Discussion Forums > Technology
Digital Cameras.
Tatsujin:
Refering to Boxtorrents members -- I'm in need of one. I have not purchased one, ever. I'm trying to understand the features for Digital Cameras.
Optical Zoom? Digital Zoom? Effective Pixel?
All these things are like shapes and triangles and Pie's (3.14~) and shit like that. I don't understand alot of these things.
What should I be looking for? I need a camera that has a very good capture image and nice resolution (bigger the better, kind of).
geoffreak:
Optical zoom is the physical zoom. This leads to the same quality of image zoomed out as zoomed in.
Digital zoom is the same as taking an image, cropping a section, and sizing the section at the same size as the original. The quality is crap.
Don't worry about megapixel ratings. Those are just a marketing term. More megapixels are better, but that doesn't mean that a camera with a higher megapixel rating could create worse quality images than a lower megapixel rated camera.
Look for cameras with higher shutter speeds, as these end up with fewer blurry shots.
Most all cameras are digital now, but if you want portability over quality go for a camera that can fit in a pocket.
GoGeTa006:
yup just like geofreak said. . .megapixels dont really matter THAT MUCH
megapixels only represent the highest possible resolution of the image. say a VGA camera holds up to 640x480 (correct me if im wrong) and 2 megapixels (the "average" on new cellphones) can go up to 1600x1200 or something around that. . .cant recall correctly
I work with a photographer, his old 1400 dlls cameras are like 12 megapixels. . . I mean you can get an 8 megapixel camera right now for not too much. . .
Im guessing you are just going to use the camera for "civilian" purposes. . . so just take in consideration the optical zoom first, id go for shuter count second, size , battery life, megapixels. (in that order)
the point about that 12 megapixel camera I was talking bout is the format in which it takes pictures. . . most cameras go jpeg high quality (i dont know about modern cheap civilian cameras) but the pro cameras take the "Raw" format. . .which is some presto magico format that miraculously captures a "moment" more than a pictures . . .
you dont have to read the spoiiler :p
(click to show/hide)I mean digital photography really amazes me! when I see these raw formats on the photographer's camera. . . god!! its like . . .
say you take a picture in a wedding party, say at 11 pm (night) and its dark, you only have the "Disco" lights from the Dj and stuff. . .well this magical format. . . somehow can detect all the colors in the dress of the woman that is far far way behind the picture. . . and you can change the temperature of the picture, the light, brightness and all that stuff!! without making it look ugly or anything! you can rescue the slightest detail. . . amazing!!
but well. . .you dont need a raw format. . .jpeg is more than enough.
bloody000:
If you just need a camera to snap some photos and are not too serious about photography, most $200 cameras from major brands are fine. They take reasonably good pictures, have generally good performance andd have enough features for most people.
The deciding factors should be, in my view, how the camera feels. things like shape, camera control layout, menus, etc are more important if you're gonna use it often.
kyanwan:
Before you shop (OR LEARN), you need to decide what you want to do with your camera. This, is probably the best advice I can give you. Think - do you want to just play around and take pics of you, your friends, family, stuff, ... or do you want to make art and/or money?
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What I'm saying in this section - is more geared to if you're serious about photography. Think - if you want to make art, do amateur photography as a hobby, or get started on a path to professional photography.
(click to show/hide)If you're serious about doing stuff on a budget - or think you might get deeper into photography ... and maybe making some money or a serious amateur photography hobby - try and get something like this:
Nikon D40X
That camera rules hard. It's cheap, light, versatile. (Note though, this thing cost $1200 at one point! It's by no means a bad camera.) You have a bunch of options for lenses - and it's just about the D80 - without the price of it. The main difference between THIS camera and the D80 - is it only works with DX lenses. ( If you don't have an SLR camera & lenses, don't worry about it - this won't make a huge difference to you.) You don't need to start out with an ultra-pro kit, but, once you do get serious - you've got options. You can have this camera as cheap as you need it, OR - you can upgrade it to a state where it can give you publishing/artwork quality photographs. A model like this has serious potential.
I'm sold on Nikon. :) Been using them for 10 years now. If you do start with these type of cameras - I'd pick from one of the major "favorites" - they're all excellent ... but you may end up stuck with a favorite and never budge: Nikon, Canon, Olympus. I tend to shun Sony ... thanks to their lame ass proprietary memory format.
If you're looking to buy a D40X online - save yourself a headache: ONLY DEAL WITH LEGITIMATE DEALERS ONLINE! Here's a list of outstanding ones:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ ( new AND used - I *only* buy from them. )
http://www.adorama.com/
http://www.17photo.com/
[ Don't assume you're better than anyone else, or take your chances with a "discounter" - anywhere where the price is significantly lower than the MSRP/market price. You WILL get burned. PERIOD. Don't bother with shady retailers, unless you want to experience the burn yourself. If you want a discount - buy used. The pro places like B&H will have used gear that was treated very kindly, and professionally tested & inspected. You get great stuff at bargain prices. Those guys have been around forever - and supply the pros - as in Hollywood & the media - they don't screw around. ]
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The reason for RAW format is this:
RAW format captures exactly what the photo sensor sees. Normally, the camera's electronics will process the image, do white balancing, color correction, etc. RAW does none of this. You load the image on the PC - and your PC does processing with a program like ViewNX, Photoshop, etc. Your PC can do far more complex correction and processing on the image than the camera can do - hence - color correction and perfection.
If I were you, rather than ask here - you may want to pick up a digital photography book and give it a read. You'll get an idea of what the graphs, numbers, etc are - and what everything means - plus - you'll take better pictures. :)
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