Have you decided to buy a digital camera, but the confusion over which one to pick has you overwhelmed? In order to make the right choice to suit your photography needs, consider these five different features before you hand over your credit card.
1. Camera Lens Quality
Interchangeable Lens Compact
It costs an arm and a leg to build a superior lens with the best glass. Cheap digital cameras tend to use cheaper lens. Even if a camera has 36 megapixels, the image quality with a cheap lens will be mediocre. Camera manufacturers can't afford to put superior glass in a cheap camera. If you use a digital SLR that has interchangeable lenses the quality difference between pro level lenses and entry lenses is immense, and measured in hundred or even thousands of dollars.
2. Manufacturer Quality
The materials that go into manufacturing good quality digital cameras cost a good deal of money; consequently the camera price will be higher. The cost difference between the aluminum, plastic or first-rate magnesium alloy is significant. This is even more so with a digital SLR. How a shutter button feels or the chassis strength on a pro level camera, compared to an entry SLR, you will find big differences which are again reflected in the price.
3. Sensor Quality
How a camera sensor handles light intensity and the resulting digital noise is affected by the design, the quality of the CMOS or CCD sensor, and the ISO rating. Try taking a picture with dimmed light and you will notice that in darker areas there will be flecks of color and grains. This is digital noise. Better quality cameras will have better light sensor and far less noise, or even no noise at all unlike cheaper compact digital cameras. Poor sensor quality degrades the image quality even when using an excellent lens.
4. Processor Quality
Each digital camera has a computer chip known as the processor, which receives digital information from the sensor and uses it to construct a picture. The way light is processed affects the general image quality. The more complex and powerful the processor is, the better pictures you'll get and surely the higher the camera cost. High megapixel pictures processed by simpler and less powerful processor will yield lower quality image.
5. Higher Megapixels
10.1 megapixels on an expensive digital SLR and 10.1 megapixels on a cheap compact camera are poles apart. High megapixels mean nothing if you have a poor lens, sensor and processor. On the other hand, you need to use high megapixels to take advantage of a high quality lens, sensor and processor. Just like many things in life, a good balance is essential.
Digital Cameras - 5 Features to Consider Before You Buy
