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| Digital Camera Buying Guide |
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Learn Before
You Buy
Digital cameras are becoming a
necessity but many people are still confused by them. In this very basic guide
to digital cameras, we try to give beginners a basis on which to decide which
digital camera is right for them. When shopping for a digital camera it's at
least good to know about pixels, sensor size, and sensitivity. It's also
imperative to understand the difference between digital and optical zoom. |
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Pixels
A pixel is a contraction of the
term PIcture ELement. It is a term used by digital camera
manufacturers as well as those of televisions and computer monitors. The number
of pixels in an image, be it from a camera or on a screen, describes the amount
of detail that can be seen when looking at parts of the image (i.e. when
"zooming" in on a picture, or when sitting close to the monitor). Consider it as
the smallest part of the picture.
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Looking at the picture to the left, it looks smooth and there seems to be no
problems with it. Any digital camera could take such a picture. The difference
between digital cameras is apparent when you enlarge a part of the picture.
Assuming I was able to take the exact same image with two different cameras,
look at how different the enlargements could look. |
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The number of pixels in an image is known as the resolution.
The higher the number of pixels, the higher the resolution. When you see the
picture above, it is impossible to tell what the resolution is just by looking
at it. But when the enlargement is made, as seen on the right, more detail is
seen in the bottom magnification. That is the benefit of having higher
resolution - it allows one to make enlargements that have detail in them.
The same principle applies to TVs and computer monitors. The
more pixels in the screen, then the closer you can sit to it and not see the
individual pixels. Because you have to sit close to computer monitors, they had
to have higher resolution than TVs. Televisions caught up with the advent of
HDTVs. Read more about TVs here. |
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A million pixels is abbreviated
megapixel, or MP, so a 1MP camera has 1 million pixels and a 3MP camera has
3 million pixels. Currently most popular consumer digital cameras have between
3MP and 5MP. A 3MP camera can make excellent 4"x6" prints and very good 5"x7"
prints. If you intend to make lots of 8"x10" prints, then perhaps a 4MP or 5MP
camera would be a better choice.
Prices are falling everyday on
digital cameras. Some 3MP cameras are less than $100. Five MP consumer* cameras
are between $200 and $600. What is the difference between them, if they have the
same megapixels? Let's review two of the main differences: image sensor size and
zoom capabilities. |
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Next >> |
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*Professional cameras, or digital SLRs, have a number of
other features that are beyond the needs of the typical user so we will not
discuss them here. |
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