Pocket Sized Digital Cameras

Pocket sized cameras are usually small enough to fit into even the smallest pockets, say perhaps even a pair of jeans for instance. Usually, I consider that any camera less than 25mm wide to fall into this class but as technology advances and digital cameras shrink even more, they will become even slimmer.

These cameras are normally constructed with a lightweight metal body and are very well made. This makes them a better bet than other types that come with the plastic cases of some lesser models. Design wise, there is good scope for choice although many digital cameras in this category share a similar rectangular shape. This means that finding a camera that you like the look of should be a breeze.

LCD screens are still a major feature of these cameras even with their small sizes. Most have at least a 2.5” screen and some even have one which is 3”. However, due to the size issue, many do not come equipped with a viewfinder. Picture quality is greatly improved now and if you select your digital camera wisely you should find you can take great snap shots.

At the moment, many of the digital cameras in this category have between 8 and 12 megapixels. Most lenses extrude from the camera body when it is switched on, but there are also a few to choose from with an integral lens. In terms of actually buying a digital camera, prices can range from £100 to £200 but most of them are roughly £130 to £150.

The quality of the models in this digital camera comparison varies greatly from camera to camera. For this reason, I recommend that you shop around to find the right model. One thing to remember is that the flash and lens are often close together therefore making red eye hard to avoid. Also, indoor shots can be not as good as the higher end digital cameras.

Pocket sized digital cameras tend to be easy to use and many of them are user friendly with a simple set of features. These makes the cameras in this category fall into the high quality point and shoot range.

One final point to remember is that the flash units can be limited in power with this type of digital camera. You should be aware of this limitation when you want to use this camera in lowlight situations.

Simple and Easy Digital Cameras

Pricewise, these types of camera can cost between £60 and £120. There are cheaper options, but if you want a current digital camera from a well-known brand then this is the kind of price that you should be aiming for.

These cheap digital cameras usually have fewer features than the more complex models. This means that they are generally, easier to use. Manufacturers have put a lot of emphasis on this area over the last few years and lots of cameras available are now quite straightforward to use. These digital cameras do however, come with their own set of limitations when you compare them to the more expensive cameras. The cameras are routinely made of plastic and there is often a noticeable difference in their build quality when compared to other types of digital camera.

The chances are that this kind of camera will struggle to take good pictures indoors, in a lowlight. This can lead to blurring in some photos where the camera cannot focus properly, making each photo slightly darker. However, there are some exceptions to this rule if you search around. There is also the issue of shutter lag which is the time taken between the shutter button being pressed and the picture being created. It is because of this that photo opportunities could be missed. Although there are a few cameras that are able to get over this problem, the majority suffer from this major flaw.

Most digital cameras now come with LCD screens and they are increasing in size and quality. You may find however that they do not have a viewfinder. Many of the cameras in this range will now accept memory cards to increase the amount of pictures that can be stored.

Canon Digital Cameras

There are Canon digital cameras available for a broad range of people. It doesn’t matter whether you just take the occasional photograph or are a professional using photography as your livelihood. The Canon digital camera range is split into three different sections, namely, IXUS, EOS and Powershot.

The easiest and perhaps most straightforward range of Canon digital cameras is the IXUS. These models have metal bodies and are extremely stylish. They are known for being compact and some of them are small enough to slip easily into your pocket. All of the IXUS models are fairly simple and easy to use which makes them really high quality point and shoot digital cameras.

If you are considering buying Canon Digital SLR Cameras, from the EOS range you should remember that you need to keep a fair proportion of your budget to buy additional lenses. Although there is the option of buying a lens in a kit with the camera, it is likely that you will be looking for at least one more lens as well.

The Powershot part of the range offers a broader selection of digital cameras. At one end are some simple and easy cameras aimed at people who may not know a great deal about digital photography or who would rather not spend a fortune on a digital camera. The range then works its way up to one of the most advanced compact digital cameras you can buy. You will also find the super zoom cameras in this range. The Powershot range on the whole has a good selection of more advanced controls than you are likely to find in the IXUS range.

