When the first cameras appeared they were large bulky items available only to the few who could afford them and understand the science of photography. To take a simple photograph you needed to understand both the mechanics of the gadget, some mathematics and a sound understanding of chemistry. Over the years the camera was developed into something which could be more accessible to ordinary folk. Eventually cameras became tiny little boxes which even children could operate but using film meant that once the photo had been taken it was necessary to have the film developed by a photo lab before we could see the results. These days we have the digital camera and there is no longer the need to send off film and most folk don't even print our their photo's but are they easy to understand?
If you have been investigating buying a digital camera you will be aware of the multitude of camera manufacturers out there today. Well known camera producers, such as Nikon and Canon now compete against companies usually associated with other electronic items and a huge number of small companies producing digital cameras a knock down prices. Which company do you choose and is that digital camera bargain such a deal after all or are you paying far too much for old technology repackaged?
When buying a digital camera there are a few things to get to grips with. Most people are aware of the word megapixel but do you understand interpolation? These two words are incredibly important as two ten megapixel cameras are not equal if one interpolates the image. Interpolation is a digital way in which to increase the size of an image so a 5 mp camera can interpolate the image up to the equivalent of a 10mp one.
Zoom is another term which can be confusing but gaining an understanding of the two types, digital and optical, will help you find a digital camera bargain.
Ignore the mention of digital zoom on the packaging of a digital camera because the greater the amount of digital zoom the worse the photo. The reason for this is simple, digital zoom involves little more than removing the parts outside the zoom area and then enlarging the remainder. Nearly everyone understands that the more you enlarge a photo the more blocky it becomes and this, basically, is what happens in the world of digital zoom.
Optical zoom, on the other hand, has a greater importance. The quality of your image is not effected by optical zoom so you can safely zoom in on a subject without fear of the photo becoming degraded. Usually the digital camera with the larger optical zoom is the better much much depends on the quality of the actual lens in the camera.
The quality of the lens is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a digital cameral. Those tiny cameras for a $100 are not going to produce photo's of the same quality of those taken with a camera where the lens alone can cost several thousand dollars. Generally the higher the price of the lens the better the quality of the resulting image.
Deciding which optical zoom you need depends on how you will be using your digital camera. If you will just be taking snaps of friends then there is no point buying a 800mm lens and a DSLR camera, you would be far better buying a good quality compact digital camera.
If you plan to take professional photo's then forget the compact as you have no option but to buy a DSLR. In such cases you will need to buy lenses which are suitable for you purposes but there is simply no room here to cover this huge topic.
I take many photos and actually use a Canon PowerShot A480 and a DSLR with a selection of lenses. The A480 has an optical zoom of 3.3x which is great for most situations. Before you make a final decision on which camera to purchase take the time to read reviews and compare specs. It took me a couple of weeks for me to decide on the A480 and since I bought it I have seen it top of many comparisons.
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