HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE Shopping for a digital camera
Who will use it and what are the major considerations
With digital cameras topping technology gift lists this year, you may be scanning newspaper ads and searching online looking for cameras with the most megapixels your money can buy.
While digital-camera-makers would like you to buy the latest, greatest and more expensive eight-megapixel models, experts say most consumers would be more than happy with the images they get with a camera with half the megapixels and half the price.
Indeed, they note other factors such as lighting conditions, a good zoom lens and printer quality can affect how a digital photo turns out.
"The megapixel is somewhat of a red herring,'' said Brad Polt-Jones, a San Francisco digital photography instructor. "It doesn't necessarily mean you're getting a better quality image.''
The first step you should take is to decide who will use the camera and what it will be used for the most. For example, if you just want to grab those quick vacation snapshots and slip the camera back into your purse or shirt pocket, then a simple point-and- shoot camera will suffice. If you're looking to create lasting family memories, such as a computer- enhanced scrapbook, you might want a camera with more features, such as variable shutter speeds and interchangeable lenses.
The good news for consumers is that there is a wide range of choices and prices from the $20 disposable digitals to the $1,000 models for serious photography buffs.
$200 can buy good camera
"There are some phenomenal cameras selling for around $200 to $250,'' said Polt-Jones, who earlier this year co-founded Future Light Digital Workshops (www.fldigital .com), which conducts digital photography workshops for consumers. "Two years ago, you couldn't touch a camera like that for that price.''
This year, prices of some three-megapixel cameras have fallen below $100, while five-megapixel cameras have dropped as low as $200. Eight-megapixel cameras can cost around $600, said digital photography experts Daniel Grotta and Sally Wiener Grotta, co-authors of a new book, "PC Magazine Guide to Digital Photography.''
Gadget buffs who covet the latest technology may have trouble keeping up with digital camera manufacturers, which are packing in more features and turning over their product lines every six to eight months, a faster pace than ever before. But the Grottas say the number of features a camera has to offer isn't as important as finding the type of features you'd actually use.
So if you already have a digital camera that's producing good photos, you may not need to upgrade anytime soon. And if you're in the market for a digital camera, finding the right model for the right price should set you up for years to come.
"It's like buying a good car. You don't want to trade it in every year," Daniel Grotta said. "Digital two years ago finally hit the point they became keepers, good enough to keep for five or 10 years. When we hit three megapixels, that was the sweet spot for most people.''
In the past two years, more consumers have become more familiar with the convenience of digital over traditional film cameras, such as the instant gratification of seeing a photo in an LCD display rather than waiting until the entire film roll is shot and developed.
"Most people are unaware of a lot of the things your camera can do,'' Polt-Jones said. "Once you get it into the computer, a lot of people are surprised at all this extra data. You can take a digital image and manipulate it far more than you could in a darkroom.''
Ownership increasing
Around 35 percent of U.S. households now own a digital camera, but that number isn't projected to hit 50 percent until 2006, said Chuck Westfall, director of technical marketing for Canon USA's camera division.
Digital camera sales are expected to total 21 million this year, and sales of traditional film cameras are "dropping off faster than we thought they originally would,'' Westfall said.
Canon, Sony and Kodak are among the best-selling digital camera brands, although the Grottas said they have reviewed lesser-known brands like Concord that perform just as well.
How do you pick the right digital? Experts say there is no right answer for everybody. Consumers should try them out as they would a pair of shoes, Sally Grotta said.
"Check the way they fit in your hands,'' she said. "When you hold it up to your face, does your nose go right up into the LCD viewfinder?' "Don't let the technology intimidate you,'' she said.
What megapixels do
One way to start is to understand the technology behind megapixels, which are too easily mistaken for or hyped as an indication of the photographic quality of a digital camera. Instead, they measure how much data from an image can be captured by a camera's sensor.
One pixel is the smallest segment of a picture. A megapixel equals 1 million pixels. So a three-megapixel camera can capture 3 million pixels' worth of data.
