Digital Camera Features

Introduction

Digital cameras have many advantages: they use a storage format that is reusable, hence no need for film; they usually come with an LCD to review your shots, so you can easily delete pictures and retake them; digital photos can be edited, retouched, printed, and emailed or posted easily to web sites. The cameras themselves come with many of the same features as film cameras, and some additional ones. These options obviously affect the price and can be bewildering to first-time digital camera buyers. This section explains what those features are and what to look for.

Image size

The first option to consider is the maximum image size the camera is capable of capturing, expressed as the number of pixels wide by the number of pixels high (the resolution is normally constant at 72 dpi). On the low end, a camera for $49 might be capable of 640 x 480. As a high-end example, Fuji currently makes two cameras in the $500-550 range that will do 2832 x 2128. Essentially, the higher the image size, the more accurate the picture will be - its sharpness, detail, and color will be better. Even if your final picture to post on a web site will be smaller, it will look better if it is originally taken at a higher size and then cut with photoshop: the lower-end camera will likely miss some detail entirely, while Photoshop should be able to work it in even when cutting it to a smaller size.

Zoom

Bigger zoom capability means getting closer to your subjects, though it can dramatically increase the price. You should look for and be able to expect at least a 3x optical zoom, which will look similar to the distance perspective of your naked eye (as opposed to the wide angle which appears somewhat distant but gets more in frame). Something in the 4x - 10x range is desirable if you will be doing any distance shots, but it will cost you.

A note about the difference between optical and digital zoom - optical could be called "real" zoom, as it uses the camera lens to get you closer to your subject; while digital zoom is often called "fake" zoom, since it digitally enhances the picture much like Photoshop would, which is not going to help the quality much. So, digital zoom on a camera may not be a particularly important feature to consider.

Storage

The amount of storage your camera needs is partially a function of the maximum image size it can capture - bigger pictures take more space to store. However, since you can always buy extra cards (discs, sticks, etc), you don't need to be very concerned about what capacity media the camera comes with, apart from which format (CompactFlash, Sony Stick, mini-CD writable, etc). Some cameras still use floppy disks, though at only 1.4 MB each, you would need a lot of floppies to store very many high-quality pictures. Other popular media usually come in numbers more like 32MB, 64MB, 128...

Connection/data transfer

Although external hardware that reads the storage media directly is often available, it's usually easier and cheaper to connect the camera straight into the computer to download your pictures. However, the speed at which the pictures can download depends greatly on the connection protocol your camera supports. Some of these connection protocols are serial, USB, or FireWire (also known as "IEEE 1394"). Serial is pretty slow and has many other disadvantages (e.g. slowly being phased out, not hot-swappable, etc). USB is several times faster than serial, and is becoming a popular standard. FireWire is even faster than USB, though not widely available yet and is a bit pricey.

Power

The main question here is what kind of DC power source the camera uses. It will usually be some kind of AA battery - some cameras require high-energy lithium instead of standard alkaline (both are made by Energizer). Some cameras can also use rechargeable batteries - though these tend not to have as long a life before they must be charged again. Along with the type of battery, you will also want to consider the expected battery life in your camera, often expressed in number of pictures taken.

Speed

Digital cameras often take time to perform functions like powering on, shooting bursts, storing pictures... Some cameras take as much as ten seconds just to power on and be ready to shoot, or as many seconds just to store a picture and be ready to take another one. Clearly this can affect some people's choice in cameras if they like shooting quick, spontaneous moments.

Size and weight

The size and weight of digital cameras varies greatly depending on their function and their capabilities. Also, if one desires to use attachments, smaller cameras may be a little awkward. The best way to decide on this feature is to hold it yourself and see how it feels.

Price

One factor that rarely escapes us - how much money do we want to spend on this item? Certainly this factor will narrow down one's selection. Cameras range in price from $49 for something you might buy for your children, up to $1000 or more for the latest greatest technological offerings. Keep in mind that technology changes very quickly (I bought a camera two years ago whose current equivalent would cost a third as much), so unless you're a pro photographer and must have the very best, it's advisable to be conservative and see what the future brings.

Shopping for digital cameras

Read reviews
There are many sites that provide excellent detailed information about current trends, advances in technology and their current offerings, and reviews and recommendations of what cameras best suit what uses. Comparison shopping is always a benefit to one's choice, and I highly suggest a little research before making a decision. Some good sites I found by merely searching for "digital camera reviews":

www.digitalcamera-hq.com
www.dpreview.com
www.dcresource.com
www.steves-digicams.com
www.storescanner.com/cat/Digital-Cameras.asp (link dead)

Decide on your use and budget
Who is this camera for? How much do you have to spend? Will it be for a slow, controlled environment or fast and spontaneous? Any underwater photography? All of these affect your choices and available options.