Chapters 4, 5 Buying a Digital Camera Essential
Accessories
Slide 3
Types of Digital Cameras Professional Digital SLRs Entry-level
Digital Backs Others: video cameras, mobile phones, PDAs Deluxe
Point-and-Shoot Prosumer
Slide 4
Some considerations Megapixel resolution (what you need?) Lens
options Exposure options Response times Battery life and cost
Continuous shooting capabilities Size and ergonomics Ease of
use
Slide 5
Megapixel considerations From fotomax.com
Slide 6
Lens quality Sharpness Dark corners? Distortion Color fringing,
chromatic aberration http://www.dpreview.com/products/c
ompare/lenses http://www.dpreview.com/products/c ompare/lenses
Flare
Slide 7
Image sensor Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 Dynamic range Similar to
slide film Bit depth
Slide 8
Operating speeds Startup time Shutter lag time Write speed
(including memory cards speed) Burst rate (memory buffer size)
Frames per second Comment: if speed is what you need, get a digital
SLR
Exposure controls Scene modes (e.g. landscape, portrait) ISO
range (e.g. 100-1600) Aperture and shutter speed priorities
Exposure compensation Exposure bracketing Histogram display Tripod
mount In general, the more controls, the better More about these in
chapter 7
Slide 11
Flash Red-eye reduction (confusing or even irritating) Flash
exposure control External flash unit
Slide 12
Ergonomics Very important Fit your hand? Steady? Fit your eye,
face? Are controls accessible? Are the menus complicated?
Slide 13
Image processing Sharpening can you turn it off? White balance
detailed adjustments? Color rendition color modes to choose? RAW
format Can you save images in RAW format for post- processing?
Slide 14
Camera Bag Not just for your camera, but also batteries, memory
cards, lenses, etc. Many different sizes Shoulder bags, pouches,
backpacks, etc.
Slide 15
Batteries Disposable batteries not economical Rechargeable
batteries Lithium-ion high capacity, no memory effect NiMH popular
(AA size), less capacity, memory effect NiCd also popular (AA
size), less power, severe memory effect Battery chargers some
cameras act as chargers; a separate charger is better.
Slide 16
Card Readers USB card readers most popular, for multiple card
types PCMCIA card readers popular for notebook computers Memory
cards with USB interface save the need for card readers.
Slide 17
Digital Wallets Portable hard disks with built-in card readers
and LCD displays. Typically 20-60GB of storage compared with 1-2GB
memory cards
Slide 18
Portable CD Burners Portable CD writers with card readers. Each
CD can hold 640-700MB. Long-term storage
Slide 19
Tripod and monopod Heavy weight tripods give you steady shots
but more difficult to carry around. Suitable for studio shooting.
Light weight tripods made of carbon fiber are good for travelling
use. Monopods save space and weight and often used for sports and
wildlife photography.
Slide 20
External Flash Compact digital cameras may or may not support
external flash. External flash may be supported even without a hot
shoe (mounting bracket).
Slide 21
Lens Converters Useful for compact digital cameras to get wide
angle shots or telephoto shots
Slide 22
Underwater Case Essential for underwater photography