Digital Camera Primer: Look Before You Buy

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As with any type of electronics, such as computer notebooks, printers, or a computer desktop, buying a digital camera presents you with a myriad of choices. Each digital camera manufacturer has more than a dozen offerings, ranging from the more basic "point and shoot" camera to the top of the line professional single lens reflex digital camera. So, it’s important to consider a number of factors before you buy. Here’s a primer to get you started.

Digital Camera Cost

Just a few years ago, inexpensive digital cameras had terrible optics and were an overall disappointment. Not anymore. Today, even a $149 camera has more features than a $799 camera had in the past. Of course, you can pay more than $10,000 for a camera, but for most casual photographers a camera under $500 will have everything you want and then some.

Megapixels

It wasn’t that long ago that a three-mexapixel digital camera was considered state-of-the-art. Today, fairly basic consumer models are seven- or eight-megapixels, which allows you to considerably crop any photo and still get a high-quality print. For that reason, don’t consider buying a camera that’s less than five megapixels.

LCD Display

It may not seem like the most important part of a camera, but the size of the LCD display will make a big difference while you’re shooting your photos. A two-inch LCD is great, but a three-inch is even better since you’ll be able to see at a glance whether the photo you just took is fuzzy or if it’s a keeper. Beyond size, make sure that the LCD display is clear in all lighting conditions – indoors, outdoors, and at night. If you can’t see the photo you just took, it defeats the purpose of having a digital camera.

Shooting Modes

Many digital cameras offer a variety of shooting modes as well as manual settings. Many of the ultracompact consumer cameras, however, do not have manual overrides, and you must choose among the shooting modes provided. If you’re in the market for a "point and shoot" digital camera, that’s no problem. On the other hand, if you want to be able to change the aperture or shutter speed, make sure you buy a digital camera that allows you to do manual settings. Similarly, if you’ll primarily use your camera in a specific environment (at sporting events, for example), make sure that the digital camera you select has that specific mode. Keep in mind that some digital cameras even have underwater capability or an "eBay" setting for taking photos of items you want to auction on eBay, so don’t assume the way you’ll use your camera is unique.

Storage Medium

Unfortunately, there’s not an industry standard when it comes to storage cards. Make sure that you understand the type of film card your camera uses, and that you have a reader that will allow you to transfer your photos from your camera to your computer desktop or laptops. Alternately, many cameras come with software (usually on a DVD) that will allow you to plug your camera directly into your desktop or notebooks and upload your pictures.

After You Buy

Once you’ve purchased your digital camera, take time to practice and play with the various settings. It’s often said that digital cameras are more like computer peripherals than cameras, so keep in mind that there may be a learning curve. Once you’ve mastered it, however, you’ll be amazed at the enjoyment you’ll get from your new purchase.

How To Buy A Digital Camera

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People are spending more and more money these days on digital cameras. While there are "traditionalists" who still cling to using film, the numbers of people moving to digital is sure to increase. But which camera is right for you?

Walk into any major electronics store and you’re bound to be overwhelmed with choices. Not only that but some of the vocabulary will confuse you as well. Not everyone knows what "red-eye" and "pixels" are right? This is actually one of the reasons I think reading a digital photography book is very helpful PRIOR to actually buying one.

First thing you need to do is to consider your budget. Digital Cameras can range anywhere from $50 (actually sometimes even lower) to upwards of $500. Don’t be fooled by all the bells and whistles if you never plan on using them. Stick to your budget! You can always upgrade to something else down the road if you really want to.

Now it comes to actually selecting a camera. Try to go for one that has at least 5 mega-pixels (this refers to color resolution). This really is the norm for digital cameras these days. The higher number of mega-pixels your camera has, the higher the quality of your color pictures.

The next thing you’ll want to look for is how much memory can your camera hold? Most if not all cameras come with built in memory, but the capacity of that memory is usually pretty low. More expensive cameras have larger capacity for memory, but you can easily get around this with a basic camera while also purchasing what is known as a "flash-memory-card." This also makes downloading pictures from your camera to your home computer "a snap!" Flash-memory-cards come in a variety of storage capacity, so again think in terms of your budget and also ask yourself, "how many pictures will I be taking with this camera?"

