. Also note there is a blinding
flash reflection smack in the center of the image.
Camera phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) can also be lumped into this category
as well as the digicam feature of some camcorders. Although some high-end video cameras
can take some very high quality digital images, they do not offer the flexibility and control of
dedicated digital cameras. |
Advantages:
- Cheap - affordable.
- Respectable pics in most instances.
- Great for "snapshots" and no-brainer
type photography.
disadvantages:
- Cheap - plastic fixed focus lense (although this
particular camera uses a glass fixed focus lense).
- Feature lacking - no macro, or poor quality macro
performance.
- Slow - long startup times, slow shot-to-shot times,
significant shutter lag.
- Low resolution - usually around 2mp, not enough
to print larger photos, and little room to crop.
- Limited dynamic range - parts of photos often
appear too bright, where other sections of the same photo appears too
dark.
Recommendation:
Avoid them.
Entry Level
It is much better to wait and save
our money for a better camera than
it is to buy a budget digicam. There is a tremendous difference in overall
image quality gained by spending $100 more. Today's entry-level cameras,
which include most compact and sub-compact cameras, offer better features
at affordable prices within reach of the general population.
These digicams average around $250 - $350, and some
run as high as $600 or so. These are the most popular type of digicams. They range from 4mp to 7mp in resolution
and are aptly suited for general
photography, producing high quality images. The Sony DSC-P5 I used in
describing techniques is one of theses types of cameras.
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Advantages:
- Glass lense - good macro abilities.
- Compact - take anywhere camera.
- Easy to use - includes several "dummy modes."
- High resolution - usually from 4mp to 7mp in resolution.
- Accessories - manufacturers offer some basic accessories
for these cameras, which includes lense modifiers in some cases.
Disadvantages:
- Little to no manual control.
- No RAW.
- If you're an easy addict, and catch the photography
bug, you'll end up wanting to upgrade your camera.
Recommendation:
These cameras are great for most purposes. They offer good quality images
at an affordable price resulting in the best bang-for-buck ratio.
Prosumer
For the avid enthusiast
who wants a little more creative control, yet
does not want the intimidation of a more complicated DSLR system,
a prosumer camera is a cost effective choice that limits the desire to
go overboard with photographic equipment.
These cameras range in price from $500 to $900,
offer state of the art technologies and full control over the photographic
experience.
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Advantages:
- Fast - startup times, shot-to-shot, shutter lag,
focusing are all very quick and responsive.
- Supports RAW - take full advantage of the camera's
true capabilities.
- Manual control - PSAM (program, shutter,
aperture, and manual settings).
- Dummy modes - for those of us who still want
the camera to make all the decisions.
- Accessories - often have add-on lense attachments
to increase the wide angle, telephoto range, macro focus and the like. Off camera flashes are also offered as accessories.
Disadvantages:
- Pricy - the cost is getting up there.
- Confusing - more options, more buttons, more features:
you almost have to read the manual to figure out the camera.
- Integrated lense - limits specialized optics
from being used.
Recommendation:
Great choice for the photo enthusiast. These cameras offer creative control
in a small, relatively easy to use package. However, at the higher end
of the price range, you may want to consider getting an entry-level DSLR.
Digital SLR
Digital SLRs offer the ultimate in flexibility. Their controls allow us
to choose which image parameters to use to get the best photograph out
of a scene. Their accessories allow us to choose equipment based on
our shooting needs. And RAW processing allows us control over how the
image is rendered into the final photograph.
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Advantages:
- Performs like a film camera - instantaneous startup
time, minimal shutter lag, amazing shot-to-shot times.
- Larger sensor - less noise, finer details, greater
dynamic range.
- Ultimate in flexibility.
Disadvantages:
- Intimidating - steep learning curve, even for
professional photographers.
- Dust on sensor - since the lense is interchangeable,
dust can sneak in and create dust specks in the final image that have
to be cleaned up. Cleaning the sensor when this occurs reduces the number
of specs showing up in the final image. Since the lense is not sealed
(i.e., airtight as in consumer digicams), dust will eventually find its way in
even if the lense is never removed.
- No live preview - due to the mechanism of the
optical path, we cannot use the LCD to frame our shot in real-time.
The LCD is used to review the image, once the shot has been taken, and
to operate menu functions.
- Costly addiction - you will soon find you
need more and more equipment much like how our reef tanks need more
corals no matter how many we already have.
Recommendation:
Well, if you can afford reef tanks
Professional
Professional cameras tend to be extremely costly, often amounting to $3K
and up. These are highly specialized cameras optimized for specific shooting
situations and built with ruggedness and durability demanded by rough
handling professional photographers. Shutter life is rated in the 100
thousands of activations and environmental seals are placed around plate
intersections to help keep out the environment. Batteries are larger allowing
for extended shooting sessions and speed becomes a hair splitting specification.
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