Digital SLRs

Digital cameras have seem many changes over the last 18 months with perhaps one of the biggest being the decrease in price of digital SLR cameras. This has seen them become more affordable and they are now within reach of almost anybody who enjoys photography as a hobby.

Digital SLR cameras can now be found from as little as £350 and it is usually possible to purchase at least one lens as part of the deal. This can be a good way to save some money on a lens. These cameras usually have between eight and twelve megapixels.

Lenses are an extremely important feature but it can be easy to fall into the trap where having bought an expensive camera with a great set of features, that any old lens will do. Lens quality is an important factor if you are looking for impressive quality images. Therefore, budgeting for the best quality lenses you can afford in addition to the cost of the camera body itself.

One of the main advantages of digital SLR cameras is their flexibility. With such an array of lenses to choose from, you can choose the right camera for whatever photograph you wish to take. There is also a wide range of accessories available which can further enhance these cameras capabilities.

Lens choice is continually increasing and there are now a range of lenses that are specifically designed to match smaller sensors that can be found with digital SLR cameras. If you want to take wide angle shots then a wide angle lens made specifically for digital SLRs will probably make a wise investment.

Another big advantage of going down the digital SLR route is that it helps to protect your overall investment. If you buy a number of lenses and then decide to upgrade the camera itself then your lenses should still work with your next camera provided it is made by the same manufacturer.

Super Zoom Digital Cameras

Are you looking for a digital camera that can capture sports or wildlife photography? A Super Zoom model could provide the solution to this problem. Price’s can vary in price between £100 and £250 making the lower end of the range fall into the relatively cheap digital camera bracket. This would be the cheapest option if you are looking for a powerful zoom lens digital camera.

Cameras at the moment generally have zoom capabilities between 10x and 18x. Also, most of the super zoom cameras I have tested have fully manual exposure controls which include aperture and shutter priority. Cameras at the more expensive end of the range have a very wide range of features. This feature makes them suitable for anybody who sees photography as a hobby rather than someone who is looking buy a digital camera just to take a few snapshots with.

Many super zoom digital cameras are designed in the same style as traditional SLR cameras that enable you to get an excellent grip when you take a photograph. The only downside of this is that they can be both weighty and cumbersome. This needs to taken into consideration if you are buying a super zoom digital camera and I would suggest buying a camera bag to transport it from place to place.

If you use a super zoom camera in conjunction with a long lens there is a tendency for camera shake to appear. Some manufacturers have made attempts at combating this to some degree by introducing image stabilisation in some models. Even though every little helps, sometimes the best solution is to make use of a tripod whenever possible. This can often make a clear difference in the sharpness of a photograph.

One big plus point with the models in this digital camera comparison is the fact that the flash unit pops up on the majority of these cameras which helps to take the flash away from the lens of the digital camera. This means that red eye is very rare in portrait shots where the flash is used.

Standard Plus Digital Cameras

These cameras form the next logical step up from the entry level models. The main points that make these digital cameras different is that they generally have exposure controls that allow you to control both the aperture and shutter priority. Generally speaking, the kind of people who would want to buy this kind of digital camera are those who want to improve the quality of their photo’s without paying a huge sum for a camera. This being said, prices can range from £110 to £250.

You should also find that the number of megapixels starts to rise with these digital cameras. Generally, you can expect to find about 8 megapixels but the top end models can have up to 12. Some of the cameras in this category also have longer zoom lenses and can often have twice the amount of zoom or more compared to a standard lens.

Many cameras in this category have the facility to be enhanced with after market products such as underwater cases and lens converters. Basically, a lens converter alters the capability of the lens for example, telephoto or wide angle. You may even find fish eye or macro converters for some digital cameras in this category.

At this level, the range of features is increased as well as picture quality. Manual focusing, slower shutter times and additional flash control options can be found. More and more models have image stabilisation and face detection focusing is now the norm. Advanced flash units including pop up and twisting versions are also available on some models to improve photographs. Picture quality is impressive with sharper focusing and good colour detail in comparison to entry level digital cameras.

Although, the majority of the cheaper digital cameras in this category are made of plastic, the build quality of the more expensive models is usually a vast improvement on the entry level models. Television quality playback for movies is also made possible due to the 640 X 480 resolution that can be found on the majority of the cameras. Some digital cameras now offer an additional widescreen setting for movies.