Last but not least, take a look at the zoom feature of the camera. As usual the more expensive cameras can zoom to amazing levels, while your average camera just goes to average levels. Again, I know I’m repeating myself, stick to your budget and ask yourself "What kind of pictures will I be taking with this camera?" Baby-drool is probably not something a lot of people want to see up close. But a flower in a nature preserve may be something to zoom in on.

As long as you stick to your research, your budget, and the overall reasons for your use of a digital camera, then buying a digital camera should not be a difficult task.

Digital Cameras – 10 Tips To Get Great Pictures

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Photography is an art, and therefore there are no set rules for getting the perfect pictures. The following tips, however, will help to improve your photographic style, experiment, and get great pictures on a regular basis. Whether your subject is a child, a pet, or nature, try some of these tips on your next photographic foray.

1. Get on Their Level – With a live subject it is important to get at eye-level before taking the shot. For children and pets this may mean kneeling, squatting, sitting or even lying down to get on the same level as your subject. While it is fun to experiment with different angles, you will have much greater success if you look your subject in the eye.

2. Fill out the Frame – Photographs are more powerful and interesting if the subject fills out the frame. Many photographers make the mistake of being too far from the subject. It is best to zoom in close enough the that the subject reaches or goes just beyond the edges of the photo frame in your view finder. This allows the viewer to see more detail and expression, and prevents the background from taking over the photograph.

3. Get a Little Closer – When you think your shot is set, try taking a few steps closer. Get in closer to your subject will show detail and emotion that add interest to your photographs.

4. Simple backdrop – When photographing a specific subject be aware of what is going on behind them. You want to choose a backdrop that will not distract or obscure the look of the subject. Choose plain color background or simple natural greenery with few accents to really highlight your subject.

5. Use the Flash – Most people think that outdoor photos never require the use of a flash, but that is not the case. When the sun is at its brightest, can be the time when it casts the most shadow. Adding a flash on an already sunny day can even-out the shadows cast by wrinkles, strange angles, or other people. Just make sure that your camera flash is close enough to the subject to be effective.

6. Watch the Light — Light is one of the most important factors in photo taking. When you get ready to take a shot, pause for a moment to take accounting of where the sun is and what shadows may be obscuring the view. You don’t want your subject squinting into the sun, nor do you want the light so bright behind them that it makes the subject look dark in comparison.

7. Go Vertical – Don’t get stuck in a rut. Many pictures would look better if you just turned them vertically. There are certain subjects that lend themselves to a vertical framing such as lighthouses, the Eiffel tower, or a beautiful tree. Try going vertical with some less likely subjects to see the difference it will make.

8. Get out of the Middle – Another common mistake photographers make is to put the subject of the photograph directly in the middle of the frame. This technique is usually not the most pleasing to the eye. Instead shift your subject to one of the four corners of the frame so that it is prominent, but not center stage.

9. Steady does it – Make sure the camera is steady when you are taking photos. A steady camera will prevent a blurry photo. If you are not the best at holding steady consider using a tripod to get a clear
shot.

10. Shoot Away – If you really want to get better pictures, take more pictures, more frequently. With a digital camera it is no longer a waste to snap away. Feel free to take a lot of photos of the same subject, just varying the angle, lighting, or backdrop. Experimenting will allow you to find the tricks that work best for you, and will ensure that you will have at least a few great shots of each subject.

Taking Pictures With A Digital Camera

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The development in science and technology in recent years has not just been about developing of devices that make life easier, it has also been a lot about making life more luxurious. One such great development has been the concept of digital camera.

Digital cameras are nothing but cameras that allow you to take pictures digitally instead of having to use cameras that take and store pictures on photographic films. They are easy to use, and are generally multifunctional, providing various facilities. Digital cameras are known for taking good images, which are as good as the pictures taken by the conventional cameras, if not better.

In fact, digital cameras allow one not only to click great pictures; they also allow one to view the pictures as and when taken. Therefore, if you take a picture, and are not satisfied with the way it looks, and if you still have the opportunity of capturing that special moment, you can go on clicking your camera, till you get exactly what you desire.

Digital cameras also allow the option of using a flash light as and when required, to obtain a much clear image. In many digital cameras, there is also an option for taking automatic pictures. This is especially meant for those special moments, when everybody wishes to get included in the picture, without being left out, staying behind the lens.

