Beginners Digital Photography Guide – Basics on Digital Cameras

Beginners Digital Photography Guide -- Basics on Digital Cameras

Article by Autumn Lockwood

Beginners Digital Photography Guide -- Basics on Digital Cameras -- Hobbies -- Photography

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If you’ve never been around digital cameras, they can be rather intimidating at first. With the frequent use of buzz words like “mega pixels” and “optical zoom” it can be confusing for the new user if they’re looking to buy a new camera. So here is a quick walk through of the major elements of digital cameras to help you make the best judgment on which one is right for you.

Comparing SLRs and Automatic Point and Shoot Cameras

A digital SLR operates the same as a non-digital SLR camera except that it exposes a light sensitive sensor instead of exposing film. If you pick a digital SLR, you will be able to manually adjust settings like shutter speed, aperture, focus and ISO. Generally speaking, digital SLRs will provide the highest quality images possible.

Automatic cameras or point and shoots often have a large LCD screen on the back and usually only require a single button press for taking a picture. The images they take are lower in quality (though not by much) and provide far fewer customizable options, but they make up for these shortfalls by being very easy to use and ultra-portable. And if you’re not planning to print out large pictures, then the quality difference is minimal.

All About Mega Pixels

One of the first things that the manufacturer will tout about its newest model of digital camera is the megapixel value. But what are mega pixels anyway?

Mega pixels are the way manufacturers count the pixels in an image. Mega in this case can be taken to mean “million,” as in a 1 megapixel camera will shoot photographs with 1 million pixels. You can think of mega pixels as the actual picture’s resolution.

So which megapixel value is right for you? The answer depends on what you want to do with your photographs. For most users who primarily email images or post pictures online in smaller sizes, anything in the 2-7 mega pixel range will work just fine. If you ever want to print your picture in a larger size, you will need to shoot with a camera that has a high resolution like 10MP and above. The larger you want your picture, the more important the mega pixel value.

The Difference Between Digital and Optical Zooms

Many digital cameras feature both digital and optical zoom. Optical zoom can be defined as the distance the camera is able to zoom its lens, whereas digital zoom is the distance the camera can “pretend” to make it from that distance. Basically, optical zoom will magnify the subject in the same way a zoom lens would, while digital zoom simply blows up a part of the image. One good example of a digital zoom, is when you see on tv the video footage from a security camera that shows the pixilated and blurry face of a robber.

Generally speaking, a digital zoom is a useless feature so you’re better off ignoring it when shopping for a digital camera. Images created using digital zoom have low quality and look pretty terrible, so if you’re not close enough to catch it with optical zoom it’s best to either get closer or shoot with what you have.

Buying a new digital camera, doesn’t have to be an intimidating experience if you know what you want. Just be honest about what you need and expect from your camera, as well as what your price range is, and go from there. If you simply select a digital camera that meets your needs (instead of buying a camera with an overwhelming selection of features) you will almost always be happy with your choice. If you’re really uncertain, start with a low-priced basic camera, then move up -- there’s always room to upgrade later, should it turn out that your camera isn’t delivering on what you really want.

About the Author

Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Shop online and see our selection of 11x14 picture frames in a wide variety of styles and colors. Visit our website to see our quality 11x14 picture frames or call 1-800-780-0699.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines

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Autumn Lockwood

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