Digital Camera - Choices And Tips

We have put together a brief list of important features to consider when buying a digital camera. More and more people are converting from their old analogue or film camera to digital; this represents a significant move forward in displaying, storing and re-creating your favourite moments in life.

Firstly, it’s best to realise the purpose your camera will serve. Without a basic guide and understanding of the features available on today’s cameras it would be very hard to choose which camera best suits you. Generally, a point and shoot camera is used for quick happy snaps and SLR cameras are used by professionals or enthusiasts.
Megapixel & Sensor Type
Usually CCD sensors are considered the best for digital image processing. Other factors like lens quality, image processing sensor, internal software processing and the user have an effect on quality. The megapixel rating of a digital camera usually dictates the overall quality of the photo but is not a direct indication.
Optical Zoom & Digital Zoom
Generally optical zoom produces better quality images than using digital zoom. Optical zoom should not be confused with digital zoom, they are completely different forms
LCD Screen Size
Look for a camera with a decent sized panel, remembering larger screens need more power therefore reducing battery life. More manufacturers removing the traditional viewing window in favour of an LCD panel.
Camera Size
. If you’re after a nice looking, small and portable camera and are not an enthusiast or professional photographer then you can’t go past a point and shoot. Point and shoot cameras have the advantage of being smaller over SLR cameras and are generally lighter and more portable whilst still producing stunning photos.

Glossary
Ambient light
Ambient light is known as light that occurs naturally and enters your cameras lens from the subject of choice.
Archival Media
It’s important to recognise the best quality media to store your photos on should be certified archival quality. Digital media used to store your photos.
Aperture
The aperture diameter is expressed in F Stops. It is a circular opening inside the camera lens, changes the amount of light that reaches the cameras sensors.
Audio Recording
Digital cameras often have the ability to record audio with each photo.
CCD
One of the two main types of image sensors in digital cameras is known as Charge Coupled Device.
CD-R
With the ability to store up to 650MB or 700MB of digital photos this is a recordable version of the compact disc.
CMOS
The Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor is one of the two main types of image sensors in digital cameras.
CompactFlash™
Type I and Type II and are used to store your digital photos. There are two types of CompactFlash cards.
Compression
If you want the absolute best quality images you should consider buying a camera that supports digital negatives however, the amount of space used to store your photos is much larger than JPEG so a larger or additional memory card is required. Used to reduce the storage size of your photos and in most cameras the standard compression format is called JPEG and like most forms of compression cause image quality loss.
Computer Connections
The most common forms of PC or Mac to camera connections are USB 1.0, USB2.0.
DPI
DPI is used by printer manufacturers to measure the amount of dots per inch used to recreate your photos.
Flash
Depending on the model of camera and your needs you may want to consider the following types of flash features which most digital cameras use - most digital cameras will have a built-in flash and have the most basic flash modes.
Red-eye reduction
This feature is used for photographing people or animals as it throws a series of short flashes before the final and then photo is taken.
Night portrait mode
This feature will help the photographer create perfect night scene photos, increasing the exposure time with more light entering the camera lens.
Flash Fill
Some digital cameras include a fill flash mode forcing the flash to fire in bright light. This is a technique used to light up shadowed areas in your subject and is typically used outdoors on sunny days.
FireWire
Professionals usually need fast data transfer rates, choosing this connection method over USB2.0 for the general point and shoot users. Some digital cameras connect using FireWire or IEEE1394.
Image Resolution
An image resolution is the number of pixels in a digital photo
ISO Speed
Depending on lighting conditions, adjusting it up is useful in lower light conditions however; as the ISO level increases the image quality can be reduced. ISO is a rating for sensitivity to light and most digital cameras will adjust automatically.
JPEG
This is the most common image compression format and chosen by most manufactures as the default file format, for the ability to significantly reduce the file size of images for storage but with minimal image quality loss.
 
 
LCD Viewfinders
The brighter the LCD display usually means the better the visibility outdoors. LCD Viewfinders are used to view the subject and vary in size.
Lens
Most digital cameras offer digital and optical zoom lenses. The length of the cameras lens determines the amount of subject that will fit in your photos and may vary between wide-angle, used for landscapes and telephoto images for portraits.
Lithium-Ion
Using Lithium-Ion batteries is great for on-demand charging as they have no "memory effect" which generally leads to the death of most batteries. These batteries have greater power output over time than NiMh batteries. Holding a longer charge they also have a longer shelf life of a few years.
Megabyte (MB)
A megabyte is used to measure data and one megabyte is equal to 1024 kilobytes i.e. 1MB = 1024Kb
Megapixel
Cameras that are 5 megapixel will take images that have 5 million pixels per photo.
NiMH
This is a type of rechargeable battery and stands for Nickel Metal-Hydride.
Pixel
This will be used many thousands of times to reproduce and image on-screen or on paper.
RAW
With no JPEG image compression, the RAW image format is like a digital negative of your photo.
Shutter Speed
The slower the shutter speed the longer the exposure. Shutter speed is used to adjust how long the shutter remains open.
SLR
Permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured stands for Single Lens Reflex.
SmartMedia™
A small this type of memory card is a flash based medium which is wafer thin.
Thumbnail
Smaller “snapshots” or previews of a larger image on your camera on PC.
TV Connections
Feature that is found on some digital cameras which allows you to preview your images on your TV and record them to VHS or CD. Very useful.
USB
Used to transfer or move data from you camera to your PC or digital storage device and known as a Universal Serial Bus.
White Balance
Using this feature and restoring white balance returns your images back to white. Digital cameras use white balance to compensate for different lighting temperatures, for example indoor fluoro lighting has a different colour white, making your pictures look blue.