With Spring just around the corner, many are starting to think about
getting a digital camera. Are you thinking of getting your first
digital camera? Or perhaps getting one for someone else (or of course,
hinting to someone that a digital camera is the perfect gift)? We use
digital cameras pretty heavily, and get a lot of questions from people
who are considering getting their first digital camera. As far as we're
concerned, there is no one right answer for the digital or film
question.
If you are thinking about going digital, here are a few things to
consider in making the decision about timing and what type of camera
would work best for you.
1) Do you have a computer? OK, there's a good chance,
if you're reading this on the web or on your e-mail, that you have one.
If you have a digital camera, you're going to need someplace to store
those digital files, so a computer with a BIG hard disk is a good idea.
This also lets you edit and print the photos if you are so inclined. If
you don't have this capacity, then you should either think about
whether you want to invest in a computer, or stay with film for a while
longer.
2) Speaking of printing, what are you going to do with the photos?
If you want to print them yourself, then you will need a photo quality
printer. There are a number of good ones out there, some of them quite
cheap (under $100), and some of them don't even need a computer to
print (however, the limitations on editing the photos on these are
enough that we'd recommend having a computer with your printer).
There are two big reasons why you need to think what you're going to do
with the photos. First, if you are only going to put the shots on the
web or print the full frame photo to 4x6 inches, then there is no
reason you would need more than a 2-3 megapixel (MP) camera. The new
crop of 8 MP cameras looks quite nice, but why pay the money if you
don't need it. On the other hand, if you're frequently printing larger
than 11x14 inches, a 5-8 MP camera would be a good thing.
Second, if
you are going to do a lot of printing, then you may want to invest in a
good printer and good photo editing software (perhaps even good color
management software, but the mysteries of color management are a topic
for another time). After a while, taking your digital camera to the
local drug store, grocery store, or photo store for printing starts to
get old.
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