Digital cameras also allow the user to shoot as well as save videos. Generally the sound and the picture quality is good, though it mostly varies from camera to camera. The flash light can be used while video shooting too and the fact that these are so portable and handy, they allow you to carry them anywhere for any length of time with great ease. Options can be set for automatic video shooting to, in case nobody is willing to stand behind the lens.

There are digital cameras that also allow you to change the style and color of the pictures you may be taking. For instance, you may set an option to take only black and white pictures, or pictures with a bluish or reddish hue. Some digital cameras also come with special lens that can focus and take pictures of a much wider area. Sometime you also might be able to take your own pictures as well as videos, staying behind the lens by adjusting them, if your digital camera gives you that option.

However, one of the greatest benefits of using a digital camera is probably the fact that it allows you to click a large number of pictures without having to worry too much about the memory space. The pictures may be saved in CDs, which means that no matter how long your vacation maybe and how many pictures you end up taking, you do not run out of space trying to save those sweet memories. This not only makes digital cameras more convenient to use, but it also makes it very cheap as compared to the traditional cameras.

However, the special features provided by the digital cameras vary from one camera to another, depending on the producing company, and of course on the price range of the camera. With the rapid development in digital cameras taking pace every now and then, and the prices coming down heavily, with each new discovery, digital cameras are fast becoming one of the most popular electronic goods of the modern world.

Suddenly possessing a digital camera has become a necessity in this fast changing world. Whether
one loves photography or not, possessing a personal digital camera is surely one luxury many of us crave for!

Under Water Digital Camera Housing

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If the underwater world has left you mesmerized and you wanted to capture all those amazing moments while diving, snorkeling, canoeing or even surfing, but shuddered at the cost of an exclusive underwater digital camera, the underwater digital camera housings are a boon to you. It serves as a faithful recorder of all that you wish to capture underwater, as well as provide valued protection to your digital camera when it is needed most, like during skiing, fishing or sailing.

The die-hard protection of the underwater digital camera housings are rendered by clear and durable polycarbonate cases. Most of the underwater digital camera housings are watertight even up to depths of 131 feet. These are made from stainless steel and nickel-plated brass which gives it its durability.

The underwater digital camera housings help you keep full control over your valued asset. The most important thing to ensure is that they must have a large shutter button, a precision zoom lever and controls that last. These housings should protect your camera but at the same time, help you use the features of the camera. There are some manufacturers who also make the underwater digital camera housings specifically for certain of their underwater digital cameras. All these are part of their catalogue – you just have to choose the right one suitable for your use.

Since the most important part of your underwater digital camera is the lens, it needs the best protection. The better underwater digital camera housings have a type of window which is made of a type of fluorite glass which offers superior protection. It is also important to ensure that the housing must help diffuse the light of the internal flash and should never have anything that obscures it. Since you wish to see what is in front of you, it is wise to buy an underwater digital camera housing which has an easy-to-see LCD panel. This gives you the chance to use all the editing features while your camera is placed inside the housing. The best choice is that kind of underwater digital camera housing which offers greatest protection without hampering the usage of any of the camera’s features.

Maintenance of an underwater digital camera housing is simple. Many people soak the whole thing in fresh water, with the digital camera inside. Use silica packs to prevent fogging of the camera housing. Application of layers of silicon also helps to keep the housing in immaculate condition. Remember to follow the manufacturers’ instructions strictly to derive the maximum benefits from your underwater digital camera housing.

How To Take Better Pictures With A Digital Camera

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Today’s cameras make taking pictures a lot easier than the one’s of yesterday. There is always room for improvement, however. Use the following tips to help make your photos go from acceptable to great.

1. Always be aware of the background.

You don’t want to find trees growing out of people’s heads or a passing vehicle to draw attention from your subject. Sometimes moving your subject just a couple steps to either side can make all the difference.

2. Use available light.

If your digital camera has an option to turn the flash off and it’s light enough outside to read a book, then use the available light, and turn the flash off. In general camera flashes are too harsh for human skin and make all of us look pale. Indoors, where there isn’t enough daylight, place your subject by a window and use your fill flash feature.

3. Aim your camera slightly down at the person’s face.

Also don’t shoot just face on to the person, try a little to the side, a three quarter view, so that you see more of their face. Remember camera higher looking down and a three quarter view, it will slim your subject.

4. Remember your focus.

Get closer to your subject. Fill the frame with your subject and there will be no doubt as to what the picture is saying.

