This article is intended for the person who is at a level "in between" the casual snapshot tourist and the professional multiple lens toting photographer. Some digital camera manufacturers call this group "prosumers." I've been involved with digital photography since it first became a viable consumer option. My first digital camera was a Kodak Digital Science something or other that cost $99 and shot 493 x 373 pixel images. My second camera was a 640 x 480 Olympus something or other with a plastic body. From there I upgraded to 1 megapixel, 2 megapixels, etc. About once per year I'd sell my camera on eBay, throw in an extra $200 or so, and buy a newer model.
I've owned about a dozen digital cameras since 1997; all Olympus models except for the $99 Kodak and a 3 megapixel Fuji S5000. My current camera is an 8 megapixel Olympus E500 digital SLR and I'm about to sell it and try one of the new "ultra super zoom" cameras that have 18x or 20x zoom and image stabilization. Probably the Olympus SP-570 UZ.
Initially, I was a casual snapshot tourist and would make my purchase decisions primarily based on price and number of megapixels. When I discovered that I could earn some income from my photos, I started paying attention to lens quality and "zoom". When I discovered that stock photo sites were rejecting every one of my images for various weird technical reasons (like artifacts and purple fringing) I upgraded to a digital SLR.
Now that I've used a digital SLR for about a year, I'm abandoning it and going back to a "prosumer" model.
Why is that?
I've noticed that some of my best looking and most popular photos were shot with old 3 to 6 megapixel "point and shoot" cameras. While stock photo sites like the digital SLR photos better, they are only one venue for selling photos and nobody else seems to care what camera was used. They only care what the image looks like.
And I don't like carrying around extra lenses and having to change lenses. And the bulkiness of the camera. So, goodbye to the digital SLR.
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Now I'll briefly outline what in my opinion are the basics for selecting a camera.
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MEGAPIXELS
Megapixels are the big thing in advertisements. Most people think more megapixels = better images. In general, more megapixels means you can make larger prints; BUT that's quantity. The size of the image, in pixels. Which has no bearing on the QUALITY of the image.
Also, now that the least expensive cameras available are typically 6 megapixel or 8 megapixel models, the difference is not as important as when you had to choose between a one megapixel and two megapixel model.
A good quality 6 megapixel camera will shoot photos that you can print on a 20x30 poster, which is more than enough for most people.
A good quality 8 megapixel camera will produce images that are roughly equivalent in quality to 35mm film images (using standard 35mm film.) An 8x10 print will have a resolution of about 300 dpi (dots per inch), which is the basic minimum quality demanded by graphics professionals.
Recently, 10 megapixel to 12 megapixel models are coming out on the store shelves. The difference between the two would be the same as choosing between a 1 megapixel and a 1.2 megapixel camera... almost no difference.
So today's shopper should focus on other specifications rather than worrying about whether to choose 10 vs. 12 megapixels.
ZOOM
Professional photographers discuss zoom in millimeters. Like "this lens is 30 mm to 90 mm". Consumer and prosumer model cameras advertise in terms of "X" (using X as a multiplication symbol)... 3x zoom, 10x zoom, 18x zoom. 20x zoom is twice as much zoom as 10x zoom.
10x zoom is about equal to 300mm in pro photographer terms. In layman terms, 10x zoom means you'll appear to be ten times closer to the object you're photographing at 10x zoom than when photographing an object with no zoom (a fully retracted lens (no zoom) vs. fully extended lens (full zoom). Digital cameras can "get away" with having huge zoom on fairly short lenses because the image capturing device inside the camera (the CCD) is typically much smaller than a frame of 35 mm film.
The least expensive digital cameras available typically max out at 3x to 5x zoom. The newest models at the upper end of the price range are now boasting 18x and 20x zoom.
3x zoom usually makes your subject look about the same size as you see it with your eye.
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind about zoom, is that "digital zoom" is completely meaningless. It's a software cheater method that degrades the quality of the image. Never think about or use digital zoom. OPTICAL zoom is the specification that is important.
10x zoom is a lot. If you've never owned a zoom camera before, 10x will probably be more than enough for you.
Taking photos at high zoom requires a tripod or solid base for your camera. As the subject of your photo is magnified, so is the shaking of your hand and any other movement magnified. A handheld 10x zoom shot, even in daylight, will probably be blurred.
But we also have....
