Digital Camera Buying Guide

Digital camera buying tips

Before setting out to shop for digital cameras, ask yourself what kind of digital photography you'll be doing:

• Are you a beginner, experienced or advanced photographer?
• What will be your most frequent subjects--point-and-shoot family digital photos to be distributed by email, action shots of the children's soccer games, casual birthday parties and holiday gatherings, or artistic photos to sell?
• Will you be enlarging the digital pictures for printing?
• Do you need to take video with your digital camera?
• Are the children ready for their first digital photography experience?
• Will you be using this digital camera with a load of camera accessories or straight from the box?

Now that you know how you will use your camera, you can choose the digital camera with the features that best meet your specific needs:

Resolution

Digital cameras are first identified (other than brand) by resolution, or how many pixels each digital photo file contains. A "pixel" (short for picture element) is an individual point of color comprising digital photos. A 1,000 by 1,000 pixel print equals 1 megapixel (1MP). Higher resolution does not always translate to more detail. It allows you to print larger pictures with a sharp image, so choose resolution based on finished print size. For example, a 3-inch x 5-inch photo will look great whether it's from a 3MP camera or a 6MP camera. Blow it up to 8-inch x 10-inch and you'll see a world of difference.

For professional-quality digital pictures on 4-inch x 6-inch prints, a 2-3MP camera is sufficient. For 5-inch x 7-inch prints, go for a 3-5MP camera. For 8-inch x 10-inch prints, pick a 7-8MP camera. If you require 11-inch x 14-inch digital pictures, you'll need 13MP or higher resolution.

Few consumers need professional resolution (i.e., most color magazines require 300 pixels per inch), so lower-cost, lower resolution digital pictures (150 pixels per inch or less) will work for the home album or scrapbook. Professional photographers have commented that 7MP digital camera files, printed on a laser printer or dedicated picture printer, look indistinguishable from film.

Memory

"I have a photographic memory; I just keep forgetting to put film in the camera!"

Digital camera internal memory and memory cards are like the film roll, except you don't need a new one for every event. The digital photos sit on the disc or drive until downloaded to a printer or computer. When a memory card is full, pop it out and pop in a new one or download to a storage device then erase and reuse.

Digital cameras generally come with small memory cards built in. A larger memory card is a relatively small investment, so every camera owner should have an extra close at hand, just to be sure you never run out of space. Remember--more megapixels means larger digital picture files; this means they take up more space on memory cards and hard drives. Prices on memory continue to drop (all the faster at Overstock.com), so this is not the issue it was a year ago--and it will be even less an issue a year from now!

Size

In digital cameras, size does not necessarily matter. Mini digital cameras can produce perfectly good digital photos. A mini camera (small enough for purse or pocket) is a great thing to keep handy, just in case. Amateur digital photography is chronicling many of the most important events of our time, from tornados to spectacular sunsets to baby's first steps, because a mini digital camera is affordable, easy to use and so very portable.

Price

A cheap digital camera is a cheap digital camera, regardless of what you pay for it. Quality discount digital cameras are, well, one of the many reasons you shop at Overstock.com, where you'll never be disappointed; not on digital cameras, digital camera accessories, memory cards, not on surveillance equipment and, for the traditionalists, not even on film cameras.

Digital camera components

Batteries

Digital cameras tend to drain batteries quickly, so, if you don't want to buy a lot of them, the rechargeable digital camera battery is the way to go. Most chargers are designed to recharge four batteries at a time, which means you can always have an extra set ready to go. If your camera has an AC adapter, use that when reviewing photos or downloading, and each camera battery charge will last that much longer.

Cables

• Universal Serial Bus (USB): An almost universal standard for connecting computers and computer components. All new model digital cameras and memory card readers connect to computers via a USB cable. If your computer is not USB compatible, a USB card can be added as an upgrade.
• FireWire (IEEE 1394): The other cable technology, better for transferring large amounts of data at high speed. Some professional-grade digital cameras and card readers are FireWire compatible. FireWire cable connections are faster than USB and can connect device to device directly, without going through a computer. If a computer is not FireWire compatible, a FireWire card can be added as an upgrade.

Charged Coupled Device (CCD)

This computer chip is the actual "eye" of a digital camera. It records each image, translating it into pixels. While pixel resolution is the most common digital camera selection criterion, CCD size is also good to know. A larger CCD area transmits a more detailed, sharper digital picture. The naming of CCD standard sizes could be clearer, but they are the invention of engineers who knew what they are talking about and who don't mind confusing the rest of us:

• 1/1.5-inch CCD = 0.66-inch area
• 1/1.7-inch CCD = 0.58-inch area
• 1/1.8-inch CCD = 0.55-inch area
• 1/2.5-inch CCD = 0.40-inch area
• 1/2.7-inch CCD = 0.37-inch area

CCD size isn't always listed in digital camera specs, but, if it is, larger is better because it allows more light into the system. More light means a better digital photo (at least as far as optics are concerned; for composition and artistic quality, you're on your own).

External Flash

Most digital cameras have a small flash unit built in. The better cameras will also have a "hot shoe," a plug into which you can attach an external flash. External flashes reduce red-eye in portraits by allowing you to put the light source away from the direct line between the subject and the lens.

Face Recognition Technology

This software can separate a human face from other elements in a digital picture frame and adjust exposure or other settings to give the clearest view of the face. It is based on the theory that if there are people in view, they are the subject rather than the mountains, trees or whatever else might be in the frame.