6. Never put your subject dead center.

Put your just slightly off center; not a lot just a little. When you’re shooting groups of people, find the imaginary center line of your group and put that line just a bit off center in your view through your lens or screen.

Following these tips won’t turn you into an award-winning photographer today, but you will be on your way to better, more powerful photographs that others will comment on for years to come.

75 percent of people buy the wrong digital camera

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When I teach a new class learning digital photography, over 75% of the students turn up with the camera the salesman suggested.

Guess what? They soon find out that it’s the wrong one for them. This can be a very expensive mistake. So the big questions are what is the right one for me and how do I know which is best for me.

One of the first things that you want to know about the camera that the salesman is trying to sell you is as follows -
How long does the camera take to turn on and be ready to take the shot? In the consumer market this can range between 1 to 5 seconds most being towards the 3 seconds mark. 
How long does the camera take to focus on the subject? (Not to take the picture) most cameras take between 1 to 3 seconds most at around the 1-second mark. How long does the camera take to actually take the photo after you have pushed the shutter button completely? Again, most cameras take between 1to 3 seconds this is called shutter lag time. Now you can see to take a photo can take up to 5 seconds just to turn on and up to another 3 seconds to focus in and the up to another 3 seconds just to actually take the photo.

In a cheaper camera, but not necessarily cheaper it can be up to 9 seconds to take a photo from the camera turned off. You may say “yes but I will leave my camera on” ok that’s fine, but you may still have a lag time of up to 3 seconds just to take a photo. Just imagine how annoying it will be now that you have purchased your new digital camera costing you around $400 – $500 to find that you just can’t catch your child blowing out the candles because your new camera at the critical time of blowing the candles out took 1 second to focus and a further 2 seconds to take the photo. What was the result? A child sitting in front of a cake with black smoldering candles.

Can you set the white balance on your camera? Just what is the white balance?

About 60% of digital cameras don’t have this adjustment, you must buy one that can be set manually, not just one that has an “auto white balance” as they are not as good as they advertise.

Does your camera have different exposure modes?

Exposure modes are simply where does the camera take a light reading? The cheaper cameras just do an all over reading which can be very limiting to say the least. A good camera will have a “spot”, “centre weighted” and “matrix” metering system, which allows you to take great photos in any light situation.

When buying a digital camera, buy it for the fact that it’s a camera not a video camera as well. One student showed me all the features her camera had and that’s why it was more expensive – the only thing that it didn’t do well was take still pictures!

You can get so much out of your new digital camera! you just have to put some time in for learning how to use it properly and how to take better pictures – remember no one will ever want to look at a poor quality photo twice!

If you want to take really great pictures that will be in your family for years put in a little effort with your new digital camera.

Digital Camera Memory Cards

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Does it really make a difference what size memory card you use? To your camera, no; to you, however, it could mean the difference between getting the picture you want or running out of space on your memory card.

When choosing the most logical size, take into account how many pictures you usually take at a time. Your needs if you are a world traveler will be different from those of a person who only uses a camera for holiday get-togethers. You also need to decide how big the files are of the pictures you take. Smaller files such as pictures for online will take less space and enable you to fit more on a card. Larger files for printing will need more room.

If you have a 2 mega-pixel camera, 128MB is usually enough. For a 3 or 4-megapixel

camera, a 128MB or 256MB memory card is usually plenty. For a 5-megapixel camera, start with a 256MB memory card.

Here’s a rough guideline of how many pictures a flash memory card can hold:

* A 128MB flash memory card can store about 21-41 large, uncompressed images or up to 100 small, compressed images. This is good enough for most photographic needs.

* A 256MB card will store about twice that, 42-82 large pictures and nearly 200 smaller ones. Important events like weddings and once in a lifetime events might warrant this size just to make sure you don’t miss that one special moment At http://www.review5.info .

A 1GB card has room for nearly 4 times as much as a 256MB card, If you are planning a long vacation with a lot of picture taking, this might be best with the capacity to hold 168-328 large images and a total of close to 800 smaller images.

Whatever you decide, remember you can always use several smaller cards and just change them when they are full. It only takes a few seconds to switch memory cards, so don’t panic if you don’t have a large memory card.

