 In today’s market, there are many different types of digital cameras to suit your different needs. We hereby list some considerable factors for choosing a digital camera. Due to the different purpose of using digital camera, it is difficult to have a camera which is perfect to everyone. Therefore it is recommended to choose the camera to suit your own needs.
The following are what you need to seriously consider before buying a digital camera.
1. Pixel:
1.3 mega pixel is suitable for screen viewing, 1280×960 is well enough for screen of 17 to 21 inches.
2-mega pixels can achieve print out under 4×6 inches. The detail of such photo can be compared with photo taken by traditional cameras.
3 mega pixel and above will make computer editing move convenient. You can do whatever you like with the image taken.
4 mega pixel and above can be used to print larger photos – 6×8 inches or print out with finer detail.
Most major digital camera manufacturers have already stepped into 5 mega pixel. It is believe it will become the mainstream very soon.
The pixel size of the digital camera will decide the resolution of a photo to be enlarged. However, the output file will be larger. Which means, more storage space will be needed for your photos. And it will also take longer time for image display, transmission or process. But be noted that resolution is not the only factor of the camera performance. The quality is not only decided by resolution but also the quality of the picture. High resolution not necessarily means good picture quality.
2. Resolution
How much resolution you need depends on how you plan to use your digital camera. Obviously you plan to take pictures, but what you plan to do with the pictures is what matters. If you plan to take pictures only for online use, such as to e-mail to friends and family or to place on a web page, most any amount of resolution will accomplish this. However, if you plan to print large photos or need clearer pictures for business use, you will need more pixels. A good rule of thumb is to choose a digital camera with the highest resolution you can afford. At the very least, buy a camera with a minimum of 2 to 3 mega pixels. Beware of sales hype, which tends to emphasize high resolution over all other features. While resolution is important, there are many other features, which influence a camera’s output. Make sure the camera you choose has a combination of features important to you, not just high resolution.
3. Lens
A glass lens is preferable to a plastic lens. Do not skimp on the lens. It is best to choose an optical zoom lens over digital zoom. Many lower cost cameras do not have optical zoom lenses. Optical zoom is essential for better quality pictures. Optical zoom actually moves the lens to capture the image, while digital zoom captures fewer pixels and magnifies the captured image. Pictures taken with digital zoom are often blurry and look digitized.
4. Battery and Power Consumption
If you treasure your battery life, you can turn off LCD display on your digital camera. One of the most power-consumed parts in a camera is LCD display. In order to obtain clear display, LCD background illumination consumes power heavily (You can turn off the LCD display to save the power). For general Alkaline Battery or Ni-CD/Ni-MH battery, the power can last for around an hour (with LCD on) whereas for camera Lithium battery, it can last longer.
In addition to LCD display, CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) also consumed lot of power. For those models that use LCD display as view finders, in order to drive CCD continuously, the power loading is heavy. Sometimes, the power of four dry batteries can only last for less than 30 minutes.
Therefore, take a check of whether rechargeable batteries or charger are included in your camera package or whether other relevant charging information is mentioned
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 Purchasing any gift item for your child is a mind-numbing task. You can never be sure whether they will like what you buy for them or not. So, when you want to buy a digital camera for your little kids, then there are lots of things, which you must know, which will help you (hopefully!) to get the right camera for your child.
One of the most important things for children is that the digital camera should be one of the latest available in the market. If it has been heavily advertised and people are talking about it, then it is even better. This gives children a sense of pride and also allows them to ‘show-off’ their possession to their friends.
Another factor, which is critical for children, is that the camera must look good. This is very, very important to them. It does not matter whether it has a big screen or small screen, whether it is 2 mega pixel or 1.5 mega pixel – the camera should have a smart shape, come in flashy colors or it can also look cute or funky. But, the camera should not look ‘boring’ or very ‘serious’ in nature. However good the functions might be, if the camera does not look good, it is most likely that your choice will get rejected.
The size is also important. Most children will definitely prefer a digital camera that is small and compact in size. The weight and size should be such that they are able to easily put the camera in their pocket or hang it by a string. Large and bulky models, even if they have better features are not advisable for children.
It is also necessary to remember that even though you might gift your child a digital camera to click photographs for school projects, they will be using it to take pictures of their friends. So, look for some ‘fun’ features in the digital camera. These can include colorful background images or sound effects, photographic effects that they can use to enhance the images taken by them.
One more thing is ease of use. It is important that the camera has a simple system through which children can easily take pictures quickly. However, you really do not need to worry about this aspect a lot because today’s children have been born in the digital era. They are able to pick up things much faster than you or me, so as long as the camera is good in all other aspects, even if its ‘click ability’ is a little confusing, it does not really matter. They are fast learners these days!
