Looking to purchase a digital camera?

Check out these fantastic tips.


Buyer Beware: How to shop for a digital
cameras

Megapixels — The amount of pixels is not the big deal it
used to be, as manufacturers and consumers are recognizing
the fact that fewer but larger pixels produce better pictures
compared to more but tinier pixels.That said, 10 megapixels is
ideal, and 8 is enough. If you are choosing between two
cameras, and the only difference is that one has more
megapixels, then don’t buy it.You’ll be wasting your money.
Optical Image Stabilization — Camera shake is your
greatest enemy. Don’t consider buying a camera without this
option.
Optical Zoom — Take a good look at the camera specs.
What you are looking for is a minimum of 3-5x optical zoom.
Digital zoom is of no real help. If you are looking for a camera
that will give you a wider angle or longer zoom, a 10-12x
optical zoom will be the way to go (for instance, the Canon
PowerShot SX200 IS).
Get a Grip! — Having a grip on a camera (a protruding
edge on one of the sides) provides greater stability.
Rechargeable Battery — Cameras that come with their
own rechargeable batteries offer better endurance than those
that use standard AA batteries.
Optical Viewfinder — Most of today’s point and shoot
cameras do not have an optical viewfinder, but it’s definitely a
good thing. If your camera does have one, always use that to
compose your pictures as opposed to using the LCD screen,
especially when shooting in the sun.


For the serious amateur photographer, your best bet is to
purchase an entry-level DSLR camera. The advantages of the
DSLR:
• It produces sharper image files containing richer colors
and greater detail, due to the fact that the imaging sensors
used in even the most compact DSLRs are physically about 5
times as large as the sensors used in point-and-shoot
cameras.
• DSLR images have much less “noise” in the images. You
can push the ISO much higher without getting the additional
noise you would get with a regular point and shoot.
• DSLR cameras have quicker response times from the
moment you click the button until the image is actually
captured, compared to even the most sophisticated pointand-
shoot cameras.
DSLR cameras have a choice of various lenses and flashes
to accommodate all different shooting scenarios.
But always keep in mind: It’s not the camera that takes great
pictures; it is the person behind the camera who needs to know
exactly which buttons to push.
Info provided by Orgel Photography as featured in Binah Magazine Lag Ba'Omer edition אייר תש'ע