Image Stabilization (IS)

Photographers who don't use tripods need a steady hand to prevent blurred digital photos. Since this isn't always possible, optical (OIS) and electronic (EIS) systems were developed to reduce, if not eliminate, shaky camera syndrome.

Optical zoom/Digital zoom

Many cameras have both. Optical means elements of the camera lenses move to change the image; digital means the camera computer chip alters the picture. Optical zoom is the more important number as it gives the better digital picture.

Speed

Digital cameras often have a delay between pressing the shutter and the image capture. Some take several seconds to recharge their flash or get ready for the next shot. If you plan on action photography, find a camera with a quick turn-around time.

View Finder

Optical: The little window you look through to see the image you're about to shoot. This is adequate in most cases, even though the digital frame and optical frame are slightly different.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD): A small TV screen in the back of the camera showing what the CCD sees; also good for immediate reviews of your digital pictures.

Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR): Like a 35mm SLR camera, it allows you to see directly through the digital camera's lens.

Other features

"Point and shoot"

Refers to low-priced, fully automatic digital cameras. Exposure, focus, ISO and other settings are preset in the camera, instead of by the shooter. Since the camera gets no outside information, it has to guess at the right settings, but you can still get good results in many shooting conditions. Point-n-shoot digital cameras are great for the very beginner or very casual user, especially when the digital photo turns out badly--the shooter has someone else to blame.

Automatic

In addition to the basic point-n-shoot digital camera, some inexpensive digital cameras have preset "modes." A mode is a pre-programmed set of instructions for the camera; the ISO, flash speed and aperture are set with the flip of a switch. Among the common modes are landscape, portrait (which may include red-eye reduction or face recognition technology), nighttime and action. Many mid-price digital cameras have both auto and manual modes.

Manual

In this mode, the photographer has full control over the digital pictures and needs to think about every setting--shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, flash, etc. This mode gives the flexibility to set your shots exactly as you wish and the freedom to overexpose, underexpose or do other things to change the mood or tone of the shot. Owning a manual digital camera requires a certain level of skill to effectively take quality pictures. With education and practice, the possibilities are endless.

Video

Technically, a still digital photo is also video, because it's a visual medium, but this term always refers to motion pictures. Most new model digital cameras can capture some video. The resolution is usually lower than that available for still digital photography, and these files are immense compared to stills, so large capacity memory cards are a necessity for anything more than a few seconds of video. This is definitely a "you-get-what-you-pay-for" exercise. Even at Overstock.com's low prices, good video on a digital camera is a premium item.

Digital camera terminology

Download: Commonly describes the transfer of files from the Internet to home or business computers, it also means almost any movement of data files from one location to another.

Format: The type of data file used to store digital photos, some of which compress the file to save memory space. Common current formats include Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG or JPG), Portable Network Graphics (PNG) and Tagged Image File Format (TIFF or TIF). With the right photo editing software, it usually isn't difficult to switch between file formats.

They are grouped as "lossless," meaning images do not lose detail when stored, or "lossy," meaning the data file size reduction may create fuzzy edges (when viewed at high magnification). Many digital cameras use JPEG as their default setting. A high-quality, low-compression JPEG usually has no noticeable loss of quality.

For comparison, an uncompressed TIFF (lossless) file of 8MB translates to: Compressed TIFF (lossless) of 6.6MB; PNG (lossless) of 3.4MB; GIF (lossy) of 1.8MB; minimum compression JPG (lossy) of 1.4MB; JPG 80 (lossy) of 395KB.

Image browser: Software enabling users to view digital photos; may also allow renaming of files, conversion from one format to another, adding descriptives, etc.

Sensitivity or ISO Rating: Photographic film had a rating from the American Standards Association (ASA) describing sensitivity to light. ASA100 film was good for daylight, but many preferred ASA800 for shooting in the dark (even with a flash). Today, the International Standards Organization (ISO) sets the mark for light sensitivity. Digital cameras have the advantage of adjustability; ISO100 is the "normal" setting for most cameras, although some go down to ISO50. Sensitivity can be increased to 800 or even 3,200 on high-end digital SLRs. Increased sensitivity means less light is needed to capture digital frames, but greater distortion (graininess) is possible.

Thumbnail: A small version of a photo displayed by an image browser -- anywhere from a few to dozens per screen for comparison.

White balance: An internal camera function. In a setting where artificial light can distort the color (fluorescent lights tend to make things appear more green than they really are, for example), the digital camera can scan a light-colored target to electronically neutralize the off-color lighting, producing more natural looking digital photos.

Digital camera care

Like all modern consumer electronics, a digital camera has few moving parts to break, so it can provide years of service if not abused. Dust, heat, humidity and impact damage are primary causes of failure. Don't drop your digital camera; keep it in a padded digital camera case when traveling or in storage.

Wipe it down with a clean cloth before you put it away and, blow clean all camera openings (memory card slot, battery compartment, etc.) with canned air -- never your humid breath.

When traveling, keep digital cameras out of direct sunlight. Even on cool days, a car interior can get dangerously hot, and excessive exposure to the sun's radiation can damage the camera's CPU. In fact, it's best to keep your camera and camera accessories locked in the glove box or trunk when not in use, to cut down on the likelihood of theft.

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