| With so many camera models to choose from | | | | brand of the camera they have unless they |
| where do you start? Well, the way I choose | | | | have had some trouble with it, even then |
| any new toy these days is to start at the | | | | people are very forgiving. I think the reason |
| end. What do you want it to do? Err . . . | | | | for this is that people think that, if they |
| take pictures. Yes but what kind of pictures | | | | have made the wrong choice it is because they |
| and what are you going to do with them? The | | | | have somehow failed, and they are not going |
| other burning question is how much are you | | | | to admit their failure. Back in the 1980s I |
| prepared to learn?As you are reading this and | | | | had a camera shop in England and at the time |
| have actually made it to paragraph two, I | | | | a lot of people, who already owned an SLR, |
| think we can assume that you are prepared to | | | | were buying compact cameras 'for the wife'. |
| learn at least a little. So what do you want | | | | They would ask me which brand was the best |
| to do? Do you want something that you can | | | | and, if I didn't already know, I would |
| keep in your pocket at all times so you can | | | | discreetly try to find out which brand of SLR |
| snap the kids? Do you want a camera that will | | | | they owned, then I would recommend the same |
| allow you to take pictures in any lighting | | | | brand of compact camera.Trying to sell them |
| conditions from any distance (with the right | | | | another brand was like telling them they had |
| gadget screwed on the front of course)? Is | | | | made a wrong choice when buying their old |
| this going to be a hobby or just some quick | | | | camera and was likely to lose me a sale. So |
| snaps?The Learning CurveI haven't seen any | | | | I'd better have a really good reason for not |
| cameras on sale in recent years that do not | | | | recommending the Canon, Olympus, Nikon, |
| have a fully automatic 'point and shoot' | | | | Pentax or whatever and I didn't have one. All |
| mode, most will automatically switch on the | | | | of the well known brands produce similar |
| flash for you when it is needed so you may | | | | cameras at similar prices and, by and large, |
| wonder why we need all the other manual and | | | | you get what you pay for.I will stick my neck |
| semi automatic modes and an instruction book | | | | out a little bit here and say that in my |
| to make your head spin. The answer is that, | | | | humble opinion the manufacturers who make the |
| although the camera can produce good | | | | best film cameras the Japanese Nikon, Canon, |
| exposures most of the time, there are times | | | | Olympus, Pentax, Minolta and the German |
| when, to get the results we want, we have to | | | | Contax and Leica seem to make the best |
| apply a little knowhow and select more | | | | digital cameras. I would not be too happy to |
| appropriate settings than the camera would | | | | put my trust in brands whose traditional |
| automatically choose.Before choosing a camera | | | | expertise is in other fields when there are |
| with lots of knobs and dials it is a good | | | | such good cameras available from the |
| idea to consider whether you are ever going | | | | traditional sources. I will probably get a |
| to bother to learn what they are all for. | | | | lot of hate mail from people who have bought |
| I've been around cameras for many years now, | | | | Sony cameras or Hewlett Packard and are |
| and I'm still learning what all the settings | | | | perfectly happy with them. If I wanted a |
| on my latest camera actually do. I never | | | | printer Hewlett Packard would be top of my |
| bother to learn how to do something until I | | | | list and I am a huge fan of Sony video and TV |
| need to. So there are certain obscure | | | | equipment but my first choice for a digital |
| settings that I have yet to find a use for. | | | | SLR would be one of the names mentioned |
| Of course it would be nice if we could choose | | | | above.How Many Pixels?Until recently the |
| just the buttons we need and have each camera | | | | quality of digital cameras was measured by |
| custom made for us but in the real world all | | | | how many pixels they boasted. Now we have |
| we can do is choose the level of control | | | | cameras that can produce tens of millions and |
| based on how much we think we might want to | | | | it has ceased to be the only test of quality. |
| get involved. Generally speaking an SLR will | | | | In the real world the number of pixels you |
| have more knobs, dials and menus than a | | | | need depends on how big you want to print |
| compact camera which will give you more | | | | your pictures. If you mainly want postcard |
| control over your pictures but will have a | | | | size or A5 then I would consider 4 million |
| much steeper learning curve.SLR or | | | | pixels to be perfectly adequate. Even at A4 |
| Compact?All the cameras on the market can be | | | | size I would be hard pushed to tell the |
