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Thursday, March 29. 2007

How I chose what compact digital photo camera to buy

This article is continuation of Which photocamera will suit my needs article.
However, here, I will tell you how I chose and what my experience was. This is greatly influenced by my shooting style, expectations and knowledge. Your experience might be different.

Feel free to share it in comments to this article.

My first digital camera was Canon Powershot A80.

Here is a story about it.

Goals, previous experience and needs

I have already used analog point & shoot, as well as SLR. With time, I realized that I wanted to shoot more and more, and digital was cheaper way to do this. Also, I wanted to experiment more, and, once again, digital photography was the right choice: price per photo is... hm... none

and the possibility to instantly see results of your experiment was just great.

Also, I wanted to have my camera (almost) always with me. So, size mattered.
I also did not have money for a dSLR.

I decided that my next camera was going to be a compact digital one.

Since I was new to digital world, I had to investigate first.
I already was familiar with photography terms, so I caught up fast.
I read lots of sites and reviews about digital photo cameras. Found out how they work and how they reproduce what we see. What are their technological advantages and disadvantages.
After that I familiarized myself with latest models on the market and their specifications

Important things to you

I had to explain myself which things were important to me and which ones were not. Is zoom important? Is video quality more important than something else? What I could sacrifice and what I could not ...

I wanted to have full manual control, and also Aperture priority and Shutter priority modes (more about this soon, in one of next articles). Number of predefined auto modes was not important.

Megapixels were not something that I worried too much. It was the quality of the picture that was important. I knew that with quality 2MP model I could make nice 4x5 inches (10x15 cm) copies. And new models on the marked were with 4MP or more, so I decided not to worry about number of pixels, but more about their quality. Responsible for this is manufacturer of camera sensor and the in-camera processing (all cameras have software integrated in them which allows signals from sensors to be recorded as digital photo)
Back then, there were not so many manufacturers like today, and there were just two-three of them on the top: Canon, Nikon and Sony. Sure, other brands (like Pentax or Olympus) also had their gems, but only these were worth considering, in my opinion.
"It will be one of those manufacturers" - I said.

I also wanted model which will feel good in my hand. Really small models (like Canon IXUS, also known as PowerShot S series) simply don't fit in that requirement, so they are off, too.

From articles on the web, I knew that with compact digital camera I will have more problems to use higher ISO, than with an analog camera (more about ISO in next articles, but in short: higher ISO value allows you to shoot in darker conditions, but it also adds grainy look to the photo, which usually does not look good). The camera had to behave good at higher ISO values.

Video (and audio) recording was something that I did not care at all.

Choosing the brand and the model

I decided to buy Canon, since it had least noise in photos.
Of all Canon series I decided to go with Powershot A series. If I had little more money, I would probably choose PowerShot G5, but I did not.

Friend of mine had Canon Powershot A70. I tested his camera, and also examined the photos produced by this model.

After that I went to several photo stores and consulted with sellers (you can always tell if someone if below your level or he is just trying to sell you the product). I held in my hands various models and ensured myself that my choice was right

And, few days later, I ordered Canon Powershot A80.

Even before I bought it, I read the whole manual and understood that it will be more than I need. (later I needed more, but this will be represented in next article)

Generally speaking, I could buy camera with more zoom, more MP or better video recording for similar price. But, I wanted quality photo results and I never regretted.

I had great time with this camera. I sold it when I decided to go for dSLR, and current owner uses it without problems.

Check latest models from Canon Powershot A series:

Posted by photography-reviews.com in starters at 06:55
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Saturday, February 11. 2006

First dSLR with live preview

Olympus has announced its new dSLR E-330 ( EVOLT E-330 in America ). Olympus has proved that it will not stop with implementing new things and pushing technical designe teams to the limits for existing [i]big[/i] dSLR companies, like Canon and Nikon.

Olympus dSLR cameras have few things that are different than photocameras from above manufacturers.

First, their senzors are with different proportions. So what? - you might say. Well, it does matter.
CMOS sensor of canon 20D has following width and height: 22.5mm x 15.0mm (0.886 inches x 0.590 inches). CCD sensor of Nikon D70 has following width and height: 23.7mm x 15.6mm (0.933 inches x 0.614 inches). And so on. Sensors from most manufacturers have similar proportions - which is: 3/2. This is proportion that is considered the best ratio by many mathematicians, scientists and artists. The regular film has the same ratio. So, most of professional camera manufacturers decided to follow the traditions and make sensors which will produce images with which proportions we are all used to.
But, Olympus was brave enough and its system has ratio of 4:3. With 3:2 you lose a big part of lens coverage. This is reduced with 4:3 ratio. This can be seen on the picture below:

Second, they were the first who implemented automatically sensor cleaning.

Now, they are the first who implemented live preview on dSLR photo camera. It has tilt and swivel monitor (just like compact photo cameras have). ofcourse you won't use this feature with your 300mm 2.8 lens, but it [b]is[/b] usefull. Making shots above the crowd, or from the ground level, macro photography - all this will benefit from the new feature.