Cheap Digital Cameras for Less

If like most people, you are looking for a cheap digital camera or maybe a bargain then read on.

Since I regularly test cameras in order to produce an accurate review, it is usually necessary for me to actually purchase the digital cameras at the full retail price. This is because the majority of camera companies have refused any request to loan a camera to provide digital camera reviews.

This has lead to me sell the cameras after I’ve finished with them. Now, I would not expect to get back the full amount that I paid but if you don’t mind buying a camera that has only been used a couple of times then you can get your hands on a cheap digital camera.

These cameras are usually in excellent condition, but if there are any marks then I will say so. Everything that comes packaged with the camera at the time of purchase will be included in the sale. This includes memory cards, manuals, software, etc and if the camera comes with standard AA batteries then I will supply brand new ones.

All cameras I sell are supplied through standard eBay auctions and I will only post within the UK. All digital cameras sold by myself will come with a personal one year guarantee which will cover any breakdown through normal use.

Looking for Digital Cameras under £100

Cheap digital cameras that cost under £100 are quite easy to find these days but you should try to be aware of some possible pitfalls you may encounter.

Firstly, a cheap digital camera that fall into this price bracket is less expensive when compared to other models on the market. Although this makes then more accessible, the quality may be slightly lower in certain areas.

The main differences between these cameras and the more expensive models are that they will have fewer megapixels, giving a lower quality of pictures. They may not have an optical zoom lens, but with digital camera prices falling, you may find some cameras do have them.

Build quality is generally not as good and shutter delay or lag may be prevalent. Battery life too may be lower due to higher power consumptions.

Looking for Digital Cameras for less than £50

Okay, you’re looking to buy a digital camera for under £50 but you don’t know what differences there are between the cheaper and more expensive models.

The main and possibly the most obvious difference is picture quality. This is largely due to the amount of megapixels on offer from camera to camera. Cameras with a low number of megapixels, although being more than adequate for viewing pictures on a computer or for emailing to friends and family but they will probably not be suitable for producing photographs or prints.

Another possible issue with a cheap digital camera for under £50 is that the chances of getting a zoom lens or digital zoom are slim. The overall build quality of the camera will not be great and the performance capabilities will be lower. This will lead to increased shutter lag or shutter delay and the battery life will almost certainly be less.

I would expect the quality of the photographs taken with one of these digital cameras to be acceptable outdoors with good lighting, but I believe that they would struggle to take a good indoor shot where the cameras shortcomings would become more obvious.

Digital Camera LCD Screen Care

Digital cameras are delicate items and it is important that you take good care of them. Warranties last for either one or two years, but it is very easy to damage a camera and then find it is no longer covered for repair under warranty. With the most basic of repairs costing over £100 it is very easy to write off a digital camera.

The LCD screen remains one of the most vulnerable areas of a digital camera. With many digital cameras no longer having a viewfinder the role of the LCD screen has become even more significant.

Recently a case where a screen had stopped working was reported to me. The camera was within warranty and was sent to a repair centre. There engineers discovered the camera had been squashed at some point causing a tiny chip to the corner of the screen. This was barely visible to the naked eye, but was the reason why the screen no longer worked. Although the damage was accidental it was considered that it had been caused by misuse and the camera had not simply broken down. Because of the way the damage had been caused the camera could not be repaired under warranty.

To have the screen repaired outside of the warranty would have cost £130. This is almost exactly what the camera would cost to replace new. On top of this you also have the expense of sending the camera off to the repair centre in the first place. Therefore the camera was really a write off. Although in most cases like this you can lodge a claim on your home insurance this is not really a route you would like to go down unless you have to.

When I asked the engineers about the problem I was told that although not a common problem it was one they had seen on a number of occasions. Although they could not be sure how the damage had been caused they said it was consistent with the camera being squeezed between other items in a packed suitcase or that someone had put the camera in a back pocket and sat on it. Therefore you can see just how easy it is to damage the screen.

