How To Buy a Digital Camera

Choosing a digital camera can be quite confusing, but after having a read of this guide, you should be in a much better position to choose the right camera for you. Digital cameras give a lot of advantages compared to film, you can preview your shots and most digital cameras will have a setting which allows you to basically point the camera at the scene you want to photograph and take the picture. You can work quicker with a digital camera but this could mean you constantly click the shutter button instead of taking your time and focusing on what you really want to capture.

Both film and digital cameras come in a variety of formats. Popular types are compact, bridge, mirrorless and DSLR . 

Compact Cameras

Compacts are basic cameras which allow the user to simply point at a subject and take a photograph. Compacts are generally designed to be easy to use, smaller and fairly inexpensive. They're great for the beginner who wants to learn how to frame, capture an image first before taking control of how the image is created. They're good for basic holiday or friends/family snaps and are a popular choice with teenagers who just want to be able to click a button and take a quick picture with very little fuss. If you're planning on using a compact camera in low light conditions, for fast moving events such as races or for other work that the 'happy snapper' wouldn't be taking, you may want to consider buying a camera that gives you more control. Increasingly serious compact cameras have been introduced often giving manual controls and flash hot-shoes, see the Panasonic Lumix LX5, Nikon Coolpix P300, Canon Powershot S95, and Olympus XZ-1 to name just a few. Have a look at our Compact Camera reviews.

Bridge Camera

A bridge camera looks like a DSLR but has similarities to a compact. As compacts do, bridge cameras have a lens that can't be removed but they do give you more control over features than a compact camera does. Bridge cameras are good for people who want more control than a compact can give them but don't want a camera quite as complex as a DSLR. They tend to feature full manual controls, a long zoom, and a solid grip like a DSLR.

Mirrorless or Compact System Camera

A relatively new type of camera, introduced by Olympus and Panasonic as the "Micro Four Thirds" system, then followed by Samsung's "NX" series, and Sony's "NEX" series, these cameras offer larger sensors than compact and bridge cameras, and also offer the ability to change lenses, whilst being much smaller than Digital SLR cameras. As the Micro Four Thirds system has been around the longest, it gives the greatest choice of camera bodies and lenses, from the tiny Panasonic Lumix GF3, the SLR styled Panasonic Lumix GH2, and the popular PEN series including the Olympus PEN EPL2. Samsungs offerings include the Samsung NX10 (classic SLR style) and NX100 compact style. Sony offers the ultra compact bodies such as the NEX-3, 5, and C3, but as they use DSLR sized sensors, the lenses are the same large size as DSLR cameras. Have a look at our Mirrorless / Compact System Camera reviews.

DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex)

If you're not looking to simply point & shoot and you want even more control than a bridge camera can give you then you need a DSLR.

DSLR lenses can be changed to help you take the best image possible. For example, if you're taking an image of a Lion but you don't want to disturb it or better yet, get close enough so you turn into its dinner, instead of using a standard lens you may want to opt for a long/telephoto one. This lens will make the Lion appear closer without you having to get so near to it.

A DSLR will also let you take complete control of your camera, changing the settings of the camera to help take that perfect picture. This could be taking control of the shutter speed to capture that fast moving car, changing the ISO to shoot at a rock concert or adjusting the exposure so your snow covered scene doesn't appear dull and grey. Have a look at our Digital SLR Reviews.

As well as the above, there's also medium format (see the Pentax 645D), rangefin der (see the Leica M9), large format, pinhole and plate cameras which are considered more specialist and not in the realms of this beginners guide.

This article has been adapted and updated from the ePHOTOzine Photography Academy series, if you want to have a look at some more of the articles, please follow the links below.

Source: How To Buy a Digital Camera