Choosing the Right Digital Camera for You
Maybe all you want to do is take a simple picture of your son at his birthday party. Or maybe you want a small camera to take with you on your next vacation. But when you get to the store, you are confronted with a huge selection of digital cameras, each claiming to be the best. They all have different features, and they all have different price points. So which one is right for you? Before you begin your shopping, you should know that there are three main types of digital cameras: the compact, the SLR-like, and the SLR.
The compact camera is the easiest to use, which makes it a good fit for a beginner. It is a simple point-and-shoot camera that is lightweight and inexpensive, perfect for taking pictures of family gatherings and vacation destinations. If you are looking for a camera for everyday use, the compact is the right choice. Some compacts come with long zooms and some can handle a variety of lighting conditions. If you want to take close-ups, or if you will be taking pictures in dark spaces, it may be worth spending a few extra dollars for these features.
The SLR-like camera is more challenging to use than a compact. It is also pricier and heavier. But the SLR-like camera does offer more features. Most come with a very long zoom range and a greater variety of manual controls. These cameras are well suited to sports and nature photography. A big draw is the speed at which an SLR-like camera can shoot; while compacts take a few seconds to process an image, SLR-like cameras take as little as one second. This means you can shoot a sequence of photos to capture one action, like the winning goal in a game.
Professional photographers use SLR cameras. With its many manual controls and various lenses, an SLR is often too much camera for a beginner to handle. SLR’s are heavy and expensive when compared to compacts. But photographers appreciate the interchangeable lenses and fast continuous shooting; the time it takes for an SLR camera to process an image is only a fraction of a second.
Before you make a final decision on a camera, you need to think about megapixels. Megapixels are the building blocks of a picture; the more you have, the clearer your photo. Megapixel resolution varies depending on the camera, so it is important to know what you need before you start shopping. If you only take 4×6 pictures, a camera with a 3 to 6-megapixel resolution will be adequate. If you plan on enlarging your photos to 8×10 and up, you will need a camera with at least an 8-megapixel resolution, though a 10-megapixel resolution is ideal. A compact camera with a 3-megapixel resolution can produce clear 4×6 photos, while an SLR camera with a 12-megapixel resolution can produce sharp 11×14 enlargements.
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