Buying a camera are you?

Far from being a Hobson's choice, buying a camera comes with problems of plenty. Way too many choices crowd the mind. For the average Janardhan, forget the question of which camera model to pick up, deciding on the type of camera itself can be confusing at times.

BEFORE YOU SAY CHEESE…
Have moolah, will buy? Oh, that's just fine! Before you open your wallet, you should give the following some thought: First and foremost, what do you need the camera for? The occasional family function, party, picnic, event and vacations? Or have you outgrown all that and now want to graduate to somewhat more serious photography than what your basic compact camera offers?

Best cameras in the market

Do you only want to stick to the Auto mode or maybe a few given presets and click merrily forever? Or would you like to start experimenting with the intricacies of manual settings to tweak your photos towards realm of perfection, whatever the ambient conditions? If yes, are you willing to carry heavier hardware and is the overall size and weight of the camera more important?

Are you willing to handle interchangable lenses? Or is compactness and portability paramount? What kind of photography do you want to do? Portraits, closeups, macro, nature, low-light, candid? What kind of features are you looking for in the camera-a good zoom, image stabilisation, a big LCD display, geo-tagging...? Maybe you also want to shoot high-definition video… And what's your budget?

TYPES OF CAMERAS
Cameras come in various size, weight and capabilities. At the entry level are what are termed compact cameras-or point and shoots. However, these diminutive devices, though neat and pocket-friendly, are no longer all that basic any longer, neither in features nor functions. You can pick up a point and shoot camera with a wide-angle to 30X zoom (that's equivalent to 28-840mm focal length) or a giant 3-inch LCD screen.

Compacts cost from Rs 8,000-30,000. Next come prosumer or bridge cameras. It's often said that this breed is for the confused and that the category is dying or already dead. Well, they aren't, and it isn't. A bridge camera, while being fairly bulky to lug around and typically weighing 400-450 gm, offers several unique advantages.



These include, close to SLR-like handling, no lens changing (hence no sensor dust issues), very versatile focal length and zooms, fairly advanced functionality and great HD video capabilities. Typical price tags? Rs 20,000-35,000.

And right on top of all these come the big daddy, the digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera with its interchangeable lens that you see amateurs and professional photographers carrying around. D-SLR camera cost Rs 20,000 at the entry level with a basic kit lens. At the top end-with vast array of lens and accessories available-the sky is the limit.

THE MEGAPIXEL HOCUS POCUS
Please remember: Don't judge a camera's might by its megapixels. That's a distortion field set up by advertising and should not be your focus. The key to better image quality from a camera is not megapixels but sensor size. Just check out these numbers. The digital SLR camera you see dangling around a lot of people's necks today pack in a sensor that can range between 220 sq mm to 430 sq mm. Those sexy compact in their eye-catching colours hang in at about 20 sq mm to 40 sq mm. And that snap-happy camera in your mobile?

It has meagre 4 sq mm, at max 8 sq mm. Which is why your phone, even while flaunting a big number next to megapixel specification, does not return results anything close to even a compact camera's. Full frame digital SLR have sensors that are as expansive as 860 sq mm. This is the same as what a 35mm film camera carries. (the sizes of the sensors used in digital cameras currently are relative to a standard 35mm frame). No, megapixels are not bosh and bunkum either. More and more megapixels will give you bigger and bigger prints.

But let's be practical: A 5MP camera can give you a 2592x1944 pixel photo or an 8.1 x 6.1 inch print at 320 dpi. Except the odd print, do most of us really need anything more than that? To be fair, more megapixels also give you a much better opportunity to zoom-crop images without degradation of quality, when required. But be aware, more megapixels will give you painfully big files sizes. The bottom line: It is better to have a larger image sensor and less megapixels instead of more megapixels and a teeny-weeny sensor.

ACCESSORIES, ETC.
While some cameras come bundled with a memory card, batteries/recharger and a carrying case, don't presume this for every model. You may have to dip into your wallet again for these accessories. And if you're going in for a D-SLR, you need to start thinking of extra lenses, filters, lens attachments, external flashes and a bigger bag to accommodate the extra gear. A monopods, tripod, extra memory cards, spare batteries can also feature on the shopping list.

So it is best to budget for them accordingly. One last thing: Don't be swayed by mere "peer say" when making the final decision. Don't go by the brand. Every camera is different. Don't fall for what the ads say. Don't leave the decision to the salesman. Be hands-on, read the reviews of different camera models on photography sites. Only then make an informed decision.

Courtesy: Gadgets and Gizmos