Guide to Digital Cameras
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This article is excerpted from Real World Digital Photography, by Deke McClelland and Katrin Eismann
NO MATTER HOW YOU USE PHOTOGRAPHY -- as a hobbyist, small business owner, real estate agent, graphic designer, new media artist, educator, doctor, or even as a professional photographer--a digital camera that can meet your needs exists today. Consider what you need a camera to do, and that will help you decide which type to buy.
Are you a graphic designer who needs a camera to plan page layouts? A real estate agent who wants to be able to take good pictures both indoors and outdoors? A professional photographer looking for a camera that works with studio lights or flash equipment and delivers the highest quality available?
This chapter starts by asking four questions to help you to define what you need a camera to do. Then we discuss five general categories of digital cameras and show how people just like you are using cameras from each category on a daily basis to take great pictures.
Before you buy anything, think about what you want, what you need, and what you can afford. Deciding on the right digital camera will be a lot easier if you ask and answer the following four questions.
Why do you take pictures?
People take photographs for different reasons. Some work with photographs on a daily basis, others want to capture and share that special family moment, and then there are the curious people (like us) who enjoy experimenting with the latest digital technology. No matter what your reasons for taking pictures, identifying what you do with the photographs is the first step in finding the best digital camera. How will you use your photographs? Will they be shared with family and friends, used professionally in a magazine or on the Web, or needed at work or school?
What image quality do you need?
The ideal image quality is the one that is enough for your needs. It's like being hungry: Sometimes you're just a little hungry, and a piece of fruit is satisfying; other times you could eat everything in sight. The entry-level cameras are like the fruit, whereas the professional-level cameras can serve a feast of image information. With digital cameras, if you bite off more than you can chew, you not only get digital file indigestion--you will have spent way too much money.
What are you going to photograph?
Different subjects pose different challenges. For example, taking pictures of fast-moving sports action or close-ups of your stamp collection requires cameras that are designed to do two completely different things. For action pictures, the camera needs to respond instantly as the shutter is pressed. For pictures of postage stamps, the camera must be able to focus and frame accurately at extreme close-up range.
How experienced are you?
Are you the type of person who wants to control the lighting, exposure, and focus like a professional photographer does, or do you just want to point the camera and shoot great pictures? Each digital camera features different controls and options--ranging from full automatic to manual mode--and knowing how much control you want plays an important role in making the right purchasing decision. The answers to those four questions are the first steps toward deciding what is the best digital camera for you.
Next we'll look at the types of cameras.
If you would like to list your favorite, just let us know.