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By R. Jerome Harris

With so many camera models to choose from; given the wide range in prices, where do you start?

Well, ask yourself, “What do I want my camera to do? To take pictures; but want kind of pictures and what will I do with them? How much I am prepared to learn and how much am I prepared to pay?

OK, do you want something that is compact and can keep in your pocket at all times or do you want a camera that will allow you you to take pictures in any lighting conditions from any distance? Will your camera be used as a hobby, to take quick snaps, or on a professional level?

The Learning Curve

Most cameras today have fully automatic “point and shoot” modes that will automatically adjust your camera settings depending on your lighting environment. This might be all you want. Yet, there are times, when you want to get the results you want (not the camera’s results), we have to apply a little know0how and select more appropriate settings than the camera would automatically choose. In other words, you may want a camera that will let you bypass the automatic settings.

Before choosing a camera with lots of “bells and whistles” it is a good idea to ask yourself if you will ever use them. Will you bother to learn what all those dials and knobs do.

SLR or Compact

Generally speaking, an SLR (Single Reflex Lens) camera will have more dials, knobs, and menus than a compact camera. SLR cameras will require a steeper learning curve.

Most cameras on the market can be categorized into two groups: (1) Fixed Lens and (2) Interchangeable Lens.

The zoom features in compact digital fixed cameras are fairly decent, but limited. You may find yourself too far away or too close to get that special photo. However, with the SLR interchangeable lens cameras you simply snap in a telephoto lens and you are in business. Yet, the downside to SLR cameras is that they are bulky and you end up with a heavy camera bag containing all of the lenses and gadgets that go with it.

Digital or Film Cameras?

Do they still make film cameras? Yes, they do! I personally think it is time to move on. Digital technology is so good in relation to cameras and picture taking, it just does not make sense to use a film camera.

With film cameras, you either have to process the film yourself in a darkroom or take it someplace to have the film developed. With digital cameras, you take your photos, interface your camera to your PC with a USB cable and print them with a high quality color printer. Why, you can even doctor them up in Adobe Photoshop.

Which Brand?

In my humble opinion, the manufacturers that make the best film cameras are Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax and Minolta. As far as the best digital camera manufacturers, I would go with Canon, Pentax, Sony, Fujifilm, Contax and Leica.

If I were a professional photographer and was looking for an interchangeable lens digital camera, I would seriously consider the Nikon D90 with the 18-105mm lens. It boasts a 12.3 megapixel format and has lots of great features. You can even purchase additional lenses. This camera really feels good in the hands.

A second choice I would consider would be the Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens. It is a great SLR for the beginning professional.

What about the compact point and shoot cameras? I like the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS. While it is only an 8 megapixel camera (which is plenty), it comes with a 3X optical zoom. Plus, it is priced right.

My second choice would be the Pentax Optio A40.  It is a 12 megapixel camera with 3X optical zoom.

How many Pixels?

Several years back digital cameras were measure by how many pixels they boasted. The higher the pixels, the better the cameras picture taking quality. This is no longer true. Why?

Because typical digital cameras being manufactured today can produce tens of millions (mega = million) of pixels. In the real world, the number of pixels you need depend on “how big” you want to print your pictures. If you want a postcard sized or A5 then a 6 megapixel digital camera is more than adequate.

If you are printing poster sized images and you want quality (not grainy), then a 10 megapixel or more will suit your needs.

Something else to consider: You can have a high pixel digital camera but a low quality lens. The result can be photos that have average quality.

For example, when Canon updated the EOS 350D (Digital Rebel) with 8 million pixels to the EOS Digital Rebel XSi 12MP with 12 million pixels, the general consensus amongst reviewers seemed to be that the money you needed to spend on an upgrade would be better spent on a better quality lens.

So the answer to the pixel question is that we seem to have now reached a point where enough is enough.

You may see digital cameras in advertisments with 16 or 20 megapixels costing thousands of dollars. These cameras have sensors that are twice the size of those in the consumer cameras, hence the price.

In my experience - and this is my rule of thumb - the resolution of an 8 or 10 megapixel camera with a decent lens seems good enough for most purposes and at par with the quality of high quality SLR 35mm film cameras I used to own.

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