What are the things to look for when purchasing a digital camera for the first time? In the previous blog we wrote about the basic aspects you should keep in mind when buying a digital camera. Here we will write about a few other digital camera features to consider before making this important decision.
MEGAPIXELS
Very often, one of the first features that manufacturers advertise when selling digital cameras (the same is true of smartphone manufacturers that make phones with good cameras) is the number of pixels. A pixel is actually a kind of dot that makes up an image. If, for example, the camera sensor has 20 megapixels, the photos they will take will be composed of 20 million dots.
Even though megapixels are important, yet they are as important as many do not think. The large number of megapixels is especially important when it comes to printing photos in large formats. But a large number of megapixels does not necessarily mean better image quality. The quality of the photo depends a lot, not only on the quantity but on the size of the pixels, and the size of the sensor plays an important role in that (we wrote about sensor sizes in the last blog).
VIDEO FEATURES
Today's digital cameras have the ability to record high quality videos. Many of the quality videos that are recorded and circulated on social networks today (except in the film industry) are most often recorded with a digital camera. When choosing a digital camera, it is important to think about the video capabilities of it.
Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to video features of a digital camera:
Resolution - Do you want to record high quality videos (Full HD) or ultra high quality videos (4K)? Even though most buyers would (rightly) opt for a digital camera that records 4K, before making that choice you need to remember that in order to edit 4K recordings, you need to have a computer with very good performance.
Frame rate - videos are made up of a number of images displayed one after the other. When it comes to recording video on a digital camera at 24 fps (frames per second), this means that one second of video material is composed of 24 photos that are displayed one after the other. The recording rate can be very high, and in order to produce a good slow motion recording, the frame rate needs to be at least 60 fps.
Display - there are static and rotating displays. If you need the camera to vlog, consider a digital camera that has a rotating display that you can look at when you are recording yourself. If you plan to record videos in which someone else will be in front of the camera, then a static display can do a good job.
Stabilization - if you record videos where you need to move with the camera, or where you hold a digital camera / camera in your hand, the in-body stabilization of the camera should be very important to you. The stabilization camera lowers the shake of the camera while you’re holding it in your hands. Even though you can add stabilization of the recording in post-production, it would be good to have it in the camera as well.
TWO IMPORTANT TIPS
No matter what your choice of digital camera is, there are two things to do before making a decision:
Find out what others say about the camera you want to buy: There are many websites on the Internet that sell digital cameras. Open them, search for the model you want to buy and read the reviews - what others wrote about it. For each camera you will read both positive and negative comments, but if most of them are positive, that can be a good sign.
Try the camera: if you can, go to a local digital camera store, and if they have the model you want to buy in stock, try it out. No matter how good the camera is on paper, one of the ways you can know if it is right for you is if you try it. Take a few photos with it to see if you like the quality of the photos, and if the camera 'fits' in your hand.
FOR THE END
Before making a decision to buy your first digital camera, it would it be good to sit down and do some research on what cameras you could buy with your budget and what their features are. Even though digital cameras have many aspects to pay attention to, in this and the previous blog we have covered the most basic ones.
Having a digital camera that has good photo and video capabilities and features can be a big advantage. But as much as this sounds like cliche, do not forget that the most important thing is for you to be creative and to explore the world of photography with the camera you can afford.
tags