Last but not the least, is the price. While buying a digital camera for your child, it is understandable that you really do not want to spend a lot of money. There are lots of choices available in the market today. The price range starts from as low as $30 and can go up to $300. So, it really depends on how much you would like to spend on the camera. Start simple and upgrade if they grow out of the digital camera that you buy for them. Hey share them with the whole family!
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 WAIST-HEIGHT SHOTS
When eye level shots are too high, crouching with one knee on the ground allows you to rest an elbow on your other leg for good support. This is generally very useful for landscape shoots, when trying to bring foreground detail into the scene, or to achieve a better perspective when shooting portraits of children.
SHOOTING AT EYE LEVEL
Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart, so you’re really stable. You may find that it’s more comfortable to stand with one leg in front of the other, rather than the side-by-side as shown here. In either case, just ensure your legs are a good distance apart. Try to keep your arms low, and support your elbows against your body if possible. When holding the camera vertically for a portrait shot, rest your left elbow on your body. Just before you take the shot, hold your breath for a moment so as to minimize movement.
TRY A LOW VIEWPOINT
For an ants-eye view on the world, or when taking close-ups of nature, a prone position like this offers a very solid support. A bin bag is a cheap and effective tool for keeping mud and grime off your clothes, so is worth keeping in your kit bag. The chances of getting camera shake increases proportionally as the focal length of the lens increases. To combat this, use a fast shutter speed. If handholding your camera, aim to use a shutter speed that is 1 stop over the focal length, or faster. With a 50mm lens, a shutter speed of at least 1/50sec should be used. A 300mm lens will need a faster shutter speed of 1/300sec. The 35mm equivalent focal length should be used, see page 38 for more on lenses.
FINDING SUPPORTS AROUND YOU
Where possible it is best to improvise and use objects surrounding you to support your camera and hold it steady. This is particularly useful when using long telephoto zoom lenses, as the further you zoom in, the greater your chances of camera shake when even tiny movements become amplified. Rest your camera on a nearby fence or wall, or find a comfortable way to brace the camera and yourself against a post. This will massively increase your chances of getting a sharp shot.
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 Whenever you get together with your friends, you have a picture-perfect opportunity to capture their unforgettable faces. In fact, you could not ask for a better time to practice photography. Friends are one of the most popular photographic subjects – both for photographers and people who view the photos they take. The following easy tips will help you get fantastic photos of your friends every time!
Tip #1 for Photographing Your Friends’ Unforgettable Faces: Get Closer
You’d be amazed at how many people picture-takers simply stand too far away from their subject. When you’re too far away, you allow distractions into the picture that don’t belong there. These distractions make it hard for people looking at your picture to know the subject of your picture.
So, whenever you get a chance, take a few steps closer to your subject. If it’s a friend, fill the frame – the entire rectangle you see in the viewfinder – with his or her face. When you think you’re close enough, take another step closer.
You’ll be amazed at how much this helps!
Have Your Subjects Get Closer Together, Too
Also, when you get your friends together for a group portrait, tell them to get their heads close together. It’s that simple. So many people keep their distance from each other when they pose for a picture, but that makes them look less friendly – like they don’t really like each other.
When your friends think they’re close enough, tell them to scrunch together just a little bit more.
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 Water’s speed
Slower-flowing water requires longer exposures to obtain the fluid-movement look, while fast or cascading water can be blurred with not-quite-so-slow shutter speeds.
Distance between camera and water: The more you magnify your subject in motion (i.e., by physically moving in closer or by zooming in tighter), the easier it is to blur it. More distant scenes require much slower speeds to convey that soft-movement look.
In any case, long exposures don’t just happen. Most, or all, of the following must be in place in order to slow down your shutter speed:
Low Light
This means thick overcast, deep shade, sunrise, sunset, or twilight, or indoors. Side benefit: soft-and-even light … i.e., none of the washed-out highlights and/or inky-black shadows that can occur in bright sunlight.
Low ISO
When it comes to slow exposures, the lower the ISO the better – say, 100. Side benefit: top image quality – i.e., less grain/noise than when shooting with high ISOs.
Small Aperture
Your lens’s SMALLEST opening (HIGHEST f/stop number) will automatically result in the slowest possible shutter speed for the given ISO and lighting conditions. Side benefit: a wider depth of field (what’s in sharp focus from front to back in an image). How to do it: In Aperture Priority, choose a high f/stop number. The camera’s auto-metering system will then compensate for the small aperture by lengthening the exposure time.
