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Considerations in Selecting a Digital Camera
The most important, and perhaps least understood, feature of digital cameras is the megapixel rating and how it relates to your purpose in owning the camera. For thoughts on how many megapixels you need to print quality photos, see How Many Megapixels Do You Need in a Digital Camera.
The broad range of sizes, weights, features, and price tags of digital cameras reflect the varied uses of these cameras. Careful consideration of many factors will help you select the "right" camera for your needs and pocketbook.
► Will the camera be used primarily for recording family events and memories, or will it be used to capture artistic images.
► Will the camera be carried in your pocket or purse when you go on family outings, or will its use require multiple lens and other accessories that will dictate a camera bag or backpack.
► Will your images be primarily 4" x 6" prints for the family with an occasional 8" x 10", or do you want the capability of routinely printing high quality enlargements at 8" x 10" and larger.
► Are you the sort of person who likes to change lenses, use filters, and read instruction manuals, or do you prefer to simply "point and shoot".
The answers to the above questions tend to point you in the direction of either a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) or a more compact point-and-shoot digital camera. Ebay provides a good overview of camera types and features in its Ebay Digital Cameras Buying Guide. Once you have decided on going in one direction or the other, and understand feature differences, the decision will come down to how many megapixels you need and/or can afford. Few consumers actually need more than 5 or 6 megapixels. However, camera manufacturers continue to increase megapixel availability and it is now becoming harder to find cameras with less than 5 or 6 megapixels. Therefore, you may wind up with more megapixel capability than you need. However, you probably do not need ti pay for that extra couple of megapixels on the latest model.
To provide a sense for the wide range of features, I
have also provided a link to
Amazon Digital Cameras.
Digital Camera Optical Versus Enhanced Zoom
Most Digital SLRs and compact digitals offer the ability to zoom in on your subject. Often times the zoom ability will be provided for both optical and enhanced/interpolated. Optical describes the mechanical ability of the lens system to magnify the image. The enhanced or interpolated number (the larger) suggests software involvement to enlarge an image by interpolation. Many experts suggest that one should focus on optical zoom as a limiting factor, as enhanced or interpolated images are less reliable in results.
Other Differences that May Be Missed
On the internet, there is a lot of discussion about the impact of diminishing image quality as megapixel capacity continues to increase. This discussion is beyond the scope of this article. However, one discussion point is worth mentioning. Sensors built into compact cameras are smaller by necessity than sensors built into larger digital SLRs. The argument goes that larger sensors are simply better at capturing pixel information beyond a certain megapixel level. This level and extent of image quality impact is in debate.
Based on this debate and typical megapixel needs, it appears that most compact digital camera users can obtain plenty of capacity at 5 or 6 megapixels. If you feel the need for more megapixels, the larger size of the sensor in a Digital SLR may be worth consideration.