There is very little I can recommend to help you overcome this sort of problem. All you can really do is take as much care of your camera as possible. You could consider buying a camera case though. The downside of this is that it may make it difficult to fit a camera in a pocket. Cases are relatively inexpensive. For a pocket sized digital camera you can pick one up for around £7 - £8 or even cheaper. These will offer some extra protection. For me the best place to pick up a camera case is from your local camera shop. A decent size shop should have two or three to choose from. Although the addition of a case doesn’t mean you can be reckless with a camera it does offer a degree of protection and could save you from writing off your camera.

How to Avoid Blurred Photos

There are three reasons why photographs may be blurred. The first reason is that the camera is unable to focus properly. The second reason is that there was movement of the subject while the shutter was open and the picture being taken. The third reason is there is movement of the camera while the photo is being taken.

First I will look at the problems caused by poor focusing

Focusing problems can occur when you are too far away from the scene for the camera to focus sharply, when you are too close in or when there is not enough light for the camera to lock onto the subject. You may also find focusing can lose it’s sharpness as you move away from the centre of a photo. This last problem can be especially true when you buy a cheaper camera or lens.

If any of these focusing problems are affecting your photographs then you can try changing the focusing method you are using. For example if your camera supports manual focusing then you can try this setting. Other methods you can try are macro focusing for close ups and infinity focusing for subjects that are a long way away. If the scene is too dark for your camera to focus then all you can do is attempt to add more light. If your camera has an auto focus illuminator make sure this is switched on and try moving in closer to take the photo. Moving in closer can help to increase the strength of the illuminator and therefore increase its effectiveness.

Next I will look at blur caused by the subject moving.

An example of this type if blur is if you are taking a photo of a moving car or if you are taking a photo of a child and the child moves unexpectedly. In some instances this type of blur will enhance a photo. For example it can help to give a feeling of speed in a cycle race. At other times it can spoil the shot.

The problem is caused by the amount of time the shutter is kept open to let enough light in to properly expose a photo. Therefore we need to look at ways to decrease the length of time the shutter is open for.

1. If you have a camera with manual exposure controls you can set the shutter speed to a fast setting.

2. If your camera does not have manual controls then you can try using a special scene mode such as sports mode.

3. Unless you have a very basic camera you will be able to change the ISO setting. Try increasing the ISO level. Be aware though that increasing ISO levels is likely to reduce the overall quality of the photo.

4. You can also consider using flash.

Finally I will consider blur caused by the camera moving while the shutter is open. This is often a problem caused by lowlight with the shutter needing to stay open for longer to let enough light into the photo. The same tips as for blur caused by a subject moving can be tried. These may cause additional problems though. If the shutter is not open for long enough as in points one and two the photo may be under exposed (too dark). Tip three may force the ISO levels up so high that picture quality really does suffer.

The best solution is to use a tripod. This works especially well if you use the self timer to trigger the shutter or another method that means you are not touching the camera while the picture taking is actually in progress. Using a tripod avoids all camera movement. This will therefore eliminate all blur caused by camera shake. If a tripod is not available then resting a camera on a wall will have the same effect.

It is not always practical to use a tripod or a wall and a self timer. For example if the subject is moving in a way that is difficult to predict. The only other action you can take is to turn on image stabilisation if your camera has this feature. This allows you to continue to handhold the camera. This does not always eliminate all blur, but should help to improve the quality of the photograph.

Shutter Lag and Digital Cameras

What is Shutter Lag?
Shutter lag is the delay time between pressing the shutter button and a photo actually being taken. Most of this delay time is taken up by the camera focusing on a subject.

How is Shutter Lag Different to Shutter Speed?
You will see in camera specifications a feature called shutter speed. This is completely different to shutter lag. The majority of consumer digital cameras set the shutter speed automatically, but there are models available allowing you to set the shutter speed yourself.

The shutter speed determines how long the shutter will remain open while a photo is being taken. A camera will open the shutter for the length of time it believes it needs to in order to let enough light into to expose the photo properly. This is unrelated to the problem of shutter lag.

