Digital cameras -
a buying guide
v5.2 15 October 2011 © Eric Bakerwww.chericbaker.co.uk
Digital cameras -a buying guidev5.2 15 October 2011 © Eric Bakerwww.chericbaker.co.uk |
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ContentsWhat to look forCameras to check out Accessories |
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What to look forSizeSmaller can be dearer but it’s great to have the camera on you just in case. Bigger cameras tend to have better flash range and take better pictures. There are some quite reasonably priced cameras in jacket rather than shirt pocket sizes. Or why not have a little camera and a bigger one for special?Most mobiles take photos nowadays, but even if they have lots of megapixels the lenses are so tiny that you cannot expect too much from them. |
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MegapixelsDoesn’t really matter nowadays. 4MP (impossible to buy) is more than enough up to 7x5” prints, even with cropping. No point in paying extra for 12MP+ unless you want to print big enlargements. In fact, more megapixels can often mean worse low light pictures with lots of noise on them (speckly) because they cram more pixels onto the same tiny sensor. |
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Sensor sizeThis is more important than megapixels yet manufacturers try very hard to keep us confused with sensor size 1/2.5” or similar and never seem to state the sensor area - which is what matters. 1/2.5" actually means a 0.4” wide sensor package with a sensor area of 5.76 x 4.29mm or a minute 25 sq mm. No wonder low light performance is so poor! 1/2.3” means 28.5 sq mm and my Fuji S6500 has a sensor of 1/1.7” or 43 sq mm, significantly bigger. Hence its much better picture quality. My little Fuji F200 has an even larger sensor - 1/1.6" or 49 sq mm and my Pentax SLR a massive 370 sq mm. See the dpreview article on sensor sizes and also a good one on Wikipedia.DSLRs have bigger sensors, eg APS-C sensors are 320-370 sq mm and the expensive ones go up to 35mm film size. That's why DSLRs have such good low light performance. But it does mean the lenses are big. Micro Four Thirds cameras have 225 sq mm sensors so the lenses can be smaller. Apart from better low light performance bigger sensors have a much shallower depth of field, allowing you to produce those shots with just one element in focus (but it can cause problems when you want all elements of a landscape in focus). They also give a better dynamic range, allowing you to see detail on both light and dark areas. |
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Low light performanceMost small digicams are not too good in really low light conditions, apparently because of their small sensor as well as their little lenses. Photoshop Elements has a filter which helps de-speckle low light pics. Small digicams generally have a weak flash and produce far more redeye. |
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Screen sizeResolution matters too as does sunlight and night time performance. 2.7” or bigger should be fine. 230,000 pixels or better makes it sharp. |
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ViewfinderLeft out on most small cameras. Can be useful in low/bright light and also saves hugely on battery consumption if optical. |
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Zoom lensIgnore digital zoom - that just crops the edges of the picture in the camera, which you can do later on the computer anyway.The wide angle end of the zoom is important. My Fuji S6500 has a lovely 28-300 zoom and I wouldn't be happy with, say, a 36-400 range (no wide angle). My little Fuji F200 has a 28-140 zoom, wide but not very long, but with 12 megapixels I can always crop in closer later. Note that all the zoom figures I've used in this guide are 35mm equivalents. DSLRs often come with very limited zooms, eg 28-80mm. I'm not sure they're worth getting unless you spend the extra on a decent long zoom lens. Even then you have the bother of changing lenses - I really like having a wide to long zoom always available. When I did finally get an SLR I supplemented the 27-80mm lens that came with it with a heavier 27-300mm Sigma. That way I take one or the other with me, never both. |
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Anti-shake (image stabilisation)Very useful in low light or for long zoom shots. Check it’s real (moving the sensor or lens elements, not merely stepping up the ISO setting and opening up the lens aperture - that just doesn't count). Anti shake doesn't help, of course, with moving subjects. A tripod or monopod (like my hiking pole) can really help too. Bigger cameras are much easier to hold steady. |
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ControlsAutomatic mode is often fine but it's much more fun and produces better results controlling aperture, shutter speed and ISO yourself. I generally use Aperture Priority mode on my DSLR or big Fuji in good light. That gives you good control over depth of focus. I've never found the scene modes you get by the dozen on modern cameras very useful. |
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Movie modeMost digital cameras will take movies until the memory card is full. They are not going to be of camcorder quality but if it's important to you make sure a camera you are interested in takes reasonable movie clips. It helps if you can use the zoom mid clip but that may introduce electric motor noise. Some cameras now offer HD movie recording. |
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ReviewsDo check out any camera you're thinking of. There are lots of sources, amazon uk and US plus, for example:imaging-resource.com dpreview.com (user ratings per camera and some excellent full reviews) steves-digicams.com trusted reviews One oddity is that some manufacturers, including Canon and Fuji, use different model numbers in North America for the same camera. Weird! Eg my big Fuji S6500 is the S6000 in the USA. |
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ManufacturersCanon, Fujifilm and Panasonic seem to have the best reputations overall but can still produce lemons at times. Pentax, Nikon, Kodak, Casio, Ricoh etc are often good. I avoid Sony because of their memory stick obsession. Canon's offerings sometimes seem a little pricey - but it is the market leader. |
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SuppliersAmazon are good but do look around. Some suppliers, such as Clifton Cameras and UK Digital Cameras (I've bought from both) tend to offer a 2 year warranty. If you put a supplier name into google with words such as 'problem' that should show who's unreliable. Beware too good to be true deals - they might involve a camera shipped from Hong Kong with you liable for the duty if Customs check it. |
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Cameras to check outDo research the options thoroughly - prices zoom up and down alarmingly and models are often replaced at a frantic pace. Good ones that have been around a while often seem the best choice. But do read the reviews before choosing. Zoom range has increased usefully but sensor size seems stuck at minute sizes for digital cameras that don't cost a fortune.Here are a few cameras that may give you ideas, starting with smaller ones (images not to scale). I've only included a handful as they get replaced so often. |
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Nikon S3100
£77 (amazon, Oct 11). 14MP, 2.7" LCD. 26-130mm lens, LiI
battery. No anti shake or viewfinder,
small, slim and capable enough for its low price and with a good zoom range and HD videos.
