Overview
Most of us like to look back at some good memories and cherish those beautiful moments. For this reason, cameras has found a purpose at every occassion. The cameras have evolved over the ages and today we are in generation of tech-wizardry sort of photography. Our generation is, definitely, obsessed with photos. Whenever you go out and try to buy some tech-end camera, you end-up get confused with all the tech-talk and doodads, just nodding your head so you don’t seem less informative. Well, we have been there and done that.
To guide you about cameras, their know-how, here is a list of key features that you should look out for before investing heftily in them.
Resolution
All the details an image holds is determined by the resolution. It decides the sharpness of an image and how much a photo can be zoomed in without losing quality. Basically, it quantifies how close lines can be and still not blur or smudge the image. Higher the resolution, better the capture. They are measured in megapixels and it just doesn’t mean that buying a budget camera with high resolution is a good deal. These cameras work well for some time, and then get slow due to memory pile-up. The difference between 13MP and 8MP is barely seen if you want to print your images into photos or posters. So choose how much resolution is required as per your usability.
Focus Controls, Viewfinder and Exposure
Majority of the digital cameras have features such as focus control as an auto feature, this is so that objects in the view can be focused sharply. Quite a number of them also enables you to manually focus to ensure that the subject of your choice is focused entirely upon.
Viewfinder lets you preview your image on digicams. Four ways can they be viewed; one being through LCD panel provided on back of the camera. Others are, optical viewfinder that allows you to see non-electronic version of frame (in case of bright light reducing the visibility) and some advanced cameras may have second LCD (EVF) in the camera to prevent from glare of the vicinity light. Lastly, SLR camera gives you an optical version of the image through same lens used to capture the photo.
Exposure controls are provided with many of the cameras which adjusts the amount of light reaching the sensor base depending upon lighting conditions of the object. Cameras with more flexible auto-exposure controls enables you to choose respective exposure to use in different situations.
Lenses and Frames
There are many cameras in the market those have time lag between pressing of button and actually capturing the image. Most cameras in 21st century now use single lens to give a picture-perfect capture. If you need to capture fast moving objects, sports games or people performing, then you should check how many frames does the camera captures when you hold down the button, as it gives you the number of photographs camera can capture in a second. For fast-paced moments, the idle number that a camera should capture is five frames per second.
Videos
Videos are like sister part of capturing an image that requires quite stable number of frames per second to obtain a clear video. Minimum resolution required for filming a video is 1080p, which means you need to look for a camera with 30 frames per second. There are recent cameras with 60fps feature which literally captures every detail and worth it if you are a fan for some slow-motion videos. Also to look for in a camera, is a good quality in-built microphone that can record sound as video is created.
Point and Shoot Cameras
(Rs. 2500 to Rs. 15,000)
If you are looking for a camera to shoot some photos down the memory lane that lasts lifetime, consider a point and shoot camera. They are inexpensive and more disposable types, but can be reused. The typical digicams have 16MP view and zoom upto 8x, though latest models now have 30x zoom. So basically, if you want to capture something or someone close to, or far off on a mountain, digital cameras make capturing easier.
DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) Cameras
(Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 1,30,000)
DSLRs give more creative control to your playful imaginations. Most of them have automatic as well as manual adjustment for lighting and focusing. They comprise of interchangeable lenses and Auto Focus HD video capture. These cameras work the best while shooting sports, fast-paced objects and wildlife, as they offer high frame rates per second. So if you want to have additional control over photography aspects, or just want to have fun with versatile settings of colour, flash and scenic conditions, opt for DSLR camera.
Camcorders
(Rs. 2000 to Rs. 1,40,000)
Camcorders, as the name suggests, is an assimilation of camera and recorder. So while you are out to buy this product, make sure it has in-built microphone for recording good quality sound while shooting. Latest camcorders come with internal storage memory or SD cards making data transfer a minor task. Just like DSLRs, they can capture moments in 4x zoom as well as support 3D photos.
Professional Cameras
(Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1,80,000)
Not-to-miss-out choice for photography-craze people. They are very expensive to indulge on, but you can’t resist them if you’re already a photographer. These cameras have all the photography tools to spoil you. Right from HD recording, 3D tracking, auto-focus, OLED Viewfinder and 39 MP display. Professional cameras are laden with everything and everything (yes, again).
While you are around buying your most compatible camera for yourself, make sure to indulge in few add-ons:
- SD cards
- WiFi
- GPS
- Bluetooth
- USB charger
- Interchangeable lens
- Selfie stick
Tips:
While buying memory card for your camera, search at computer shops or electronics store, as there price tends to be cheaper than those at camera stores.
While checking cameras, look at front lens – a bigger glass will translate to more light capability and hence better performance in low-light conditions.
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