What Happens When a Camera Suffers From Shutter Lag?
Shutter lag can cause photo opportunities to be missed. If you point the camera at a moving subject it is likely that the subject will have moved out of the photo by the time a camera that suffers from pronounced shutter lag has managed to capture the shot.

What Can Make the Problem Worse?
Try thinking of your camera as an eye that no longer has 20/20 vision. The easiest subjects for an eye in this condition to focus on are stationary objects when the light is good. Therefore a camera finds it harder to focus in poor light and on moving subjects. The difference in the time taken to focus in poor light as opposed to good light can be very noticeable.

Using flash can also increase delay times. This is more to do with the amount of time it takes for the flash to recharge and be ready to take the next shot, then any additional focusing issues.

What Can Be Done to Reduce Delay Times or the Effect of Shutter Lag?
There are a few things you can try. Just how effective they are likely to be will vary from camera to camera. Not all cameras will offer all of the features.

Pre Focus. You can pre focus by pressing the shutter button half way down. Then when you are ready to take the photo press the shutter button down the rest of the way.

Continuous shooting. The camera will fire off a rapid set of shots.

Continuous auto focus. When using this setting the camera will constantly try to focus.

Change the focusing method. Try using centre weighted focusing rather than multi point. Be aware that this can change the sharpness levels of the photo.

Quick shutter. Some cameras have a quick shutter setting. Be aware that in some situations this can reduce the quality of the photo a fair amount. So make sure you experiment.

Higher ISO settings. This may help with moving subjects and in lower light. Be careful how far you increase the setting by as this can lead to loss of quality in the photo. A lower quality shot is likely to be better than a totally missed opportunity though.

Scene Modes. Use sports, children or pet scene modes. These can help with moving subjects.

Predict where action will occur. Try pressing the shutter button down pointing at an area where you think action may occur. As you get to know your camera you should find an improvement in snapping action shots.

Lighting. Use as much lighting as possible. If indoors turn on as many lights as possible.

Batteries. Shutter lag can become more pronounced as batteries run down. Make sure your batteries are fully charged.

Digital SLRs
If always getting the shot is of paramount importance than the answer is likely to lie with getting a better camera. Digital SLRs are more expensive, but you should find the problem of shutter lag disappears.

Shutter Lag Comparisons
To compare shutter lag between different cameras that a look at my Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

Buying a Digital Camera With Image Stabilisation

Image stabilisation has been appearing in more and more digital cameras over the past year to eighteen months. In the beginning it was primarily available on cameras with super zoom lenses, typically 10x zoom or more. Lately it has started to turn up on cameras with shorter, more standard length lenses.

Why do you Need Image Stabilisation?

Whenever you take a handheld shot there is the possibility that you will not be able to hold the camera completely still. These small movements can cause a loss of sharpness in a photo. This can lead to the photo looking blurred.

How Does Image Stabilisation Work?

There are two main types of image stabilisation the first is known as optical image stabilisation. This works by a series of tiny gyroscopes in the lens making compensating movements for any shake caused by hand holding. The second type works in a similar way, but it is the CCD unit inside the camera body that makes the small compensating movements.

Watch Out For Anti Blur!

Some manufacturers trumpet anti blur and you may get the idea that this is similar to image stabilisation. If you see this in a specification read very carefully about how this works. If it works by increasing the camera’s ISO setting then I would recommend not using this method. This is because although increasing the ISO setting may help to decrease camera shake it is likely to cause a drop in overall picture quality as higher ISO settings can lead to noise creeping into a photo.

Do I Really Need Image Stabilisation?

To a large degree this depends on the length of lens the camera has and also what conditions you are most likely to use your camera in. If your camera has a long zoom lens and is heavier this makes it harder to hold the camera steady. On top of this the more you zoom in the longer the camera’s shutter needs to be open to allow enough light in. The longer the shutter is open for the greater the risk of camera shake and blurred photos. Therefore if you are planning to buy a camera with a longer lens then image stabilisation is more relevant.

