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Digital Camera Buyer's Basics

 
Mark Comon
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  • What is a "digital camera"?
  • How do I decide whether I need to buy a new digital camera?
  • What key features should I look for in a digital camera?
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Digital Cameras: Buyer's Guide
Digital Camera Buyer's Basics (Now Playing)
  1. Mark Comon
 Digital Camera Picture Quality 
  1. Mark Comon
  2. What determines the quality of a digital photo? 
  3. What is the "lens"? 
  4. How do I choose which lens is right for my digital camera? 
  5. What is "resolution" and how does it affect digital photo image quality? 
  6. What is a digital camera's "megapixel"? 
  7. How many megapixels should my digital camera have? 
  8. What is "ISO speed" and how does it affect my digital camera's photos? 
  9. What ISO speed range should my digital camera have? 
  10. Can a digital camera capture high-quality video? 
  11. Can a cell phone capture high-quality stills? 
  12. Can a video camcorder capture high-quality digital stills? 
 Digital Camera Photo Files 
  1. Mark Comon
  2. What is a digital photo "file"? 
  3. How does file size affect my digital camera's image quality? 
  4. How does my digital camera turn my picture into a file? 
  5. What file-size options should my digital camera have? 
  6. Where does my digital camera store my photo files? 
  7. How do various types of memory cards differ? 
  8. Which memory card should I buy with my digital camera? 
  9. How much memory do I need for my digital camera? 
  10. How many digital photos can a memory card hold? 
 How Digital Cameras Work 
  1. Mark Comon
  2. What is "focus", and how does it work on my digital camera? 
  3. What is "autofocus" and why do I need it for my digital camera? 
  4. Why would I use the "image stabilizer" feature? 
  5. How do various image stabilizers differ? 
  6. What is an "aperture" and what does it do in my digital camera? 
  7. What is an "aperture range"? 
  8. What aperture range do I need for my digital camera? 
  9. What is a camera's "shutter"? 
  10. What is "shutter speed"? 
  11. What shutter speed range do I need for my digital camera? 
  12. What is "shutter lag"? 
  13. What is an acceptable shutter lag time for a digital camera? 
  14. What is a camera's "flash"? 
  15. What options do I have for lighting my still pictures with an external flash? 
  16. What is a digital camera's "LCD"? 
  17. How can I compare LCD's of different digital cameras? 
  18. What is "power draw" and how does it affect my digital camera? 
  19. What power draw factors should I consider when buying a digital camera? 
 Digital Camera Special Features 
  1. Mark Comon
  2. What are some helpful features my digital camera could have? 
  3. How do the "scene modes" on my digital camera help me take better photographs? 
  4. What is a "histogram"? 
  5. What is an "AF Illuminator"? 
  6. What is "multi-point autofocus"? 
  7. What is a "hot shoe"? 
  8. What does the "wi-fi" feature of a digital camera do? 
  9. What are features of some digital cameras that I don't need? 
  10. What is the difference between an "optical zoom" and "digital zoom"? 
  11. Why should I not use "black and white" or "sepia tone" features? 
  12. What are some non-photographic features added to some digital cameras? 
 DSLR Vs Point-And-Shoot Digital Cameras 
  1. Mark Comon
  2. What is the difference between a "point-and-shoot" and a "DSLR" camera? 
  3. What is the difference between a "compact" and a "big zoom" digital camera? 
  4. Will a DSLR or a point-and-shoot camera give me higher quality photos? 
  5. Does a DSLR or a compact digital take faster pictures? 
  6. Do DSLR's have built-in flashes like most compact digital cameras do? 
 Determining Your Digital Camera Needs 
  1. Mark Comon
  2. What kind of digital camera do I need if I'm a novice shooter? 
  3. What kind of digital camera do I need for live events? 
  4. What digital camera do I need for shooting my vacations? 
  5. What kind of digital camera do I need for shooting sports? 
  6. What kind of digital camera do I need for shooting animal life? 
  7. What kind of digital camera do I need for shooting family events? 
  8. What kind of digital camera do I need for shooting portraits? 
  9. What kind of digital camera do I need for shooting landscapes? 
  10. What kind of digital camera do I need for shooting underwater? 
  11. Can a digital camera capture high-quality video? 
 Digital Camera Accessories 
  1. Mark Comon
  2. What digital still-camera accessories are essential? 
  3. What are some optional accessories that will help me take better photos with my digital camera? 
  4. Do I need a "telephoto" or "wide-angle attachment" for my digital camera? 
  5. What is an "LCD shade" and why would I use it? 
 Digital Camera Stabilizers 
  1. Mark Comon
  2. What is a camera "tripod"? 
  3. What factors should I consider when choosing a tripod for my digital camera? 
  4. What is a "monopod" and why would I use it with my still camera? 
  5. How do camera monopods differ? 
  6. What is a "mini-pod", and why would I use it with my still camera? 
  7. How can I keep my camera steady in my hands? 
 Digital Camera Care 
  1. Mark Comon
  2. What kind of protective case should I have for my digital camera? 
  3. What kind of lens-cleaning kit do I need and how often should I use it? 
  4. How often should I clean my lens? 
  5. Do I need an extended warranty on my digital camera? 
 A Quick Guide To Digital Cameras 
  1. Mark Comon
  2. What is the most important thing to know about digital cameras? 
  3. What do I need to know before buying a digital camera? 
Mark Comon Mr. Mark Comon
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Transcript

Digital Camera Buyer's Basics

What is a "digital camera"?

A digital camera is a camera that uses a memory card to record the pictures instead of film. It's still a camera. A digital camera takes pictures - both still and moving pictures. It's a camera that takes beautiful pictures if you do everything right.

How do I decide whether I need to buy a new digital camera?

It's time to buy a new digital camera when the camera you have either doesn't work or doesn't meet your needs anymore. What do I mean by 'doesn't work'? With digital cameras today, sometimes you turn them on and they just don't work anymore. It's just done, and it's time to buy a new one. Some people fall in the water, some fall while skiing, and it's time for a new digital camera. If you're not happy with your picture quality, the camera's too slow, it doesn't do what you want to do, maybe your needs have changed. Maybe you started out to buy a camera to take a picture of the kids when they're little, and now they're playing soccer, baseball and volleyball. It's probably time for a new camera, because the camera you own won't do those things. Sometimes you need a new digital camera when the technology changes. Most people are looking for more megapixels, even if they don't need it. You know when you're ready for a new digital camera: if the camera you have doesn't meet your needs. If you want to make big prints, of course you need more megapixels. If you want to go farther out, you need a bigger zoom. You want to shoot more action, you need a faster camera, not a slower one. Those are the things in technology that we need, not just technology for technology's sake. I'm a camera store guy. I love it when guys come in to buy a new digital camera. I also believe in treating my customers right, and not selling you a new camera just because I have a new one to sell.

What key features should I look for in a digital camera?

When a customer comes to me looking for a camera, the first questions I ask them are: "What do you want the camera to do for you?" And my job is to match the camera for you. Now, you can go on the internet, you can read magazines until your head explodes, but you're still not going to get the right answer for you. So, what do you really want to look for? You want to look for enough megapixels to give you enough picture quality, enough size in pictures so you can make the enlargements that you want. You want a lens of good enough quality to give you the clarity, the color, the brightness, and the brilliance that you want. You want enough zoom to get you as close as you want. Maybe you want a camera that's really super small so it can go in your pocket. Maybe you want a camera with interchangeable lenses--an SLR type camera, a Single Lens Reflex--so you can have all the f-stop and shutter speed control that you want. That's why you need to find a partner when buying your camera.

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