Capture the Priceless moments for ever with a camera .

Not everyone is interested in photography as a profession, so we cant expect everyone to be specialist in buying a camera. Here we are talking about a digital camera which is for everyday use and not of a SLR digital camera which is mainly for professional photography. The market is flooded with companies creating digital camera , with high resolution and cheap price. But are they worth ? How to choose the best digital camera ? These questions are going to be answered here :

Step 1 : Megapixel ( How important they are ?)

Megapixel signifies the resolution of image . For ex. A 3.2 megapixel image will be 2048pixel in width and 1536 pixel in height ( 2048 * 1536 = 3145728 pixel approx 3.2 Megapixel)

Yeah we see lots of adds featuring camera’s with 5 Mp (megapixel ) , 6MP , 7MP etc etc. As far as I have used Digital camera’s and have seen output, a camera starting with 5 MP is capable of delivering the same standard of image as of a digital camera of 7MP. If you want to go higher , then SLR camera’s are good for you but they are big and bluky. But to buy a digital camera , minimum range of magapixel should be 5 mp and maximum can be 7mp. More megapixel means more file size , means more memory usuage and whereas the image quality is comparable.

Step 2 : What is this ISO all about ?

Many camera’s you will find that camera is capable of taking pictures at ISO 1000 , ISO 1500 etc etc. ISO signifies the sensitivity at which the camera is capable of taking picture.It mainly comes into play in low light conditions. Dont get carried away becoz the camera supports a high ISO rating. Yeah !!! even though high ISO will enable camera to take picture at low light , but it wont be something which you would like to keep, as high ISO the noise in the picture increases and the picture will look more grainy and you will likely delete it soon.

In normal terms , ISO upto 200-400 is acceptable for a normal good image quality . Above that the picture will be more grainy.

Following settings are most widely used by cameras in auto mode :

ISO 100 or less - bright sunlight

ISO 200 - cloudy or overcast sky

ISO 400 - indoor photography

Step 3 : How professional is camera in AUTO mode.

Every camera has a Manual mode and AUTO mode in which, it tries to detect all the settings automatically. Not everyone is a professional , so there is an AUTO mode . How well the camera performs in AUTO mode , is something which decides the quality of the camera. When you look at the camera , at a display in a shop , try to take some pictures. Check the image properties , the default ISO at which the camera is taking the pictures. If the ISO most of the time goes above 400 , then like you will have trouble with pictures in a little low light as the picture will come out very grainy and will be totally useless.

Some camera’s do come with option Long shot , which you can select while taking the picture of stage performance , where the photographer is in dark but the photographed scene is illuminated. Dont forget to check such option in the camera.

Step 4 : Every camera is almost same at day !! What about night ??

Yeah this is also a very deciding factor for a good camera. Every camera perform the same at day, but at night , at low light is the toughest part of examination for a camera. How good are the pictures with the camera at night with flash , will decide the feasibility of the camera. 99% cameras are with flash, but strong they are , or how well they can illuminate a object nearly 2-3 meter far is the deciding factor. Most camera create nearly 2 flashes before taking the picture, so as to properly illuminate the scene and then take the picture.

Step 5 : Does camera has option to focus in low light(Focus light) ???

Focus is the main part of the camera. Impressed with the design, many times we forget this main part. Many camera , comes with red color diode, which illuminates in the dark and falls on the object , and helps camera focus the objec. This is a very important feature for shooting close objects as at times taking pictures at night , camera is unable to focus and the images comes out totally out of focus. So dont forget to check this option in the camera.

Step 6 : Picture at camera LCD , is not the same as when viewed on Computer.

Yeah at times , the picture which you see , bright and clear at camera LCD is not the same when viewed at original resolution at desktop monitor. This is due to noise reduciton algorithms implemented in camera , which at times gives watercolor effect to the image not visible in small LCD screen of the camera. So if possible , take a picture and try to view it to at full resolution on the computer monitor. This may really help you at times else check out some image samples on internet.

Check out some user feed back on the camera on some website. one is : www.dpreview.com

Step 7 : Dont compromise on Price !!!!

Digital camera is a gadget to celebrate priceless moments. So never compromise on price to buy a cheaper , local company digital camera as you may end up with bad and unmemorable images and finally you will feel bad on loosing money . So its always better to buy a camera from a good branded company , no matter its a bit costly , as the photos will be real value for money, and will be memorable throughout your life.

After all anytime in your life , you will be able to celebrate priceless moments.