A wide range of digital cameras are available these days, ranging from 3-megapixel âpoint and shootâ cameras for $150 or less, up to professional 12MP+ DSLRs that cost up to several thousand dollars. Just about every manufacturer of consumer electronics now produces digital cameras; however, a small number are by far the most well know.
They are:
Canon and Nikon are generally the most popular manufacturers of DSLR’s.
When buying a camera there are a number of things to take into account, such as the purpose you intend to use the camera for, and the size of prints you want.
If you desire to print images up to A4 size then a 3MP camera or better is required, for A3 a 5MP is recommended.
The ISO range of a camera is also important (ie how sensitive to light it is). A high ISO such as 200-3200 makes it easier to take images or moving objects or in low light by making the camera much more sensitive to the light that is present. However as the ISO increases so does the amount of noise, thus before buying a camera it is worth checking to see how much noise is present in it’s high ISOs and comparing it to other similar cameras.
Another important factor is what type of battery does it use. The most common options are either a custom camera specific rechargeable battery or AA rechargeables. The custom batteries are generally more expensive if you wish to get a second one but tend to be able to take more photos per charge. While the AA’s take less photos but are cheaper and common throughout the world, so if your batteries go flat you can always buy some fresh ones from the local store something that can’t be done with the custom batteries. The best option though not common is cameras that take either AA’s or a Custom Battery, that way you get the best of both options.
The storage medium for the camera is also important. The options are xdcards, SDcards, CompactFlash, and Memory Sticks. xdCards and Memory sticks are restricted to specific manafactures and tend to be some what more expensive than the other card types. While both SDcards and CompactFlash are more common in a wide range of cameras and are generally cheaper and available in higher capacities.
One more important thing if you intend to do significant photo editing is support for a lossless image format for the Camera, either RAW or TIF. RAW is the preferred option for high quality photography as it is effectively a digital negative, a direct copy of exactly what the sensor detected with no processing applied to it. Tif is also of higher quality than JPEG but of lower quality than RAW, as it is an image format rather than a digital negative.
{I was under the impression that 3MP could handle up to A4? âmattw} {Double_ checking and it seems that is right 3MP should do A4 5MP apparently A3, corrected further reading suggests this is dependent on the min dpi you use for your prints if you want to use 300dpi for an A4 you will need 5-6MP -eonsim}