Deep-Tinted Filter
A neutral density (ND) filter cuts the amount of light entering the lens, thus allowing for longer exposures. But a polarizing filter also blocks some of the light entering the lens – by almost 2 stops. Polarizer side benefit: controlling the glare and shine on the water – as well as reducing reflections on adjacent wet surfaces to boost color saturation.
Tripod, Etc.
Long exposures require a steady camera – via a tripod or other sturdy support. To guard against vibrations: Use a cable release – and for extra protection: a self-timer or mirror-lock mode (not all SLRs have this latter feature, however).
Super-Slow Not Always Best
Although you’ll seldom go wrong by shooting with the slowest shutter speed you can get, sometimes the longest exposure is not the best option. For instance, with free-flowing water (no rocks or other obstructions) or higher lighting contrast in the scene, the result can be an unsightly big-and-bright-white blur (washed out with no texture).
Lastly …
Whenever you can, "play" with your settings, since the constantly changing water makes it difficult to tell exactly what you’ll get. In other words, shoot the same scene at a few different speeds … since there’s nothing quite like comparison!
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 How many times have you looked at something and found that it was, well, just not pretty? I know I have just about every time I go out into the field on a photo shoot. However, many professionals have taken to not flowers nor models, but to the nitty-gritty elements of the real world.
And, in the long run, these works end up in museums and galleries. Think Dorthea Lange’s images of people suffering during the Depression or Robert Mapplethorpe’s self portraits. All were riveting, filled with meaning…and not
pretty.
One need not turn to suffering for their subject matter, but, instead, turn to ordinary objects such as a stack of old newspapers, a bullfrog or snake and other not-pretty things to turn pretty. Try shooting these objects at different angles to bring out color and/or close-up to bring out detail.
Tips to Find the Not-So-Pretty-Turned-Pretty Photo Ops…
1. Texture – sharp objects, itchy animal close-ups, smooth as in a reptile, scaly as in a puffer fish.
2. Smell – a skunk, anything gaseous, smoke, text such as Yum or Yuck.
3. Sight – anything that looks like a monster, abandoned vehicles, impoverished parts of town.
4. Hearing – using text such as choo, choo, hmmm, ouch, a hand scratching a blackboard, any musical instrument.
5. Taste – a bottle of Pepto Bismal or horseradish, broccoli, a close up of a tongue with any type of food on it.
When taking a photo look for things that are powerful adjectives such as sharp (as in ouch), faded, ancient, crushed, smashed, broken, battered, crude.
I’m sure you have your own ideas of making the ugly beautiful.
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 If you are trying to take some great pictures, you will usually have some problems. Most people are simply not able to pick up a camera and make a beautiful gorgeous picture each and every time without some practice and learning. With some practice and effort, you can take some mediocre pictures and turn them into spectacular masterpieces that are gorgeous and will last for many years.
One of the most common reasons for blurry pictures is because there is a bit of shaking going on when a picture is taken. In general, if you are holding the camera and your hand or arm moves at all it can cause your camera to move slightly and this will cause your picture to look blurry. This is not something that most people are trying to achieve; instead, most people would prefer to have digital photographs that do not have any blur in then.
Another common problem that you can experience is called lens flare. This can result in a bright light spot up in a corner of your picture. This is something that can take a portrait or even a landscape shot and ruin it quite quickly. There is hope and help however; if you are looking for the best way possible to increase your changes of having a great looking picture then you really should get a lens hood for your camera. This piece will cover the lens of your camera and help reduce the direct glare that causes lens flare. Your lens is not actually blocked with a lens hood, but rather it shades the lens so that you can get a crisp and clear shot.
Crooked pictures are often another problem that can strike fear in even the budding professional photographer. Digital photography has made this easier because you do not have to wait to actually develop your pictures to notice the problem; however, it is still something that strikes a lot. To solve this problem you can snap away and make adjustments as necessary or you can always look at the camera compared to what you are trying to photograph. If this seems a bit complex for you, try seeking out a focus grid in your cameras settings. Most digital cameras have this grid now, and you can easily turn it on and make sure that your picture lines up with the lines of your grid to ensure a level picture that is perfect.
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 If you are looking for a digital camera, you no doubt have been met with the term megapixel, or MP. This probably sounds like a foreign language, but there is no reason to fear the terms. Instead, with some patience and careful research it is possible to really understand what a megapixel is, and what it means for your pictures. The first thing you should understand is all digital cameras have a MP or megapixel rating.