If you buy a camera with a shorter lens it is of less importance. Even so if you are planning to take a good proportion of your photos in lower light then image stabilisation can help. In lower light the camera’s shutter has to open for longer to allow enough light in, so camera shake can be an issue.

If you are planning to take mainly outdoor photos, in good light, with a digital camera with a standard length lens then image stabilisation is of less importance.

Digital SLRs and Image Stabilisation

The same methods of stabilisation are available for Digital SLRS. There are lenses that have the gyroscopes built in and there are also a small number of camera bodies that have a shifting CCD mechanism. Buying a Digital SLR with a shifting CCD mechanism means that you do not need to pay a premium for stabilisation on every lens you buy.

My Camera Does Not Have Image Stabilisation. What Can I Do?

Placing your camera on a tripod and using either a remote control (very rare for a consumer digital camera) or setting the self timer will ensure the camera is rock steady when a photo is taken. Be aware that if your camera already has image stabilisation and you are using a tripod it is best to turn stabilisation off.

Summary

Look out for cameras offering optical image stabilisation or stabilisation through CCD shift. This feature is more important for longer lenses and shooting in low light.

What is a Conversion Lens?

What is a Conversion Lens?

A question I get asked is “How can I improve the capacity of the lens on my camera?”. With many cameras the simple answer is you cannot. There are though a small number of consumer digital cameras that allow you to attach a type of lens called a conversion lens. This is sometimes known as a lens converter.

What Digital Cameras Can Accept Conversion Lenses?
When it comes to lenses there are three types of digital cameras. The first is a typical consumer model where you cannot add any enhancements to the lens that has been built into the camera.

The second is a digital SLR camera. This type of camera does not have a lens built into it at all. In fact the camera is just a camera body without a lens. Lenses are then bought separately and attached to the body. The big advantage of this type of camera is that you can buy specialist lenses.

The third type of digital camera already has a lens built in, but you can buy conversion lenses to increase the capability of the lens you already have. There are not all that many cameras capable of using a conversion lens. Canon and Sony probably supply the widest choice of cameras that are able to accept this type of lens. Fuji and Nikon also have a small number of models offering this capability.

Types of Conversion Lens
There are three common types of conversion lens. These are telephoto, wide angle and macro. If you add a telephoto conversion lens you will be able to zoom in closer to your subject. A wide angle lens increases the scope of the lens to cram more detail into the shot. For example on a landscape shot you can increase the width of the scene you can get into the picture. Macro lenses are added to improve the quality of close up shots. This type of lens is not as common as the telephoto or wide angle converters.

Magnification Factors
You will see conversion lenses denoted as 1.75x or 2x or 2.75x or something similar. Taking the simplest example of a 2x lens you apply this factor to the length of lens already on your camera to find the new lens capacity. So if your camera has a 3x zoom adding a 2x converter will change it to a 6x zoom lens. A wide angle conversion lens will have a factor of less than one. An example of this would be a 0.75x lens. If your current lens had a focal length of 35mm (when converted to its 35mm equivalent) adding a 0.75x lens would give you the equivalent of a 28mm lens.

What Else Do You Need?
In most cases before you can add a conversion lens you also need to add a lens adapter. If you look closely at the lens on your camera you will notice a thread on the lens. Your lens will also have a thread size in mm. It is rare for a conversion lens to be available that exactly matches the thread size, so the adapter sits in the middle allowing the camera lens and conversion lens to meet.

Where Can You Buy Conversion Lenses?
Conversion lenses are not always that easy to get hold of. To save hunting around I would suggest going straight to your camera manufacturer and asking them where you can find a local retailer or where you can buy online. If you are not sure of the conversion lens and adapter to fit your camera I would also recommend discussing this with the helpline of your camera company.

A list of help lines can be found at: digital camera helplines

N.B. Conversion lenses are also available for standalone lenses for digital SLR cameras.