Digital Cameras: The Basics

As opposed to cameras that use film for photography, digital cameras use sensing elements called CCD’s. A digital camera is basically defined by its five basic factors, and lacking any one of these means that you’ve bought nothing more than just a little plastic box. The factors are namely; in-camera software, lens zoom range, lens aperture, lens quality, and resolution. There happens to be two types of digital cameras. The first one is the point n’ shoot (PnS) digital camera and the second is the digital single lens reflex (dSLR).

Point n’ Shoot Cameras

Most Point n’ Shoots these days can be bought for under $160. But to be sure that what you’re buying is just right for average photography (since that’s the purpose of most PnS cameras), you have to take into account the five basic factors mentioned above. Of course, most of these Point n’ Shoots have the auto option and you can usually just go for that. But what if you want more out of your photo? You’d have to consider buying a dSLR for that, but if you just don’t have the dough then you’ll have to settle for PnS digital cameras that give you enough manual freedom to tweak those five factors (assuming of course that you know how). Read below for your buying guide.

• Megapixels: 8 megapixels is more than enough. Heck, 7 seemed to have been the last standard last time we checked. More than 10 is overkill.

• Optical Image Stabilization: Make sure to buy a camera that has an optical image stabilizer. Without it, camera shake is a huge problem.

• Optical Zoom: Make sure you specify optical zoom instead of digital zoom. Retailers think they’re the same, when in fact they’re not. Optical zooming is important for the camera’s zoom range (as opposed to digital, which is basically just zooming in to a small spot of a photo)

Digital Single Lens Reflex Cameras

A dSLR camera can be intimidating, especially when it’s your first time holding one. But don’t let it get to you. Take your time and let everything sink in at its natural pace. Here’s a few basic step by step methodology when dealing with these kinds of digital cameras.
• Shoot on auto to get a feel for the camera.

• Practice on shooting through the viewfinder instead of the LCD. The main reason for doing this is for greater stability when composing shots. The other is for battery saving.

• Make sure to use the camera’s image stabilization technology whenever necessary.

• Use continuous shooting if you have to.

• Shoot RAW if you have a large enough memory card.

• If you want close up shots of small objects like butterflies or caterpillars, shoot in macro mode.

• Never shoot into bright lights, especially the sun.

• Don’t be afraid to experiment with the manual settings like; choosing a shutter speed, ISO setting, etc.

It’s important to know that in photography, it’s not really about the camera. Rather, it’s the cameraman that matters most. A high end dSLR won’t shoot itself you know. And besides, it so happens that a lot of good photographs are produced by meager cameras. Reversibly, a lot of photographs are ruined because the person just doesn’t know how to use a dSLR properly. It’s necessary then to know that you need to have a feel for your digital cameras to get a good photo.

wenze slaus is a educator and community activist
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