Digital Cameras – Explained

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Over the last few years, the picture quality in digital cameras has becoming amazing. As recently as the year 2000, even the very best digital cameras you could buy produced grainy, poor-quality images that could never compare to what film had to offer. Today, though, digital cameras can easily rival and even exceed the quality of film, capturing pin-sharp digital images and never needing to be refilled with anything except power.

When you buy a digital camera, the most important thing you should look for is how many mega pixels (million pixels in the image) the photos it takes are. Cameras available today range from about 3MP at the low end to 10MP or more at the high end, with the price increasing steadily with each extra mega pixel.

However, how many mega pixels the camera has is not the only thing you should consider. Battery life is very important, as cameras with a short battery life can be frustratingly unusable, and the presence of various features in the camera’s software like auto focus and digital zoom should also be a consideration, as well as the camera’s ability to record non-photographic material like sound and video.

Ultimately, the best thing to do with digital cameras is to either buy the cheapest one you can find or a very high-end one – if you go for something mediocre, you will just be frustrated at having paid a lot of money for a camera that isn’t really all that great. If you are choosing between two cameras at a certain price point, it is almost always better to buy the one made by a known brand, as they will tend to have much better build quality, software and battery life, as well as being generally better-designed and easier to use.

As a final note, if you just want a cheap digital camera to take around with you and take occasional snaps of your friends and places you go, it’s well worth considering getting a mobile phone with a digital camera built in. As you take your phone around with you anyway, it’s no extra hassle to carry a camera phone, and the pictures they can take are rapidly increasing in quality, to the point where they are now where digital cameras were only a few years ago. As technology gets even better, a camera phone is increasingly becoming a very smart alternative to a digital camera for the casual user.

How To Use Your Digital Camera To Make Original Mother’s Day Gifts And Cards

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My friend Nancy’s favorite Mother’s Day gift of all time was from her dog.

It was a coffee mug with Lexi’s mug shot and a personal message printed on it.

Of course there were some humans involved in this thoughtful gesture. In creating her gift, Nancy’s friends took advantage of two major trends: digital photography and personalized gift giving. They put them together to design a gift that Nancy will never forget. And you can do the same as you prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day 2007.

Personalized Gift Ideas For Mother’s Day 2007

Many of us find it hard to buy gifts for family and friends these days. One reason is because so many people just go to the store and buy the things they want when they want them. Instant gratification may be good for them but it makes it harder to come up with original gift ideas.

Enter the latest gift giving sensation: Personalized gifts – the perfect solution to Mother’s Day 2007 or any other occasion.

Digital cameras make personalization so much easier than film cameras. Not only can you design your own photo greeting cards online in a matter of moments, but you can create one-of-a-kind Mother’s Day gifts, solving the whole Mom’s Day dilemma with a click of the shutter and a click of the mouse.

First, the Card

Imagine trying to find an appropriate, wise, witty, unique greeting card at your local card shop. After spending an hour reading every card on the shelf, you discover nothing suits your mom.

How could it? People far away who don’t know your mom and can’t express the true nature of your relationship created those cards.

But you can. And it’s as simple as selecting a favorite digital photo from your collection, uploading it to an online photo service like Shutterfly.com, and then adding your own personal message to the card. (You can also opt to create a collage with many different images — great for putting kids, pets and other family members into the picture.)

So for just a few dollars, you’ll have a photo greeting card that will amaze Mom with your originality, creativity and technical wizardry. (Just don’t tell her how easy it was.)

Then, the Gift Ideas

The wide selection of personalized gifts you can order online goes way beyond photo-imprinted t-shirts. Just about anything you can imagine can be customized with a favorite image.

Looking for some unique gift ideas for Mother’s Day? How about these for starters:

- Tote bag with a picture of the kids or a pet printed on the side.
- Silver bracelet or necklace with photo pendant.
- Fridge magnet with a cherished photo.
- Customized photo album in a hardcover book. You select the book style, choose the images, and write the captions, all using drag-and-drop software for easy and professional-looking results.
- Photo mug. Give her one with something sweet on the outside – her favorite photo of you – and something sweet inside – her favorite chocolates.

Mom will love your thoughtfulness. And she’ll think you spent a fortune, but many personalized gifts like these cost very little and mean so much.

So don’t let all your great digital pictures stay hidden and forgotten on your computer’s hard drive. Bring them out into the open and
solve your gift-giving headaches by putting them on Mother’s Day gifts she’ll use and admire every day.