The more megapixels captured, the bigger a picture can be printed while still retaining good quality resolution. So while a 1.3- megapixel (MP) camera might be good for printing 3-by-5 snapshot photos or for posting on the Web, you would need an eight-megapixel camera to print out a quality 16-by-20-inch poster.
Most digital camera owners will never need that large a picture. And a printer that isn't built to handle that many pixels would still reproduce a photo at a lower resolution.
So a three- or four-megapixel camera should be enough to handle most standard photo print sizes, and an eight megapixel camera "is overkill for most people,'' Sally Grotta said. That said, Daniel Grotta said that because cameras with more megapixels generate more revenue, camera-makers are making them with more durable materials and packing them with more features, such as the ability to set shutter speeds needed to capture fast action or changing the depth of field in a photo.
The more megapixels a camera captures, the more a photo can be manipulated on a computer with digital imaging software such as Apple Computer's iPhoto or Adobe's new consumer-oriented Photoshop Elements. For example, if you crop a picture to make an object appear closer, you lose some of the pixels, but the same photo taken with a higher-pixel camera retains more resolution.
Similarly, the Grottas, of Newfoundland, Pa., recommend ignoring any digital zoom ratings, which are typically used as a selling point. While an optical zoom physically adjusts the lens to magnify a distant object, the digital zoom is a programming trick that crops a photo while it is being shot, but in the process loses pixels and reduces picture quality.
Internal memory buffer
One useful feature is an internal memory buffer that allows the camera to store photos faster. A standard digital camera can take a second or two for its chips to process and store the data from a single photo, blocking it from taking another. Buffer memory can hold that data while more shots are taken at a fast-moving event, such as a kids' soccer game.
Some more expensive cameras will store up to 40 images in a buffer, allowing you to shoot eight frames per second, Polt-Jones said. He said one crucial feature to look for in a camera is a good white balance system that can adjust to different lighting systems that can affect the colors captured in a shot.
For example, a good white balance system can adjust for a yellowish orange light from indoor lightbulbs. Other features to consider include a LCD viewfinder that folds out from the camera body, allowing the photographer to aim even while holding the camera overhead or to the side. Polt-Jones also suggested consumers buy extra flash memory cards to store photos and to think about whether they will need rechargeable or disposable batteries.
As for most useless feature, the Grottas have no time for red-eye reduction. Common to many digital and conventional film cameras, this feature triggers bursts of light before the main flash to reduce the reflection from eyes that causes the red-eye effect. "All it does really is it tends to waste your batteries and annoy the heck out of your subject,'' Daniel Grotta said.
How to prevent red eye
Placing the flash source farther away from the lens or using software like Photoshop is more effective for reducing or fixing red eye, he said. Lidia Suharsono of San Francisco had obviously done her homework just as the experts recommend.
She spent Thanksgiving Day online reading product reviews and learning about how megapixels influence print size. She decided that what she needed was a compact camera with a big LCD viewing screen and fast internal buffer memory.
So on Friday, she went to the downtown CompUSA store to see the Sony camera she was leaning toward buying.
"In the picture I saw in the computer, I thought it was flat,'' Suharsono said as she held the camera. Still, she decided it was the camera she wanted, but she put the display camera back. She said she was going online to buy it more cheaply.
The Grottas' reviews of digital cameras can be found at http://www.pcmag.com/ Polt-Jones said another independent resource is Digital Photography Review at www .dpreview.com.
Who will use it and what are the major considerations
With digital cameras topping technology gift lists this year, you may be scanning newspaper ads and searching online looking for cameras with the most megapixels your money can buy.
While digital-camera-makers would like you to buy the latest, greatest and more expensive eight-megapixel models, experts say most consumers would be more than happy with the images they get with a camera with half the megapixels and half the price.
Indeed, they note other factors such as lighting conditions, a good zoom lens and printer quality can affect how a digital photo turns out.