Congratulations to Olympus!

Olympus Evolt E330 7.5MP Digital SLR Camera with 14-45mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens

(Electronics)

Manufacturer:Olympus

Released:

Posted by photography-reviews.com in advanced, photo news, starters at 19:08
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Monday, November 21. 2005

Which photocamera will suit my needs (what to buy)

One of first decisions that you have to make is to correctly answer following question: what photocamera should I buy. I will try to help you to solve this puzzle.

The first part of the problem is to understand: What kind of camera will suit my needs. After that is the choice of brand and model.

Photo cameras are not perfect. Even the most expensive ones have their disadvantages. I mentioned price - higher price does not always mean better product, but in general: 'you receive, what you have payed for'.

Here is a short list of most used types of photocameras this days:
35mm film (analog) photo cameras with automatic settings
35mm film photo cameras with some manual settings (exposure metering mode, and similar)
35mm film photo cameras with interchangeable lenses - widespread are models which use Single Lens Reflex design, they are often called SLR
middle and big format cameras - they use films, slides or sensors with bigger dimensions than 35mm frame. We will not talk much about them here
Digital cameras have equivalent types (although some have smaller sensors), so the whole number of types is doubled.

In order to make things simpler in this article I will use following definitions:
compact analog camera - photo camera with film without possibility to change lenses
SLR camera - photo camera with film with possibility to change lenses
compact digital camera - digital camera without possibility to change lenses
dSLR - digital camera with possibility to change lenses

In order to figure out which one is for you, first, you will have to define how are you going to use the camera.

Define what you will be shooting, how often will you do it, will you make hard copies of all photos (and how big would you like them to be)
Next things to think about: Will you carry your camera with you all the time, does the size matter, do you want to setup the all parameters or you are happy with pusging the button. Lets not forget the budget, too. Sometimes this question is the most important.

Allow me to tell you about some of basic differences between analog and digital cameras from user view

Digital photo cameras
1) you can see the image right after you have made it. So, if the image is too dark or something else went wrong, you will know it and make the shot again.
2) They have so-called White Balance (WB). Our eyes (brain, actually) are very good at automatically adjusting the WB. This is why we don't even know about those things until we have to make perfect shot. In general: machines do not know how to adjust WB so colors can look odd sometimes. There are different types of light conditions and its white balance: for example the conditions on a sunny day are different to those created by lighting bulb. Different light sources have different 'color'. The environment also influences, so cloudy and sunny day are not the same in 'color'.
When you use film cameras, you put a film in it. All films are made for some specific light conditions. Some are made for sun, other for artificial light and so on. Well, think about this situation: you have your film for sun loaded in the film camera. The weather is bright (you watched the weather news ), so everything is fine. You shot about 15 frames and you go home. One standard 35mm film usually has 36 frames. So, you have about 20 unused frames on your film. Suddenly, you are invited to a party, and you take your photo camera with you. You take those 20 shots and the next day you give your film for development. First 15 photos will be ok, but the last 20 will be with wrong white balance - their colors will look strange. This is because you used film for sun light conditions in artificial lighting (the party). Well, with digital photo cameras this will never happen, as long as you remember to change white balance setting when needed.
3) ISO (also known as ASA) is measure of light sensitivity of the film and digital sensor. The greater the value, the more it is sensitive to the light, so less light is needed to take picture with normal brightness (this is called exposure, but I will become more technical later). But, higher ISO means that the picture quality will decrease ([b]noise[/b] appears). So, when you are photographing at conditions with plenty of light like outside during a sunny day, or in a studio you will use film with ISO 50 or even lower. When you are doing sport photography during the sunset - you might use film with ISO 1600 or even higher. Yes, the picture quality will decrease, but you will take the right moments, because higher ISO will allow you to make shots with short exposure times. The problem with ISO is similar with problem with white balance. One particular film (the one that is in your photo camera) might be not good for your light conditions. With digital cameras this is another setting that you can change when you wish.
[i]Note: do not mix those two terms: white balance and ISO. The first one is about colors and their tone, the second one is about how much light there is.[/i]
4) you have total control - from framing the shot, through editing, to printing. When you use film cameras, you usually give your film to the lab. The develop it and they make photos. [b]They[/b] do it, not you. So, if you wanted a picture to look reddish, and dark, but they decide that it should be with normal colors and normal bright - yes, you got the picture - the result will be totally different than the one you wanted. Of course, if you develop films at your own lab, this is not an issue.
5) lets say that you develop your films and make printing at your home. Lets say that you want to make eyes on one portrait to look lighter. You can do this in your lab, of course. In order to receive the phoot that is equal to what you want - you will need time, and materials (usually undoing is not available). The guy that has digital camera and some photo editing software can do this, too. I think that he is in better position here: he has undo/redo steps, he does not use additional materials until he reaches the goal. However, some folks like the feel of [b]red room[/b] and the moment when photo appears on white paper. This way or another, I prefer working on computer and I think that digital editing is much much more easier.
6) Size matters. If you want small camera to bring with you whenever you go - then compact digital cameras are your choice. They are also (usually) lighter.
On the other
Analog photo cameras
1) better cope with dynamic environments. Simply said: dynamic is quality measure of one picture. If you have one picture with very dark and other very bright parts - this picture has high dynamic. For example, taking shots of sunset is almost impossible with digital cameras because they cant reproduce all brightness from the frame. Usually the sun goes totally white. analog cameras deal much better with such tasks
2) price - quality analog cameras are less expensive than quality digital cameras. However, don't forget that the price of one photo is higher with analog cameras.
3) built and overall quality - if you take analog and digital cameras with same prices, chances are that the analog one will be better built. Another important thing is that if you want to work at low temperatures (below 0^o C) you might have problems with your digital camera.

