While it may be tempting to choose a Digital Camera or camcorder based just on its price point, color or body size, there’s also a few other additional factors which you should be considering.
So to unveil and decide on what your exact and most important digital imaging requirements are, you need to consider the following options. Then you’ll be able to decide your ideal digital optical solution.
Picking The Exact Digital Camera
You need to decide the exact purpose and usage plans for your digital camera. Do you enjoy just tinkering with all of its multiple settings and functions for making those creative shots, or would you just rather let the camera make all those optimal shot decisions and settings for you.
This can narrow down and pinpoint your choice between say either a compact camera, D-SLR camera, or a point-and-shoot camera.
• Are you looking for a digital camera with certain built in unique features, such as front and rear facing LCDs. Are you looking for a touchscreen LCD or wanting to take 3D photos and videos. How about a built-in projector or a body that’s freeze resistant. The latest digital cameras now have plenty of extremely advanced features.
• When your making the photo prints, how large are you wanting to go. Whether
it’s just the standard 4×6 prints or large poster prints. You’ll need the appropriate megapixel rating on the digital camera to be able to create those great looking crisp and clear prints to the exact size that you’re wanting.
• Are you looking for certain photo perspectives which the point-and-shoot camera’s can’t offer. A digital camera which has swappable lenses will give you the added flexibility to be able to take those up-close photos of your subject from far away, or snap those wide expanses as well as focusing on tiny little objects as well.
• Is it important to you that your camera is slim as well as compact enough to be able to slip into a shirt pocket or purse, or is size not that big of an issue. Some of the point-and-shoot models available today are extremely small, where the advanced point-and-shoots or the D-SLRs will have bigger bodies.
• You’ll also need to decide how close you want to get to your photo subjects. What type of optical zoom are you looking for to match your photography needs.
Choosing And Buying A Digital Camcorder
• What are you wanting to record in HD video? Just informal day-to-day type of events or for those special occasions, such as a wedding where the lighting and texture has to be absolutely perfect.
This should qualify you if you need just a standard camcorder or if you’re better suited for a shoot-and-share type of digital camcorder.
• Will you be holding the camcorder in your hand to shoot the video. Using Optical Image Stabilization can help in offsetting video motion blur if you accidentally happen to shake the camcorder.
• Would you be recording in low-light settings, such as say a high school theater performance or a sporting event a night. A digital camcorder that’s equipped with low-light technology can improve the quality of the video that’s too grainy in appearance.
• How active will you be when shooting the videos. The flash drive digital camcorders are usually better equipped and suited to handle the various bumps and shakes when shooting the video. There are shoot-and-share camcorders which are even waterproof.
• How close do you expect to get to your video subjects. You will need to have enough optical zoom to be able to match your needs.
• Which video offloading method are you wanting to use. Do you want to transfer them to a memory card, DVD, tape, or just connect it to your PC via USB cable. Once you decide, you’ll need to choose the appropriate camcorder recording format that is best suited.
Accessories For Your Digital Camera Or Camcorder
• You need to have the appropriate type as well as size of memory card for your new digital camera or camcorder. All of these digital imaging devices now require memory cards which are a lot larger and faster than their predecessors.
• Are you planning to have your pictures or videos just sitting on your computers hard drive or planning to upload them to YouTube for the whole world to see.
• If you’re wanting to see the photo’s as often as possible, then you can just simply plug your memory card directly into a digital photo frame. This way, you can have direct and instant viewing access for all to see.
Now that you’ve chosen the perfect digital camera or camcorder, you would want to protect it by keeping it in tip-top shape for as long as possible. So a well made waterproof case is needed. You can then protect it from any potential damage, such as lens or LCD scratches etc.