"The megapixel is somewhat of a red herring,'' said Brad Polt-Jones, a San Francisco digital photography instructor. "It doesn't necessarily mean you're getting a better quality image.''
The first step you should take is to decide who will use the camera and what it will be used for the most. For example, if you just want to grab those quick vacation snapshots and slip the camera back into your purse or shirt pocket, then a simple point-and- shoot camera will suffice. If you're looking to create lasting family memories, such as a computer- enhanced scrapbook, you might want a camera with more features, such as variable shutter speeds and interchangeable lenses.
The good news for consumers is that there is a wide range of choices and prices from the $20 disposable digitals to the $1,000 models for serious photography buffs.
$200 can buy good camera
"There are some phenomenal cameras selling for around $200 to $250,'' said Polt-Jones, who earlier this year co-founded Future Light Digital Workshops (www.fldigital .com), which conducts digital photography workshops for consumers. "Two years ago, you couldn't touch a camera like that for that price.''
This year, prices of some three-megapixel cameras have fallen below $100, while five-megapixel cameras have dropped as low as $200. Eight-megapixel cameras can cost around $600, said digital photography experts Daniel Grotta and Sally Wiener Grotta, co-authors of a new book, "PC Magazine Guide to Digital Photography.''
Gadget buffs who covet the latest technology may have trouble keeping up with digital camera manufacturers, which are packing in more features and turning over their product lines every six to eight months, a faster pace than ever before. But the Grottas say the number of features a camera has to offer isn't as important as finding the type of features you'd actually use.
So if you already have a digital camera that's producing good photos, you may not need to upgrade anytime soon. And if you're in the market for a digital camera, finding the right model for the right price should set you up for years to come.
"It's like buying a good car. You don't want to trade it in every year," Daniel Grotta said. "Digital two years ago finally hit the point they became keepers, good enough to keep for five or 10 years. When we hit three megapixels, that was the sweet spot for most people.''
In the past two years, more consumers have become more familiar with the convenience of digital over traditional film cameras, such as the instant gratification of seeing a photo in an LCD display rather than waiting until the entire film roll is shot and developed.
"Most people are unaware of a lot of the things your camera can do,'' Polt-Jones said. "Once you get it into the computer, a lot of people are surprised at all this extra data. You can take a digital image and manipulate it far more than you could in a darkroom.''
Ownership increasing
Around 35 percent of U.S. households now own a digital camera, but that number isn't projected to hit 50 percent until 2006, said Chuck Westfall, director of technical marketing for Canon USA's camera division.
Digital camera sales are expected to total 21 million this year, and sales of traditional film cameras are "dropping off faster than we thought they originally would,'' Westfall said.
Canon, Sony and Kodak are among the best-selling digital camera brands, although the Grottas said they have reviewed lesser-known brands like Concord that perform just as well.
How do you pick the right digital? Experts say there is no right answer for everybody. Consumers should try them out as they would a pair of shoes, Sally Grotta said.
"Check the way they fit in your hands,'' she said. "When you hold it up to your face, does your nose go right up into the LCD viewfinder?' "Don't let the technology intimidate you,'' she said.
What megapixels do
One way to start is to understand the technology behind megapixels, which are too easily mistaken for or hyped as an indication of the photographic quality of a digital camera. Instead, they measure how much data from an image can be captured by a camera's sensor.
One pixel is the smallest segment of a picture. A megapixel equals 1 million pixels. So a three-megapixel camera can capture 3 million pixels' worth of data.
The more megapixels captured, the bigger a picture can be printed while still retaining good quality resolution. So while a 1.3- megapixel (MP) camera might be good for printing 3-by-5 snapshot photos or for posting on the Web, you would need an eight-megapixel camera to print out a quality 16-by-20-inch poster.
Most digital camera owners will never need that large a picture. And a printer that isn't built to handle that many pixels would still reproduce a photo at a lower resolution.
