Tips on buying a digital camera

I am often asked for advice on buying a digital camera. I prefer not to recommend particular brands as there is no one camera that fits everyone's requirements and budget, but here are some tips on what to consider when making your choice.

With the affordability of DSLRs and the great range of models to choose from, many photography enthusiasts assume that the next step up from a Point-and-Shoot is a DSLR camera, but there is also the option of a compact prosumer camera (a hybrid Point-and-Shoot / DSLR with advanced functionality though still reasonably compact). In terms of functionality and quality, prosumers come close to DSLRs on many levels and they're much easier to carry around. Below I list the disadvantages of both.

Disadvantages of DSLRs:

• Size: DSLRs are bulky and the semi-pro and pro models tend to be quite heavy. Depending on what kind of photographs you want to take you may have to carry more than one lens with you so this can be a pain to lug around if you're on holiday and sightseeing all day. If I'm doing a hiking trip, I can't carry a DSLR as it's just too heavy so consider how you'll use the camera before deciding on SLR versus Prosumer.
• Cost: Buying the camera body is just the starting point of your photography costs. There are an enormous number of lenses out there differing in functionality and quality and often the kit lens supplied with the body has limited range and flexibility. So be prepared to spend on lenses - some can run into thousands of dollars - and please do your research before you buy. Because DSLRs are larger and heavier, all the accessories such as tripods, kit bags, etc. are larger and more expensive and those little essentials like memory cards, spare batteries, cable releases and filters can really add up.
• You have to get Technical: DSLRs are very technical cameras and it would be a shame to buy one and then shoot on Full Auto mode because you don't know how to use it properly. Be prepared to spend money on a photography course where you can learn how to use the creative modes such as Program, Shutterspeed priority and Aperture priority so that you can properly control the outcome of your shooting.

Disadvantages of point-and-shoots and prosumers:

• Continuous shooting: If you want to capture action, prosumers are much less versatile than SLRs and you'll have a much harder time trying to capture the moment and freeze action, especially if tracking a moving subject. Many prosumers provide a digital viewfinder that blacks out as each image is captured so you can't see the subject as the camera shoots continuously.
• Manual focussing: If you're into macro photography and want to get really close to fine-tune the focus when you're working on a tripod, the prosumer may let you down. If the manual focus is electronic and uses buttons to adjust, it can be clumsy to change and difficult to see.
• Quality and accuracy of the digital or optical viewfinders: The ideal shooting position is to hold your camera to your face with your eye looking through the optical or digital viewfinder instead of shooting at arm's length and looking at your subject on the camera's rear display panel. Often the viewfinder does not show you the entire scene that will be captured so it's easy to incorrectly frame and shoot. Also, sometimes you can't see the focus point through optical viewfinders and, with digital viewfinders, the quality of the image seen through the viewfinder can be quite noisy and tiring for the eyes.
• ISO: On most point-and-shoots and prosumers, image quality drops off very quickly as soon as you start increasing the ISO to shoot in low light conditions. So, if you want to shoot a lot of indoor or low-light shots, the prosumer may let you down.

Whether you choose a prosumer or a DSLR, I suggest these minimum Technical Specifications as a starting point:

Additional Tips

• Do your research! Internet reviews are extremely useful and you can find comprehensive ones on websites like www.dpreview.com, www.imaging-resource.com and www.dphotojournal.com.
• Choose a camera with an optical viewfinder so that you can shoot with the camera pressed against the face instead of held away at arm's length. Check how much of what you see through the viewfinder matches what is actually photographed - it probably won't match exactly, so check if it's close enough not to bother you. Also make sure you can see the focus point(s) through the viewfinder.
• Test how easily the camera focusses on a subject and whether it allows you to specifiy where you want to focus. If the camera struggles to focus, you'll get frustrated with it. Also, if you can't control what it focusses on it'll limit your control.
• Test the macro, manual focussing, continuous shooting and flash abilities of the camera - make sure they're easy to use and you don't have to go through a complicated process to activate or disable them. Ideally the camera should have a good night portrait mode as most people are concerned about getting good night photography shots. Test this and the red eye reduction mode if it's separate. Also test whether you can use macro mode in a low light situation and simultaneously disable the flash so that you'll be able to get creative with macro shots.
• Ideally the camera and/or lenses should have inbuilt image stabilisation to help reduce the affects of camera shake, especially in low light situations.
• Ideally the camera should be able to shoot wide (ie be able to capture a room full of people or a nice landscape) as well as long (zoom in to shoot something in the distance). Handle the camera in the store and start shooting wide as explained in the Intro Workshop and then use the camera to start zooming in until you get as close as you can.
• Don't be fooled into thinking that more megapixels always means a better quality camera - some new cameras boast high megapixels but still the quality of the images is poor according to reviews, so do your research on the camera you want to buy. A good quality 8 Megapixel camera should produce high quality images up to A3 size and maybe even bigger.
• A flip out screen that allows you to see your subject from tricky angles like from above and from ground level is a fabulous luxury so check out the prosumer models that have this feature.
• If you're not sure which camera to choose out of a selection of 2 or 3, buy a memory card that fits all 3 and take a range of different pictures in-store using each camera with your memory card it. Then you can compare the results on your computer at home.
• Regarding vendors, be very careful where you buy your camera in Singapore as I was sold dodgy equipment by a retailer in Lucky Plaza. Two vendors I'd recommend are Parisilk and Cathay Photo where I've bought loads of stuff. Cathay Photo Store Tel: 6337 4274 located in Peninsula Plaza near Bras Basah. Parisilk: Tel: 6466 6002 located in Holland Village.