| categorised into a few simple groups. The | | | | difference between my 4 million pixel camera |
| most important two groups are fixed lens and | | | | and my 6.5 million pixel camera. Don't forget |
| interchangeable lens. The fixed lens cameras | | | | though that your cropping in the camera may |
| tend, with a few exceptions, to be smaller, | | | | not always be perfect so you may be enlarging |
| lighter and more pocketable, therefore you | | | | only a portion of the image and so only using |
| are more likely to have it with you when you | | | | a portion of the available pixels.Although an |
| need it. Well that's the theory anyway but I | | | | adequate number of pixels is important, the |
| think we can say that you are more likely to | | | | quality of your picture will be greatly |
| be bothered to take it with you on that | | | | affected by the quality of the lens. When |
| outing to the beach or the zoo.However even | | | | Canon recently updated the EOS 300D (digital |
| with today's zoom lenses, which are pretty | | | | rebel) with 6.5 million pixels to the EOS |
| wonderful, you will often find that you are | | | | 350D with 8 million pixels, the general |
| too far away or too close to get the picture | | | | consensus amongst reviewers seemed to be that |
| you want so you need to be able to change the | | | | the money you needed to spend on an upgrade |
| lens for a longer telephoto or a wider angle. | | | | would be better spent on a better quality |
| The other major advantage of these single | | | | lens. So the answer to the pixel question is |
| lens reflex (SLR) cameras is that you are | | | | that we seem to have now reached a point |
| actually looking through the lens instead of | | | | where enough is enough.There is also a school |
| a separate viewfinder so what you see is what | | | | of thought that we have reached the limit of |
| you get, although this is less of an issue | | | | the number of photo sensors that we can fit |
| now that we can review our photos on the | | | | on a chip and that a greater number will |
| screen of the digital camera. The down side | | | | cause the individual cells to be too small |
| of these SLR cameras is that you very soon | | | | compared to the space in between them. |
| end up with quite a heavy bag of gadgets and | | | | Usually though, when someone says something |
| are less likely to carry it everywhere with | | | | like that, the following week the boffins |
| you. However much I yearn for a compact | | | | announce a breakthrough which makes it all |
| camera for it's handyness I know I would be | | | | nonsense. You may have seen adverts for |
| frustrated by it's shortcomings so for me the | | | | cameras, costing many thousands, that have 16 |
| choice is SLR every time.Digital or Film?Do | | | | or 20 million pixels. These have sensors that |
| they still make film cameras? Oh yes they do | | | | are twice the size of those in the consumer |
| and I wouldn't mind betting that they | | | | cameras, hence the price. To me, the |
| continue to do so for many years and I | | | | resolution of a 6 or 8 million pixel camera |
| wouldn't mind betting that at some time in | | | | with a decent lens seems good enough for most |
| the future there will be a retro backlash and | | | | purposes and on a par with the quality I used |
| a large number of 'serious' photographers | | | | to get from a 35mm film camera.In the past I |
| will return to the darkroom. Some will | | | | have spent a lot of time and money in the |
| probably claim that they have never used | | | | pursuit of ultimate quality, I have owned a |
| digital at all, ever.You might think from the | | | | 5x4inch plate camera, a Hassleblad and two |
| remarks above that I am a diehard supporter | | | | Mamiya medium format cameras, every major |
| of film. Nothing could be further from the | | | | brand of 35mm camera and in the end, I would |
| truth actually I am now fully converted to | | | | be hard pushed to tell you which photo on the |
| digital and loving it. I am going to make the | | | | wall was taken with which camera. A fellow |
| pros and cons a separate discussion that will | | | | photographer once observed that photographers |
| be posted soon but, for now, I'll just say | | | | tend to smell pictures rather than look at |
| that I am completely sold on digital and do | | | | them, by which he meant that they were more |
| not feel that I have lost anything | | | | interested in the graininess and sharpness of |
| significant by changing.Which brand?This, of | | | | the image than the actual image itself.Geoff |
| course, is the big question that you really | | | | Lawrence has been a professional photographer |
| want an answer to and you know that nobody is | | | | for many years and now runs a website |
| going to give you one. If you ask anyone who | | | | offering advice to people who want to improve |
| already has a camera most will support the | | | | their photography. |