IMAGE STABILIZATION
None of the cameras I've owned so far have had image stabilization. It's a fairly recent development in consumer and prosumer level cameras, and also added significantly to the cost of a camera. Now, however, it's becoming more of a standard and is not so expensive.
You can read more about image stabilization here.
It's not any kind of magical solution that will eliminate blurring, but it does compensate for minor movement such as pressing the camera shutter button.
For these new 18x and 20x zoom cameras, I think it's an essential feature. Shooting at 20x zoom, even if you use a tripod and a shutter release timer instead of pressing the shutter button... any kind of wind, or even the imperceptible swaying if you're on top of a tall building, can blur your images.
LENS QUALITY
I remember a salesperson at Fry's years ago showing me how one digital camera had a PLASTIC lens while the other had a GLASS lens. This is still something to look out for. Although I doubt plastic lenses are used in very many modern cameras, if a camera is priced much lower than other models with similar features; it could have a plastic lens.
I would expect to find plastic lenses mainly on cell phone cameras and zoomless cameras.
Your basic 3x zoom and higher camera will almost certainly have a glass lens.
Glass lenses vary in quality. I'm not very knowledgeable about lenses though so I won't discuss them very much. I rely on brand names and Internet review sites like Steve's Digicams and dpreview.
By "relying on brand names" I mean that I have only purchased digital cameras manufactured by well known, long time camera manufacturers. Olympus, Fuji, Kodak. Canon is another long time camera maker; I haven't owned a Canon yet though. I've avoided non-camera brands like Hewlett Packard and Panasonic, although the Panasonic Lumix line has a good reputation. Also, a Hewlett Packard or Epson camera that advertises a name brand (like Carl Zeiss) lens, may be perfectly suitable.
When in doubt, as I often am, READ ONLINE REVIEWS. Read lots of them.
BATTERIES
The one thing I've disliked about most of the Olympus cameras I've owned is that they used a proprietary battery. That has to be charged with a proprietary battery charger.
It's not a major issue though, since there are plenty of inexpensive proprietary battery and charger sellers on eBay. An Olympus battery that costs $40 from Olympus, typically goes for about $10 on eBay (although sellers often set the price at something like $2 plus $8 shipping and handling so it appears less expensive.) And you inevitably get a box with Chinese characters on it, and wonder if the thing is gonna explode when you recharge it... but I've had good luck with these cheap knockoff batteries and chargers, they always worked as expected.
However, if you have the choice between proprietary battery Camera A and good old AA battery Camera B, and everything else is equal, I recommend sticking to the standard AA batteries. Replacement batteries are easy to find anywhere. So if you go on a trip and forget to bring your extra batteries, it's not a problem. Whereas you may not be able to find the special proprietary battery you need.
ALSO, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration... the airport baggage x-rayers) is no longer allowing tourists to carry spare batteries in carry on luggage. If you travel light, like I do, and never check baggage; you'll have to buy your spare batteries at your destination.
Cameras that accept AA batteries will almost universally accept standard alkaline cells or rechargeables.
MEDIA CARDS
The "battle" between formats (xD, SD, Compact Flash) seems to have ended and SD (Secure Digital) and variations of SD (SDHC; and mini and micro SD, which can be used in standard SD slots with an adapter) have become the standard. However, if you already own a dozen xD memory cards, you may want your new camera to accept xD cards rather than having to rebuy a whole bunch of new cards. Olympus and Fuji have been the only manufacturers to utilize the xD format cards.
If you don't own any memory cards, then you may want to go with a camera that uses the most popular (which also usually means the least expensive) format, SD or one of its variations.
USABILITY
How easy the camera is to use, is important; but not so much since I think anyone can learn to use any camera.
Pick it up, hold it, pretend to shoot photos with it before you buy. If it feels cumbersome or bulky, you may not want to buy it.
Most digital cameras have an array of buttons and a multi layered set of menus you can view on the LCD screen. The menus are similar to 'drilling down' through folder levels of computer files. Of the 100 or so different settings you'll find in these menus, you probably won't use more than a dozen of them.
The basic settings you'll want to master initially are your shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and turning the flash on or off.
Shutter speed is how fast the shutter opens and closes. During the day, typical shutter speeds are very fast, like 1/800 of a second. For night shots, you might leave the shutter open for a full second, or several seconds. In which case you'll also need a tripod or solid base, since it's unlikely you can hold a camera perfectly still for a full second.