In digital photography megapixel tell you how many pixels your picture has, which directly relates to how large you can make your picture. If you have a camera that only has a 2MP size, you are going to be lucky to make that picture the size of a stamp. However, a camera that has a 6MP rating will be able to give you a gigantic poster sized picture that you can treasure forever, and see from more than 2 inches away. However, you should also realize that megapixel size will also affect your picture quality.
For example, a picture taken from the exact same distance with a 4MP and a 6MP camera are going to look very different. The 6MP camera will have much less blur and will be a crisp and sharp picture. Many digital cameras now come with sizes as large as 10MP without breaking the bank. You can purchase cameras with 10MP for as little as a few hundred dollars.
If you are looking for digital photography success with making large poster sized portraits then you really need to splurge the money on a camera with a high megapixel rating. You should never select a camera smaller than 7MP if you are planning on poster-sized prints. However, if you are only planning on doing pictures to a maximum size of 8×10 then you can stay to a camera in the 6MP and smaller range.
As you can see, the megapixel size you select has a huge impact on how much digital photography success you will really have. If you do not have very many needs for an advanced digital camera then you can save the money and just purchase a cheaper digital camera with a smaller megapixel size. However, if you want your camera to last as long as possible, and grow with all of your potential needs then splurging for the advanced camera can be a very good long term investment.
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 Most people underestimate the importance of a photographer when planning of special events such as weddings, anniversaries, christening etc. events that may only comes ones in a life time. It is not surprising that more money is invested in decorations, catering and entertainment rather than on what I consider to be more important thing. In my opinion, the photographer is the most important person in the planning of a memorable event.
After you must have spent a lot on clothes to wear, perhaps wedding dresses, catering and entertainment for your guest, after all is said and done … what are you left with? Of course! The bill and a whole lot of cleaning up to do. But with your cherished memories well documented you have everything to be excited about. You cannot wind back the arms of the clock, and there is a limit to what you can recollect of the day and besides with time, these memories fade away but the hurt and regrets of not having your day well documented grows as the years roll by. The effects of not investing in professional photography would stare right in your face and would replace the sweet memories of that day with hate and regrets.
Photography is more than the act of pointing a camera and shooting, whether it is a point-and -shoot camera or a professional one. You can have the best photography skills, the best camera and lenses but the ‘Midas’ touch lies within the heart of the photographer. By looking at a portfolio of photographs taken by a photographer you can create the photographer’s profile. In my view, photography is an expression of the heart and mind of the man behind the camera. Your creativity easily shows from your works, it comes from within you. Just as musicians, artist and poets express themselves through their work of art, a photographer expresses himself though his works as well.
A person in tune with his our her emotions and with the right skills would by far produce a more comprehensive coverage of emotional events like weddings, birthdays and anniversaries than a person just paid to cover the event. Reportage style photography as it is called today captures creatively the emotions and excitements of the event. Capturing candid moments that really represents the day rather than the posed shots or what I call the ‘make believe shots’ where you may have to get everyone to say cheese to get them to smile.
So the next time to point a camera to take a photo either as a hobby of a profession, take a second to think about what you intend to convey in the shots you take. Is it love, joy and happiness or hate sorrow and anguish? The choice is absolutely yours once you press the button it comes into everyone’s focus.
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 Holidays and family get-togethers present perfect opportunities for family portraits. However, as soon as you get out the camera, people groan and run for the door to escape. Have no fear! Getting a great picture of your family doesn’t have to be a painful experience, especially if you put a few simple photo tips to use.
Posing Techniques When Photographing Your Family
The best technique is to position everyone so that their heads are close together. This usually does wonders to make everyone look extra friendly and happy.
There’s something else to think about when planning for a family picture like this. What should your family wear? Make sure everyone follows one simple guideline: Wear bright solid colors. Stripes, sports logos, polka dots, and plaids act as distractions, pulling the viewer’s eye away from your subject.
For a Great Family Picture, Keep Things Simple
It’s best if you put all your creative efforts into photographing one main subject. You can take plenty of additional photos, so don’t worry about including everybody and everything in one picture. If you put too much stuff in your photo, it will look messy. It works best if you keep things simple, including just your subject and being careful to not include a bunch of other things in the picture.
What if you’re shooting several family members together? That’s OK. Since they’re posing together, they in essence become one subject. The subject of that photo is really the relationship between the various family members.
And Lastly… The Early Bird Get’s The Worm
Try to take your family portrait at a time of day that produces the nicest light – like early in the morning when the sun is just rising (if you can get everybody up that early!).
No worries, though, if you have a bunch of sleepy-heads on your hands… the light can also be beautiful late in the afternoon, when the sun is just about to set.
If neither early morning or late afternoon work for your family, look for bright open shade or the light just inside a doorway or window.
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