Buying Cameras And Understanding Optical And Digital Zoom
When the first cameras appeared they were large bulky items available only to the few who could afford them and understand the science of photography. To take a simple photograph you needed to understand both the mechanics of the gadget, some mathematics and a sound understanding of chemistry. Over the years the camera was developed into something which could be more accessible to ordinary folk. Eventually cameras became tiny little boxes which even children could operate but using film meant that once the photo had been taken it was necessary to have the film developed by a photo lab before we could see the results. These days we have the digital camera and there is no longer the need to send off film and most folk don’t even print our their photo’s but are they easy to understand?
The world of the digital camera can be very confusing before we even buy one. With such a large number of companies producing them which one do we choose. The decision is made even more difficult by the fact that producers often have a number of different models available. Well known brands such as Nikon and Canon compete against a multitude of new companies offering what appears to be, superb bargains but how do you spot a digital camera bargain?
When buying a digital camera there are a few things to get to grips with. Most people are aware of the word megapixel but do you understand interpolation? These two words are incredibly important as two ten megapixel cameras are not equal if one interpolates the image. Interpolation is a digital way in which to increase the size of an image so a 5 mp camera can interpolate the image up to the equivalent of a 10mp one.
Zoom is further word which can lead to confusion. If you want to bag yourself a digital camera bargain you will need to understand the differences between optical zoom and digital zoom.
You will often see an impressive figure for digital zoom quoted on digital camera packaging but in actual fact you would be better off ignoring it. The reason for this is that digital zoom takes your photo and cuts it down in size (to the area you have zoomed into) and then simply enlarges this part. Of course the more you zoom in the more the photo degrades.
Optical zoom, on the other hand, has a greater importance. The quality of your image is not effected by optical zoom so you can safely zoom in on a subject without fear of the photo becoming degraded. Usually the digital camera with the larger optical zoom is the better much much depends on the quality of the actual lens in the camera.
It is usually the case that the more you pay for a lens the better it will be. One thing to remember is that a photo taken with a lens costing $thousands is bound to be far, far superior to the exact same photo taken using a camera which cost a couple $100.
Knowing how you will be using your camera is incredibly important when deciding what to buy. If you will be taking your camera everywhere with you taking snaps wherever you can, mainly of friends and the likes, then a simple compact digital camera will be the best buy for you. In such cases the buying of an expensive DSLR with a lens with huge optical zoom would simply be a waste of money.
The world of the DSLR camera is huge, far too complicated to cover here in one article. Many people are buying them for home use now but they are usually only used by professional photographers.
I use both DSLRs and compact cameras and both have their uses. The Canon PowerShot A480 is a fantastic buy offering 3.3x optical zoom and this is sufficient for most circumstances. Before you buy your digital camera you should read many reviews and always compare the specifications compared to the price before you part with any cash.
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