Aperture is how wide the shutter opens. It's kind of complicated so I'll just post this link to explain it.
Aperture is one of the things you can usually avoid having to adjust by just leaving your camera on the "AUTO" setting.
If you shoot at night around bright lights, however, AUTO mode will usually not work and you'll have to at least adjust your shutter speed. Shooting in Las Vegas, I learned that cameras tend to overexpose shots of bright lights. The camera only "sees" the dark and sets the shutter speed at a level appropriate for darkness, like half a second. But to capture the bright lights a block away, you need to adjust the shutter speed to 1/10 to 1/40 of a second, depending on how bright the lights are. If use the AUTO setting, the lights will look like a blob of color.
ISO has to do with sensitivity to light. Most photographers shoot daytime photos at a low ISO (70, 100) and night photos at a higher ISO (400, 800). Many digital cameras, however, produce degraded images at high ISO. You could just leave your camera set at 100 or 200 ISO all day and night, and most of your images will come out fine. Or leave it on AUTO. If you're trying to get a very dark shot at night and don't have a tripod, then, one way to get the shot is to try higher ISO settings.
A flash is mostly useless at night unless your subject is less than 10 or 12 feet away. And the flash can be more than useless; creating reflections in your photo. Shoot a photo of yourself in a mirror with the flash and then without the flash as an experiment.
RAW MODE
Shooting in RAW mode is essential for capturing the highest quality images. I recommend passing on any camera that does not have a RAW mode. RAW is like a digital negative; it contains all the information captured for the entire image, every pixel. Converting to JPG, you lose a great deal of that information.
JPGs are fine for casual photos you're going to share with family and friends or post online; but if you plan to sell prints or posters, or submit images to stock photo sites, it's important to shoot in RAW format, do your editing to the RAW image, then save it to JPG and leave it alone.
Each time you edit and resave a JPG, you lose some quality. Whereas RAW images can be edited numerous times with no loss of quality. Opening and viewing a JPG image has no effect on it. It's editing (such as cropping, increasing color saturation, adjusting brightness) and re-saving the JPG that causes it to lose information. It's called a "lossy" format for that reason, while RAW (and PNG) are "lossless" formats. They do not lose information when edited and re-saved.
CCD SIZE
The CCD (charge coupled device) is the "film" which captures your image. From the CCD, the camera saves the image on your media card.
CCD size is rarely advertised, and most shoppers know nothing about it.
It isn't extremely important either. A larger CCD provides a higher quality image because the individual pixels are larger. This is the main appeal of digital SLRs. Some use "full frame" 35mm film equivalent size CCDs; some are slightly smaller. Most prosumer and consumer level cameras have much smaller CCDs. Looking at prints from different cameras, however, you probably wouldn't notice much difference. So I suggest going with a larger CCD if that camera also meets your other requirements. You may have to go online searching around to find the CCD size as well.
I've read that CCD sizes are based on old vacuum tube sizes, so check this CCD SIZE link for more details about translating CCD size specs into more understandable measurements.
LCD
All digital cameras have a small LCD screen on the back which you can use to view images you've already shot (so you can delete them if they're really bad) and most cameras also let you use the LCD in place of the viewfinder.
Some cameras have semi-detachable LCD screens that rotate... so you could hold the camera up over your head at arms length and still be able to frame a shot, which is useful for front row concert photography or shooting over a fence. Other than that, LCDs are all pretty much the same and I wouldn't base a purchase decision on the LCD unless you really like the moveable LCD feature.
PRICE
Most shoppers are going to shop within a certain price range. For prosumer cameras, that would be roughly $250 to $600.
I remember when a new 3 megapixel Olympus model, I think it was the C3000, first came out, I wanted it really badly but it was priced at $999, about double my new camera budget. I did buy one, but I had to wait about 8 months for it to drop to the $500 range. This tactic can work for you too. New models of digital cameras are always at their highest price for the first few months they're available; then they drop in price, generally 25% to 50%. So if there's a particular camera you really want but can't afford, waiting a few months might put it within reach. Pay attention to those price drops though, because a camera usually goes off the market a few months after it drops 50% from its original price and is replaced by the next new model.
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After 11 years of owning about a dozen various digital cameras, I hope what I've learned will help you select the perfect camera.
