Choosing A Digital Camera

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Expert advice and frequently asked questions about choosing a digital camera.

Do all digital cameras suffer from shutter lag?
It is true that digital cameras do suffer from shutter lag. Shutter lag is the time in between clicking the shutter button and the picture actually being taken. Once the button is pressed digital cameras get to work setting the focus, white balance and exposure time. They also need to charge up the CCD. The end result, a brief pause before the picture is taken can be very annoying and can prove to be the difference between a great picture and a missed opportunity. As with most things in the world of digital cameras shutter lag times are decreasing as the technology evolves. In fact in higher spec digital cameras shutter lag has almost been eliminated. It won't be a problem with the majority of pictures that you take, but it is something to be aware of.

How can I tell which digital cameras allow playback through my television?
Not all digital cameras allow playback through your television. When you are reading specifications for digital cameras look out for ones that have "video out" under interfaces.

What is the best image manipulation software for images taken with digital cameras?
The market leader is Adobe Photoshop. This remarkable piece of software will let you do almost anything with an image. Before you rush off and buy Adobe Photoshop there are two things that you need to consider. First it is aimed at digital photographers who are looking for serious image manipulation. This gives Adobe Photoshop a fairly big learning curve and there are plenty of books and courses dedicated to helping you get the most from the package. Secondly it doesn't come cheap. A guide price is £500-550.

There are a couple of very good alternatives to Adobe Photoshop for those of you who are looking for more general image manipulation. One is Adobe Photoshop's little brother Adobe Photoshop Elements, priced at around £65-70. The other is Paint Shop Pro which you can pick up for under £40. I have used this package myself and it does everything that I've ever wanted to do with an image.

Cheaper still are products like Kai's Photo Factory. You shouldn't have to pay more than £15 and it gives you some useful image manipulation tools.

Digital cameras seem to have lots of features that I'll never understand. They must be difficult to use.
It's true that digital cameras, particularly at the higher end of the market do have some pretty amazing features. It is also true that these will really only be of use to serious photographers who want to experiment with their digital cameras and want to learn and use all that their camera has to offer. Even then digital cameras come with a fully automatic mode that will allow you to use it in a similar way to a traditional point and shoot camera. The important point to remember here is that feature rich digital cameras also cost a lot of money. If you are not planning to make use of all the available features then I would suggest that you buy a model with a smaller feature set and save yourself a loot of money. You will find that digital cameras that are more basic in the functionality that they offer are also more easy to use.

How much is a good printer to print photographs taken with digital cameras?
The most common type of printer for home use is the Inkjet. You can buy an inkjet that gives an acceptable level of print quality for under £100. In my view though, you have to pay around £300 if you are serious about printing at home.

Even then to get the best results you need to use coated photographic paper. This can prove to me quite expensive. Ink cartridges do not last long, especially if you are printing up to 8x11". You need to factor additional cartridges and paper into your budget, because together they can increase the costs substantially. If you are not planning to print that many pictures then I would advise you to consider having your photographs printed by a professional printing services company. Otherwise it begins to get hard to justify paying out for the printer and consumables.

If you are more dedicated to your photography and are looking for a higher standard print than is available from the inkjet range, then you can buy a dye sublimation printer. These are a clear step up in terms of print quality, but there is also a clear step up to pay as well. A good quality dye sublimation printers could cost you around £300.

Printing has become a major growth area in digital photography and there are now plenty of professional services that you can select from at a very reasonable price. You can either drop into shops such as Boots or take advantage of online printing services. The one I use is PhotoBox. I have been very impressed by how easy it is to use the service and how little it costs.

I find all the different memory cards confusing. What's the difference?
It is a fact that there are many different types of memory card around. Normally a digital camera is compatible with just one type of card. Sometimes a digital camera can use a variety of different types of cards. The important point is to make sure that the card you buy is the right type for your camera. If you are not sure make sure it is probably best to buy from your local camera shop where the staff should be able to help you.

The most common type of card is the SD (Secure Digital) card. Fuji and Olympus tend to use xD cards, while Sony use their own Memory Sticks. More advanced cameras still tend to use CompactFlash because of the high storage capacities available on a single card.

To learn more about memory cards take a look at: All About Memory Cards

What size memory card should I buy?
It depends on the number of megapixels your digital camera has. If you have a digital camera less than five megapixels then you can get away with 64mb. Ideally you would go for a card with a higher capacity, but if your budget is restricted then a 64mb card will allow you to record around between 30 and 35 images. For

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