Differences between analog and digital photo cameras do not finish here, but I think that this should help you to decide which one is better for you. This is something personal and you should make your own decision.

The other categorization was made by the question: does camera has possibility to change lenses?
In order to keep it simple - I will talk about differences between compact digital cameras and dSLR cameras; but, those differences can be pointed for compact analog and SLR cameras, too. Here are the biggest differences between them:

1) compact cameras are usually smaller and lighter. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. It might be bad if you want photo camera with good ergonomics and with a lot functions available with one click (which means more buttons).
2) Compact cameras have smaller sensors. This can be good and bad. The good part is that small sensor makes easier to create good lens for it. If you are fan of big-zoom cameras you might already know that there are compact cameras with 7xzoom and even 12x. This is almost impossible when we are talking about dSLRs. On the other side - bidder sensor means less noise when using bigger ISO values. Also, bigger sensor means possibility for bigger prints.
3) Using lens that is made for portrait will create better results than using one that is general if you want to photograph portraits. Using lens that is made for macro will create better results than one that is general if you want to make macro shots. And so on... Shorter: dSLR will create better pictures if used with proper lenses than any digital compact camera.
4) Some compact cameras are easier to use - they have two or three buttons and some auto modes. Making the perfect shot is easy - you just press the shutter and this is it. Hm, is this it? When using auto modes, you are allowing the camera to decide instead of you. If you don't want to get technical and just need regular tourist photos - than this is ok, otherwise: think twice.
5) because of bigger sensors dSLR can make photographs where the are of focus is very shallow - shallow Depth of Field (DOF). This is sometimes wanted effect, and you can not achieve this with compact digital cameras.
6) some compact cameras have rotating LCD screens. This can be very useful in some situations. On the other side, dSLRs viewfinders - which also has its own advantages.
7) when you buy dSLR - you will soon feel need for better and more lenses. So, don't forget that really quality lenses might cost you even more than the body.

And so on and so on...

All cameras are made with some compromises. The perfect camera does not exist. There is no camera that is small and lightweight, has good ergonomics, takes quality pictures in dark, has 20x zoom, has rotating lcd screen and can be used for reporting sport events and later print A0 size prints.

Some photo cameras include other, non-photography-related options: recording videos, playing music and similar. You should decide: are you taking photo camera with one good aspect (allowing you to make great photos) or something that has 10-in-1 with none of them being good. If you want mp3 player, buy an mp3 player. Of course, sometimes it is good to have 10-in-1 devices. All that I am saying is that for now I haven't seen such device which will make good enough photos. What is good enough is very subjective, so - it is your move.

Don't forget that things are usually something in between. Sometimes it is good to start with a compact camera and later decide if you want to take it to a higher level or this camera is ok for you. Don't take me wrong. I am not saying that compact cameras are not good - they have their own field of application, and advantages.

I have said nothing about the brand and the model of the photo camera. People often argue which brand is better. Most of them are just quoting technical specifications of photo cameras and comparing them. Open whatever forum about photography and I am sure that there will be Canon vs Nikon, Nikon vs Konika Minolta, Konika Minolta vs Olympus, Olympus vs Panasonic, Panasonic vs Canon topics. In some of following articles I will write how I decided which brand and model to buy. But that was my choice, your choice must be the one that will suit your needs.

There is only one good advice:
First, choose what photo camera type is for you (this article should help you to do it).
Make some research on the net about different brands and models. Choose few models.
Take some photographer you trust (even if he is using low-level photo camera) to the nearest shop for photography. Ask the seller to compare models with his words. Take them in your hands. Test them. Test them. Test them.
Go home. Some shops will give you products to test them at home for few days.
Sleep.
Make the decision and take the money to the shop.
Enjoy playing with your new friend.

Posted by photography-reviews.com in starters at 16:08
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Thursday, March 29. 2007

How I chose what compact digital photo camera to buy

Goals, previous experience and needs

Important things to you

Choosing the brand and the model

Saturday, February 11. 2006

First dSLR with live preview

Monday, November 21. 2005

Which photocamera will suit my needs (what to buy)

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