How to choose a camera?

The market offers us a huge selection of cameras. This and more affordable models - simple, with a basic set of features and functions, but still able to perform the task, and expensive first-class gadgets designed to create not just pictures, but real art masterpieces. On what product is preferred and what to look for when buying, read on.

What to look for when buying?

Soap dish or a mirror?

Simple digital cameras ("soap boxes") have the following advantages:

Simple and convenient to work even for a person inthe first time he took a camera. And you can do more or less decent pictures right after turning on the device. No special skills and knowledge you will not need.
They are compact and light.
They have a display on which you can immediately see what the image will be. Just look in the window, looking for the desired angle, and then click on the button.
They have a very low cost, and therefore are available to a wide range of consumers.

Minus the usual digital "soapbox" one, but hegigantic - with such a camera you will never get those very fascinating with its beauty of the staff, which you admire in glossy magazines or in the albums of venerable photographers. And all because technically they are much simpler than semi-professional and professional devices.

Plus the same semi-professional and even more soprofessional mirror models in their colossally huge possibilities. The disadvantages lie in the complexity of working with such devices, as well as at a really impressive price.

Therefore, deciding on what to stop the choice,determine your needs. If you do not make high demands on the quality of pictures, if you do not want to spend days, months on mastering the capabilities of the device, if you do not have the opportunity to spend a substantial amount to buy, the soap box is your choice. In all other cases, we advise you to pay attention to the SLR cameras.

Technical specifications

The type of matrix and its physical size

Here we look at the number of megapixels. This will determine how much image size you can get at the output (when printing). So, for example, for a photo size of 13x18, at least 3.5 Mp will be required. The standard print quality is 300 dots per inch (300 dpi). Proposed by many manufacturers 10 and 15 Mp (for soap boxes) will not allow you to get good large-format shots at the output. Moreover, it is not uncommon for a camera with a 5 Mp matrix to produce better images than a gadget with a 15 Mp advertised. And all because the quality of the matrix, the noise level (the ISO indicator) is also important.

For better images, the ISOshould not be too large, but at the same time not critically small (at least 100 units for the minimum sensitivity of the matrix). If, in the description of the model you like, it is indicated that the ISO is 40 or 60 units (as is often the case with cheap soap boxes), it means that the quality of the matrix is so simple that the manufacturer had to eliminate noise by causing a catastrophic decrease in the ISO, which is also not is a boon.

So, with a good mirror camera you canto receive pictures in the size of 6016x4000 pixels with a 24.2 MP matrix and ISO values of 100 units (minimum matrix sensitivity) and 12,800 (maximum ISO sensitivity).

Increase

Important is the optical Zoom (changefocal length of the lens), while a physical Zoom is often useless because it can distort the picture. Therefore, the widespread view that the zoom should be larger, is fundamentally wrong.

For SLR cameras, the optimal focal lengths are within 24 mm, less (minimum) and 85 mm and more (maximum).

Optics

To select a camera that can giveyou really beautiful pictures, be sure to pay attention to this indicator. After all, even the best matrix can not give the desired level of photography in the absence of high-quality optics.

In simple soap trays, optics can alsovary in quality. But in any case, it will lose to the level of the lenses of the mirror model. Lenses with the most outstanding indicators often cost even more than the basis of the camera.

Lens

In the arsenal of a professional photographer, usuallyseveral varieties of lenses, because, depending on their parameters, the purpose of the lens will change. So, there are short-focus lenses, there are portrait lenses, there are long-focus lenses and so on.

The choice here will be based on what tasksyou will put in front of the device. It can be macro shooting, portraits, landscapes, shooting small objects from a great distance and so on. For beginners, a whale lens is suitable - with its help you can perform at a basic level a variety of tasks.

And keep in mind that in some cases, buy a separate body, and separately the lens will be cheaper. Compare the available proposals.

Live View

An important parameter of the SLR cameras, whichespecially useful for novice photographers. With its help you will be much more convenient and easier to expose not only the sharpness of the image, but also the exposure and aperture.

Battery

A very important indicator is the capacity of the battery. After all, you do not want the device to be disconnected at the most interesting place of the photo session?

In addition, when buying you have to payattention and many other points: speed of shooting and accuracy of focusing, support of various formats of data preservation, video recording parameters, weight and dimensions (will be important for miniature women who do not have the opportunity to hold a heavy device for a long time) and so on.