Choosing The Right Digital Camera For YouHow to narrow the multitude of options? Consider your photography habits and the features you really need |
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What Do You Shoot?Now let’s consider common photo subjects and the types of cameras that can handle them best. People. While you can photograph people with any camera, a D-SLR or compact zoom that includes a focal length of 90mm or thereabouts (35mm equivalent) will yield attractive headshots because that focal length frames a portrait subject nicely at a distance that provides a pleasing perspective. A zoom lens that also includes a wide-angle setting will let you photograph groups of people in tight spaces. Built-in flash isn’t the most attractive light source for portraits (although it’s handy to fill in harsh shadows in sunlit portraits), so a camera that allows use of off-camera flash units is a good choice. Action. If you shoot a lot of action subjects, you’ll be best served by a digital SLR. Why? Because D-SLRs autofocus much faster than compact digital cameras, which is essential for moving subjects. Today’s D-SLRs also start up and wake up from “sleep” mode in a fraction of a second—again, much faster than a compact digital camera—and have much less delay between the moment you fully depress the shutter button to make a shot and the moment the camera actually takes the shot. Another D-SLR advantage is higher top shutter speeds (all current models go to at least 1⁄4000 sec.), better for “freezing” quick action subjects. Landscapes And Scenics. One of the pocket-sized digital cameras can be a great hiking companion because it’s easy to carry anywhere. Another good choice for the hiking photographer is a wide-range zoom camera, one of the compact models with a 10x or greater zoom lens. This will handle just about any situation you’ll encounter on a hike, from dramatic vistas to close-ups to distant wildlife. 
Some features to look for in a hiking camera include built-in stabilization (handy for sharp results when shooting while huffing and puffing after climbing a steep hill), weather- or waterproof-ness, and close-up/macro capability if you’re into composing tight shots of nature’s details (see the section on close-ups).One advantage of an all-in-one compact camera over an SLR for hiking/outdoor use is that you won’t be changing lenses and thus won’t risk getting dust on the image sensor when you expose the inside of the camera during a lens change. Of course, you can get a wide-range zoom (18-200mm is ideal) lens for your D-SLR to avoid the need to change lenses in the field, and several D-SLRs have built-in dust-removing features.   |
