On to a few of my “hot points”- the questions I consider most important in choosing a digital camera.

• Is Simplicity Number One?
• Action Shots?
• Do I Think I’m a Pro?
• Form or Function?
• Batteries? These things need BATTERIES?
• Digital Film?

 Let’s take a look at these points one at a time:

1) Simplicity
 Being able to grab the camera and snap a shot FAST can be a good thing when you are on vacation, have kids or at lots of other times but be aware that the cheaper simple cameras may take some time to save a picture and may not “cycle” (take pics one after another) very quickly.

2) Action
Pictures of fast moving objects (race cars, athletic events or children) need a fast camera or else your pictures will be blurry. Photo editing software can only do so much, after all… As a rule, more money will generally get you a camera that is better at photographing action shots even on the low end of cameras.

3) Do I think I’m a Professional?
Getting a camera that has all the capability in the world, with features and buttons and menus may be great, but if you aren’t REALLY motivated to learn how to use it will most likely end up frustrating you and being a waste of time and money. There is nothing WRONG with getting all the bells and whistles, but they may not be what you really want or need.

4) Form or Function?
There are some fancy, stylish cameras out there and they may be what is best suited for you but they have negative points: most are of the small, easy to carry type BUT they may not use standard batteries and often can only charge or connect to a computer with a docking station. Quality also tends to suffer when compared to similar priced but less style-oriented cameras.

5) Battery Life
There are a lot of things that affect battery life in a camera: type and size of battery and size of the LCD view/preview screen are two of the biggies. Having a small, fast, easy to use camera is great- but if it has an internal battery that can only charge in your computer and runs out after 20 pictures, it may be less than useful.

6) What’s this about Film?
While its true that digital cameras don’t use film, per se, they DO need to store your pictures. And you need to get those pictures off of the camera, eventually. There are two basic types as far as storing and transferring pictures:
1. Internal memory (requires computer to do anything)
2. External memory (can be upgraded or swapped for more storage without a computer)
Only the cheapest cameras nowadays will have just internal storage and unless you are buying a camera for a kid, you are not likely to want one of these.

Storage media comes in various formats and may be something you never need to think about after buying your camera. On the other hand…. having a spare memory card lets you take more pictures without needing to connect to a computer and usually makes transferring images to the computer much faster using a card reader.

I know this may not yet seem to have made choosing a digital camera any easier yet, but take these points one at a time, think about them. Decide what REALLY suits your desires best.  For many folks an inexpensive $100 camera is really all they need or want and will do exactly what they want. For others, anything less than a $750 digital SLR is a waste of money. Most of us will be somewhere in the middle, and figuring out just where we fit in before we even look at any cameras  will make the whole process of buying and living with a digital camera MUCH easier.

 Next time: Software that does stuff with pictures.

I am not a professional photographer nor a photo guru- I am a computer hobbyist. What this means is that most of the people I know (often including family members) ask me questions any time they need help with anything even remotely connected with computers, including tech items that can connect with computers. This includes digital photography, of course.

I have the feeling that a large percentage of Snapshot Chronicles readers will already have a camera, but in the hope of helping someone who is still in the process of choosing one, I am going to write a few entries with some of the suggestions I give to people when they ask my opinion about cameras. Normally it does NOT take me long to narrow things down to a range of cameras, but that is “conversation” compared to writing. I’ll try to hit all of my bullet points here.

My first posts are going to address the plethora of available digital cameras and how in the WORLD to pick one.

The first step in choosing a digital camera has nothing to do with the camera itself; it is about how you plan to USE your camera. What you want to do with it, what you want it to be able to do and exactly where your priorities lie. To get the results you want, you first have to well and truly understand what your digital photography goal IS.

The most common photography is the easiest- snapshots. Quick and easy pictures that can be taken with little or no effort and without having to read a 200 page manual. Turn it on, press a button and voila: picture! Digital cameras of this type range widely in price and features but will be easy to use and, with the cameras available now, generally provide good quality at a fairly low price. Digital snapshot cameras range in price from under $100 (USD) to around $300 (USD). Snapshot cameras are similar to traditional film cameras in that they are not so good at action pictures, and will have a “sweet spot” in picture taking range: too close or too far away and the quality will suffer somewhat. Since most snapshots are taken between maybe 5 to 20 feet this will not usually be an issue, BUT- If you plan to do extreme close-ups or a lot of panoramic landscapes you may be better served by a camera with more features.

The cheapest cameras that would be considered “snapshot” cameras usually DO have a setting for either close or distant (usually signified by a portrait or landscape image) but results vary widely. These cameras are the cheapest and fit at the bottom of the category generally called “consumer” cameras.

The upper range of digital cameras are the Professional cameras- the kind photography pros use to earn a living. Pro-level digital cameras are amazing, but have the same caveats that professional film cameras have: high cost and the college course required to operate them…

Kidding, of course but the Pro-level cameras are complex and to really get your money’s worth is likely to take some time and effort. But at least you won’t have to waste a lot of money getting pictures that turn out to be garbage developed while you learn how to use one. 🙂

The middle of the range digital camera is sometimes called “Prosumer” level. Pretty much anything between point-and-shoot and the Pro cameras. Most digital cameras fit somewhere in this category, with style and features varying widely. Choosing which prosumer camera to get is still complex, but if you have a good understanding of how you REALLY want to use your camera it will be a lot easier.

Next post: my “hot points”- the questions I consider most important in choosing a digital camera.