Looking for a new digital camera? It’s not as easy as just walking into the
store and buying one. There’s lots to
consider – optical zoom, digital zoom, mega pixels, memory cards. What does all this mean and which should make
the most difference to me?
First I had to decide the type of camera I wanted: a point
and shoot (does all the work for me and fits in my pocket) or digital
SLR (a bulkier camera but you can interchange lenses to get very wide or
extremely telephoto shots). My criteria:
compact, easy to use, point and shoot, affordable, and sharp clear photos.
I discovered that mega pixels was a concern a few years
ago, but now many point and shoots start at 10 mega pixels and go up to 16 mega pixels. Mega pixels are all those
little dots that make up a digital picture which determines resolution. The fewer the dots and the larger the
picture, the grainier the picture is. A 5mp to 8mp is good for the average
shutterbug.
I found this helpful chart online that gives the minimum mega pixels for quality prints.
Max Print Size
|
Minimum MP
|
Resolution
|
4 x 6″
|
2 megapixels
|
1600 x 1200
|
5 x 7″
|
3 megapixels
|
2048 x 1536
|
8 x1 0″
|
5 megapixels
|
2560 x 1920
|
11 x 14″
|
6 megapixels
|
2816 x 2112
|
16 x 20″
|
8 megapixels
|
3264 x 2468
|
16 x 24″
|
12 megapixels
|
4200×2800
|
Next I discovered that the debate over digital zoom and
optical zoom is unnecessary. Ignore
information about digital zoom in advertisements. All it does is crop the image in the camera
and you can do that yourself with your own software after the picture is taken. Ask about how to turn off the digital zoom to
maximize use of the optical zoom.
What you do want to pay attention to is the optical zoom
which involves a physical lens magnification of the image you are
photographing. For example, 3x zoom will
make your subject three times as big.
Optical Zoom vs. Digital Zoom |
How much do you need?
2x-3x is good for photos of friends or family. 5x+ is best for outdoor scenery or architectural
details. 7x+ may be needed for wildlife
or sporting events.
Taking photos inside shadowy cathedrals or other low
light locations is a concern for travelers so considering ISO (or light
sensitivity rating) is important. Look
for an ISO that goes up to 1600.
Anything over that is unnecessary for most average photographers.
Other items to consider are the extras. Check to see what kind of batteries the
camera needs: regular AA, specialty, or rechargeable (and then a recharger is needed). Also check to see what kind of
memory card the camera uses - can you use the ones you already have, the price
of replacements or size of cards, and whether or not they fit into your
computer to upload photos. My new laptop
does not accept my old memory cards.
Also consider how your camera will upload photos to your
computer – memory cards, USB cord, etc.
A good web site to visit to compare various cameras is pricegrabber.com. This is a good site to find the best deal on
cameras (or on any item), and pay attention to the feedback ratings.
Finally, if you are considering purchasing a new camera
before our trip, don’t wait until the last minute. Don’t let the trip be the first time you use
your new camera. You want to get it in
plenty of time to practice with it extensively, learning all the little
features, before we depart.
You do not want to spend your trip trying to figure out
what button to push or worse get discouraged and quit taking pictures
altogether. You will want to capture
every memory.
Tip #1: Here is a
tip I’ve learned from personal experience.
I have found that the more times I transfer a photo, the lower the
resolution or quality is when it finally gets printed. For example, I take a photo with my camera, I
transfer it to my computer, then I edit it in a software program, then I send
it to Walgreens via the internet, and then they print it…the quality decreases with
each transfer.
Now consider if the photo is taken on an iPhone, then
goes through a text message, which gets saved onto another iPhone, that then
gets put on FaceBook, then gets saved on someone’s iPad, and then emailed to
the home computer to then edit in software, then sent online to a photo
developer….whew! Don’t laugh! I’ve done this and been very disappointed
with the end product.
Tip #2: Many
tourist spots, like the inside of cathedrals and museums, don’t allow inside
photography. Here are 3 possible
solutions: 1) buy a postcard of the site
as most are 4x6 size and fit right inside the photo album; 2) take pictures of
postcards in the gift shop with camera’s macro setting; or 3) find the shot you
are looking for on the internet, edit it for size in your software program, and
print. I’ve done all three and they all
work great.
Tip #3: Planning to use your iPhone as your camera? Here are some cool apps to enhance your
photographs. 1) Photosynth (free) will stitch
together your photos in a seamless panoramic image. You can share 360 degree views with friends
and family back home while you’re still enjoying the rest of your tour. 2) 100
Cameras in 1 ($1 or free for 20 effects) bundles filters, effects, and
overlays. 3) Splice
(free) allows you to take several still photos and videos and splice together
to make one continuous video.
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