Helpful Hints and Tips for going Digital (Buyers Guide: Digital Cameras)

Member Name: fluffypup

Product:	Buyers Guide: Digital Cameras
Date:	09/02/01 (6307 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see text

Disadvantages: Usually the sales assistants!

So you want to buy a digital camera but where do you start? The first things to consider are why you want the camera and how you intend to use it. These two questions will usually determine what camera to choose.

Why do you want to buy a digital camera? Is it to take it on holiday, take photos of the kids or the dog as they grow up or are you going to use it in a professional or business capacity? Do you want a digital camera because the Jones’ have one, because you got money burning in your pocket or you are fed up paying and processing film? If the answers to most of these questions are ‘yes’ then it’s a good possibility that you want or need a digital camera. Otherwise you might be better not getting a digital camera.

What camera should you go for? The first thing to do is to find out what’s on the market and what will deliver your required specifications. Do the research read up on all the reviews of digital cameras on sites like Dooyoo, speak to your friends or colleagues and read magazines like What or Which Camera. Digital cameras aren’t the cheapest of accessories so making a wrong choice can set you back a few hundred pounds. Making the decision on what camera and its capabilities is a tough choice as the market is current flooded with the machines.

Price is usually a big determining factor when considering a digital camera. The price of the camera is usually proportional to the pixel resolution. So look carefully at the pixel of resolution you think you need. Pixel resolution is the number of dots or pixels that go up to make the total photo. The higher the pixel resolution of the camera, the better the photo resolution and higher the price.

Pixel Resolution/Photo Quality/Price (sorry table didn't work out)

Less than 1 million pixels/Very grainy but recognisable/£50 - £150 approx

Between 1 – 2 million pixels/Reasonable quality, pixelly close up/£150 - £300 a
pprox

Between 2 – 3 million pixels/70-80% photo quality/£300 - £600 approx

3 million pixels +/Very near photo quality/£600+ approx

Therefore if you want good close up and high detailed photos you should opt for the latter two options. The cheap give away digital cameras with PCs are ok for recognisable pictures but nothing more. If you want a camera to take on holiday with a small zoom for the kids, beach and landscape then options 2-3 would be suitable, depending on what you have to spend.

What features do you need for your digital camera? Do you want a point and shoot camera? Do you need a zoom? Do you want to take photos in low or no light conditions? Are you taking photos of stationary objects, on the move toddlers or Grand Prix cars? Think up scenarios that you might expect out of your camera. When you go to look at any camera make a list of possible features you require such as a zoom, flash, single/sequence shoots, LCD etc. Do you want an LCD display or happy with the viewfinder. What options can be accessed via the LCD window?

Just to confuse you even more, you might what to take into consideration a number of other options when selecting your cameras. Do you want a camera with a movie function or MP3 stereo? Or are you like me who only wants a camera just to be a camera? What about the entire different camera makes available? Think about which manufacturer would you chose. A good rule of thumb is that if you’ve never heard of them then it might be an idea to stay away. I’m not going to name names but when I think of cameras there are a handful of names that slap me in the face. It might be wise to opt with these manufacturers.

Check out the look and feel of the camera. A camera might have all the features you desire but if it doesn’t feel or look right it might be unsuitable. Check it out when you are hunting around for your camera. Check what software comes with the camera. What
do the sales assistants recommend? If you’ve done your research either via Dooyoo or What Camera you’ll know the software packages to look for. Do you want insurance? Can it be covered on your household insurance? Check it out! Why pay an extra hundred pounds when you are already covered.

Check what your digital camera comes with when you buying it. Its odds on that you need to buy other accessories. Does it come with a bag? If you are going on holiday a good camera bag or cover is essential especially if you require it for the beach abroad or the rain in the UK.

What’s the camera’s connection for downloading the photos onto the PC? Does it come with the highly desirable USB or a slow serial connection? Do you have an USB port on your PC?

Does the camera come with a power adaptor? Manufacturer’s power adaptors cost upwards of £50! If you are downloading photos onto your PC via a serial cable using the batteries. This process could drain about 50% of the life of the batteries! Does the camera come with rechargeable batteries and recharger? How much do they cost if they don’t? What about investing in an extra disc drive that handles the photo storage/memory cards that don’t then need the camera!

What storage media does the camera use and what comes with it? 8Mb card can handle 16 high-resolution photos or 90 odd low-resolution photos. Think about how many photos you require, the need for extra storage cards and how much they cost. Check prices of memory cards over the Internet. Sites in the US can ship cards to the UK at a fraction of the price in the shops in the UK. Do you want the media to be a floppy disc? No, I didn’t either although it’s very handy. We would need a whole box of disc to cover a two-week holiday in Cyprus!

Other important considerations include having the storage space on your PC. You may need a few Gigabits of hard disk space to store all your pho
tos. Think about whether you need a CD recorder to back up your photos onto CDs. Also, you have all these lovely high-resolution photos on your camera or PC but can you printer do them justice? Can you reproduce the resolution when you print? Do you need to think about buying a photographic/high quality printer? How much ink will you get through printing your photos? Will you need photographic paper when printing? What photo packages do I have on my PC? Will I need any applications like Paint Shop Pro, Photo Express or PhotoDraw?

Where is the best place to buy the camera? My advice is to only browse around most high street retail electrical stores. Try them out, look at the prices and ask awkward questions. Most importantly try all the cameras out, well the ones in your desired resolution and price bracket. We took a good hour playing with and testing around 6 cameras before opting for our camera, after we’ve pigeon holed the pixel resolution we required. The best place for advice is in the specialised photo shops. I hate to name names but Jessops offer really good advice and aren’t driven on commission and insurance selling. They pointed us in the direction of the SmartMedia disc drive rather than the power adaptor. Also, their own brand memory cards are cheaper than the manufacturers’ cards.

Please don’t be put off with the amount of considerations. It is always a trade off when buying expensive items like a digital camera. These considerations hopefully point you in the right direction when looking at photo resolution, price, intended use, manufacturer and camera features required which includes the software, LCD display, movie capability, zoom, flash, light conditions and the type of memory media. Don’t forget about the extras that you might need when buying a camera because its guaranteed that you will need things like a large disk drive to store all your photos, power adaptor, media disk drive, rechargeable batt
eries, recharger, camera case, retailer’s or household insurance, storage/memory cards, photo or high-resolution printer and maybe a CD writer. A digital camera is a very powerful tool, that’s if you buy the correct camera and the right accessories!

Buyer’s Guide Check List

Resolution required? 0-1M (low quality & price), 1-2M, 2-3M, 4M+ (high quality & price)
Do you need a zoom, and if so how powerful? Yes or no / < x3 or > x3
Can it work in low light or no light and/or require a flash? Yes or no
Movie/MP3 function? Yes or no
Who are the major manufacturers?
What is its memory media type and capacity?
How many photos can it store?
How much does an upgrade card cost (manufacturer and in-house brands)?
What PC connection does it have? USB (do you have a USB port) or Serial (slower than USB)
Does it come supplied with batteries and/or power adaptor? Yes or no
Does it come with rechargeable batteries and/or battery charger? Yes or no
Is the camera easy to use? Yes or no
Does it look right? Yes or no
Do you want a LCD display? Yes or no
Can you access the camera functions (e.g. deleted photos) via the LCD display or PC?
How long do the batteries last with the LCD display on?
Does the camera come supplied with a case?
Is it advisable to get a media card disk drive (if so how much)?
What software is supplied? Is it any good? What can you do with it?
Do you have a decent printer to print out your photos? Yes or no?

[Update 16/4/01]

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