Photography Tutorial 6 Important Digital PointAndShoot Camera Features
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You’re ready to go out (or online) and buy a brand new compact camera, but how do you know which features to look for? To some extent, it depends on your preferences of course, but make sure you look at all the specs closely to get the camera that best suits your needs.
Make sure you take a closer look at these 6 features before adding that camera to your shopping cart:
Type of Battery This might not seem like a big deal, but when you’re standing in front of the Taj Mahal and your battery is dead, it is. Your best bet is a camera that accepts more than one type of battery. Rechargeable proprietary batteries are great for everyday use: they last for years, and if you buy an extra battery and make sure you keep it charged (and in your bag), you have instant backup. However, you might forget to recharge them, and if you’re traveling, you may not always have access to an electrical outlet, and this is when backup AAs can save the day. Sure, you can use AAs all the time, but the drawback is that they don’t last for a huge amount of shots or movies, the cost adds up, and to keep buying and throwing them out, well, that’s not exactly environmentally friendly.
Zoom The more zoom the better, I say. The photos you can get with a good zoom can be spectacular, but make sure you look at the specs for the optical zoom, not the digital. The optical zoom works like the zoom on an “old fashioned” 35mm camera – it actually brings the lens closer to the subject. Digital zoom, however, takes your picture, blows it up and crops it, all inside the camera, resulting in a fuzzier image with far inferior picture quality.
Built-In Memory All cameras accept some kind of memory card, and these days, they’re so inexpensive you can stock up on them and carry a whole bunch with you wherever you go. Having said that, a good-sized internal memory can bail you out when you’ve filled up all those memory cards and a perfect picture moment presents itself right in front of you, or if your current card is full and there is no time to switch before the opportunity will be gone. So check and see if the camera you’re considering lists internal memory in its specs. Not all cameras have it, but there are some (like the super slim and stylish Sony CyberShot DSC-T700) that have as much as 4GB.
Megapixels These days, most cameras have enough megapixels for the majority of users. Even if you are making 16×20 prints, a good quality point and shoot will give you nice, crisp results. However, if you are planning to sell your photos as stock, check with the agencies – some have a minimum mp requirement (for stock, you probably also want a camera that can capture RAW files, which can be converted to tiffs, jpgs and more – see below).
Exposure Controls Even if you usually set your camera to Program or Auto, having the option of controlling the exposure yourself can come in handy, especially if you want to take your photography to new creative heights. Use a slow shutter speed to create dreamy photos of moving water, or color streaks from moving car lights at night. A wide aperture creates a short depth of field, which gives close-ups and portraits a professional look.
File Format Most point and shoot cameras produce jpgs, which are great for uploading to the web, online printing services, etc. In the past few years, however, several compact cameras able to capture RAW files have appeared on the market. RAW images are not photos you can use straight out the camera, they are really just data files, and require post-shooting processing to “become” photos. You can either use the manufacturer’s own RAW conversion program, Photoshop, or my personal favorite, Lightroom, to convert your images to tiffs or jpgs (you can download a free trial copy of Lightroom at Adobe if you want to give it a go).
RAW has been the file format of choice for SLR users for years, but there are a few point and shoots with RAW capabilities as well. RAW files are not images per se, they are data files, and you do need to do a bit of post processing to turn them into usable pictures. But since they contain all the data you need, completely uncompressed or altered in any way, you get to create a photo from the best possible starting point. You can use Photoshop, the manufacturer’s RAW converter, or Lightroom to process your RAW files, and save them in any format you like: jpgs, tiffs, dngs, etc.
DeeDee Dobson adores the color pink. On her blog, she talks about point and shoot pink digital cameras and their many different features .
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