So a three- or four-megapixel camera should be enough to handle most standard photo print sizes, and an eight megapixel camera "is overkill for most people,'' Sally Grotta said. That said, Daniel Grotta said that because cameras with more megapixels generate more revenue, camera-makers are making them with more durable materials and packing them with more features, such as the ability to set shutter speeds needed to capture fast action or changing the depth of field in a photo.
The more megapixels a camera captures, the more a photo can be manipulated on a computer with digital imaging software such as Apple Computer's iPhoto or Adobe's new consumer-oriented Photoshop Elements. For example, if you crop a picture to make an object appear closer, you lose some of the pixels, but the same photo taken with a higher-pixel camera retains more resolution.
Similarly, the Grottas, of Newfoundland, Pa., recommend ignoring any digital zoom ratings, which are typically used as a selling point. While an optical zoom physically adjusts the lens to magnify a distant object, the digital zoom is a programming trick that crops a photo while it is being shot, but in the process loses pixels and reduces picture quality.
Internal memory buffer
One useful feature is an internal memory buffer that allows the camera to store photos faster. A standard digital camera can take a second or two for its chips to process and store the data from a single photo, blocking it from taking another. Buffer memory can hold that data while more shots are taken at a fast-moving event, such as a kids' soccer game.
Some more expensive cameras will store up to 40 images in a buffer, allowing you to shoot eight frames per second, Polt-Jones said. He said one crucial feature to look for in a camera is a good white balance system that can adjust to different lighting systems that can affect the colors captured in a shot.
For example, a good white balance system can adjust for a yellowish orange light from indoor lightbulbs. Other features to consider include a LCD viewfinder that folds out from the camera body, allowing the photographer to aim even while holding the camera overhead or to the side. Polt-Jones also suggested consumers buy extra flash memory cards to store photos and to think about whether they will need rechargeable or disposable batteries.
As for most useless feature, the Grottas have no time for red-eye reduction. Common to many digital and conventional film cameras, this feature triggers bursts of light before the main flash to reduce the reflection from eyes that causes the red-eye effect. "All it does really is it tends to waste your batteries and annoy the heck out of your subject,'' Daniel Grotta said.
How to prevent red eye
Placing the flash source farther away from the lens or using software like Photoshop is more effective for reducing or fixing red eye, he said. Lidia Suharsono of San Francisco had obviously done her homework just as the experts recommend.
She spent Thanksgiving Day online reading product reviews and learning about how megapixels influence print size. She decided that what she needed was a compact camera with a big LCD viewing screen and fast internal buffer memory.
So on Friday, she went to the downtown CompUSA store to see the Sony camera she was leaning toward buying.
"In the picture I saw in the computer, I thought it was flat,'' Suharsono said as she held the camera. Still, she decided it was the camera she wanted, but she put the display camera back. She said she was going online to buy it more cheaply.
The Grottas' reviews of digital cameras can be found at http://www.pcmag.com/ Polt-Jones said another independent resource is Digital Photography Review at www .dpreview.com.
And you can find more digital cameras in good price in this link below with product review
What to look for in a digital camera
-- Who will use the camera?
-- How will the camera be used (i.e., for quick snapshots or Ansel Adams quality)?
-- When it comes to megapixels, bigger isn't necessarily better.
-- Although the technical jargon can be intimidating, it pays to do your homework so you know the meaning of such important features as adjustable white balance settings and internal buffer memory.
-- And remember, optical zoom matters; digital zoom doesn't. .
Sources: Brad Polt-Jones, Future Light Digital Workshops; "PC Magazine Guide to Digital Photography"
Types of digitals
-- Simple point-and-shoot: $100-$300
-- Intermediate consumer: $250-$400
-- Advanced amateur: $375-$700
-- Semiprofessional: $950-$2,200
-- Professional: $3,200-$5,000.
Source: "PC Magazine Guide to Digital Photography"
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