94x58x18mm. |
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Fujifilm F80EXR£115 (amazonor UK Digital Cameras, Oct 11). 12MP, 3" LCD. 99x59x28mm. 27-270mm lens, LiI battery. Anti shake. No viewfinder. An attractive zoom range and slightly larger sensor than usual, 1/2". |
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Panasonic TZ18£180 (amazon Oct 11). 24-384mm Leica zoom, anti shake, 14MP, LiI battery, 3" screen, 105x57x33mm (a bit chunky). No viewfinder, 720p HD movies. This camera has a seriously good (wide to long) zoom lens but a small sensor. It also has Aperture Priority. |
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Prosumer (or Bridge) camerasThese
tend to have big lenses with a wide zoom range and decent control
over taking shots, eg aperture priority mode. But the other thing they
need, a larger sensor to improve low light capabilities, is very hard
to find. That's why I sometimes still use my lovely old Fuji S6500 with its
double sized sensor. That was replaced by the superb Fuji S200EXR,
with the same double sized sensor as my little Fuji F200EXR, but both
those have been
discontinued and 'replaced' by less good models with smaller sensors
and
therefore poorer low light performance. The useless chase after more
megapixels and even longer zooms goes on and sensor size, so crucial to
image quality, is what seems to suffer. |
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Compact system camerasAn interesting alternative to traditional DSLRs are cameras with interchangeable lenses but smaller bodies because they have no mirror (and sometimes no viewfinder either). Micro Four Thirds cameras are an example. They are not at all cheap but they and their lenses are much smaller and lighter than DSLRs and they are quite close to APS-C DSLRs in performance. Olympus, and Panasonic have a variety of models and lenses to choose from. Don't assume lenses are fully interchangeable between manufacturers as Olympus uses sensor movement image stabilisation and Panasonic puts it in the lens. I was tempted by the Panasonic G3 but put off by the absence of third party lenses and the fact that you have to keep buying image stabilisation in each lens.The Sony NEX and Samsung NX10 and NX100 ranges are also worth a look - large APS-C sensors in small bodies - but the zoom lenses are big. The Nikon 1 series offers smaller lenses in fast cameras with a fairly small sensor, 116 sq mm. Very, very expensive at launch (£800 with a viewfinder and kit lens). |
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DSLRsI wouldn't presume to suggest any models here - if you are considering a DSLR then you're going to do lots of research yourself before deciding. Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax seem to be the main brands. They are much more expensive than prosumer cameras, especially with a good range of lenses, but they can take astonishingly good shots, especially in low light because of their larger sensors. But a cheapish DSLR with an "18-55" zoom lens (this really means something like 27-82mm) is pretty limiting if you're used to much better, eg 28-140 on my pocket camera and 28-300 on my big Fuji. So you really need to get two lenses - expensive and heavy to lug around. Make sure there's no dust on sensor problem with any model you are considering. When I finally did go for a DSLR I got a Pentax k-r. It does good videos, is superb in very low light and the anti shake is on the sensor, making extra lenses smaller, lighter and cheaper than with Canon or Nikon (the market leaders). To supplement the 28-82mm lens that came with it I bought a 28-300 Sigma superzoom plus a fast (F2) 2nd hand Pentax 75mm lens. Later I got a used Sigma 105-450mm (nominally 70-300) telephoto for very little money. |
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AccessoriesMemory cardsSD cards are the standard, used by almost all manufacturers. Weirdly Sony has stuck to non standard cards, with its memory sticks offering a baffling range of incompatible types. Olympus are moving from xD to SD now and Fuji have already done so. Compact flash is a large format used only in some DSLRs.Suppliers? Amazon, as always but check picstop, svp, 7dayshop and play.com. I prefer to have a couple of medium capacity cards to one huge one. |
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BatteriesMany cameras now come with LiI (Lithium) batteries included, plus a charger, just like mobile phones.Otherwise just buy a charger and some NiMH AA batteries. Make sure it works in most countries. 2700 mAh or better batteries last well. |
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Other accessoriesA printer is essential. I've got an Epson that will print high quality images up to A4 borderless. Routine snaps I send down the wire to Bonusprint. Whatever you do, don't buy one of those silly "photo printer" things that only do little 6x4" prints at great expense.A USB card reader might be useful, as it means you just slip the card out of the camera and copy or move the images across to the PC using Windows Explorer rather than needing any camera-specific software loaded. Some computers have built in card readers. But you are usually able just to connect the camera direct to the PC with the USB cable it came with and see its card as an external disk drive. Your camera may well come with software to upload the images etc but it’s not usually necessary to install it. Some uploading software seriously gets in the way, hiding your images in secret places or even imprisoning them in a database. A case of some sort is useful but it could be just a cloth bag to guard against scratching the LCD. If you have a lens that will take one, put a UV filter on it - that protects the lens and improves sky shots. You'll also need software for processing your images - see my post processing guide. |
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