How to buy a digital camera

Also see: The Cyberwalker how to buy a digital camera FAQ

Question: Any tips on how to buy a digital camera? It's a little intimidating.

-S.L.

Answer: A digital camera may seem like a complex device given all the technologies inside it, but don’t let that intimidate you. There are two key features you should keep in mind when buying one.

First consider the resolution (or megapixel rating). This is a measurement of the quality of an image that a camera can capture, or in more geeky terms “image resolution”.

Cameras range in resolution from less than one megapixel to six megapixels, although on professional models it can go higher.

A pixel is tiny piece of image data – in fact when you print out a pixel, it’s represented as a dot of colour. So the megapixel rating is calculated by counting the pixels across the width of an image and those along the height and multiplying them together.

Let’s start in the middle. A three megapixel camera has an image quality that can produce nice 8x10 inch images. If you opt for a two megapixel camera then you can expect to produce decent 4x6 prints. You certainly can still print 8x10 images with a two megapixel camera, but the quality will be diminished because there’s less image data for the printer to work with.
When you get to a one megapixel camera, expect images ideal for viewing on a computer screen.

You may encounter cameras that produce even lower resolution images. Some cameras use what’s called VGA resolution or 640x480 pixels. That’s a third of a megapixel. Your webcam, if you have one, probably has VGA resolution.

Cameras that capture resolutions higher than three megapixels are ideal for people who want to print large blow-ups or who like to capture images that can be cropped – ideal for focusing on one person in a group shot using photo editing software and still produce a nice print.

But megapixels aren’t everything. The second rule to buying a digital camera is to find a camera with a good lens. Without one the image may be high resolution, but it will also appear fuzzy or smeared.

A lens is the most expensive piece of a camera. If you encounter two cameras with identical resolution but with a significant price difference, chances are one has a higher quality lens, and therefore takes sharper pictures. The best way to evaluate a lens is to do a side by side comparison. Ask a salesperson to snap a picture in the store and show you the resulting image beside images captured by competing cameras. Also find out if the manufacture touts a brand name lens. Sony digital cameras, for example, use lenses from Carl Zeiss, a famous glass maker.

There are many other features that might attract you to a camera: size, zoom, data card capacity and more. Perhaps the most important is battery technology. Look for a lithium ion battery that can charge inside the camera or that work with an included external recharger. These batteries provide long life and eliminate disposable battery costs.

You may also want to ask about shutter lag (or shutter delay) on a digital camera. This is the lag time between clicking the camera’s shutter button and when the picture taken. If this is too long you can miss that “Kodak moment” by a second or two.

Connection technologies are also important. How does a camera attach to a computer? Most connect to a computer’s USB port. If you own a computer purchased in late 2002 that supports USB 2.0 then look for a camera with the same connection feature. USB 2.0 is a new connection technology that moves data from an external device to a computer 48 times as fast as the original USB 1.1 connection (found on computers built since 1998).

An alternative is a FireWire connection which is 40 times faster than USB 1.1, although FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394) is an Apple technology and is unusal on most PCs.

Ultimately your choice of camera comes down to personal taste. Hold the camera in your hands and get a sense for its feel. Is it comfortable to hold and easy to work? If you consider all these features you’ll find a great camera that fits your needs and budget.

If this column still doesn't fully help you with questions about buying a digital camera or if you need personalized help with another computer problem, please see: Emergency Help.

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