So you have decided you will go digital and now it is time to make a choice from the wide variety of digital cameras available.

But to avoid being a camera salesman’s dream customer and make sure you get the best deal and the right camera, there are a few things you should know before you head out to begin shopping.

Making a few decisions before you shop can make the whole experience of buying a digital camera far more successful for you. Here are a few tips that will help.

Article: Camera – Tips About Going Digital
by Guest Photographer: Elisabeth Haywarden

After seeing all the hype about digital cameras on television and watching all your friends endlessly taking hundreds of shots of their children in just moments, you’ve decided to go digital. If you’ve begun looking around the web or in nearby stores, you’ve surely realized that there is no end to the variety of digital cameras.

How do you know that the sales clerk isn’t trying selling you the highest priced camera in the building? How do you know if you’re really getting great quality at a fabulous price?

Before you begin shopping, determine your needs. Are you planning to use your camera to start taking photography classes, so you want a camera that will last and grow with you? Are you looking for a camera with a lot of capabilities for vacations and your child’s big events that will be easy to carry? Are you looking for something small and easy to carry for nights out with your friends?

For each of these situations, you would want to choose a different camera. You can spend your money wisely if you get a camera that has only what you will really need thats practical for you to use.

You’ve probably heard hundreds of different terms dealing with digital cameras; here are some of the most important.

First, there is the famous megapixel, which describes the resolution, or the capability to produce larger, higher-quality prints. The higher the megapixel, the better the resolution.

If youre only interested in printing 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 pictures, a 2-megapixel camera will be fine for you; however, if youre planning to print larger 8 x 10 prints, you will need at least a 3-megapixel camera.

Another important aspect of your new digital camera will be its battery life. Digital cameras use batteries up quickly, and you will want to be certain your camera lasts through important events.

Buying a camera in which batteries will last for between 200 and 400 pictures is highly recommended by most experts. Although this may seem like a lot of pictures, one of the greatest qualities of a digital camera are its ability to capture many moments quickly and easily.

Other important capabilities that you should consider when purchasing your new camera are its zoom potential and storage capacity.

The zoom is especially important when you’re at major events, such as a basketball game or your child’s play. You want to get the closest, clearest pictures possible. Optical zoom produces clearer pictures, on average, than digital zoom.

As with battery life, the storage capacity of your camera can greatly affect the number of pictures you are able to take at a time. The recommended storage capacity for the average digital camera owner is between 32MB and 128MB.

Now that you have some ideas about what to look for in a digital camera, head out to the store or the Internet to find the perfect camera for you and your family. Many websites will actually allow you to compare different cameras and their features.

By doing a bit of Internet research, you may be able to cut down some of your time in the store by having an idea of what you’re looking for. This capability to get a general idea of the quality and price you are looking for will save you time and money.

Elisabeth Haywarden’s articles on topics related to cameras and photography are published at For Camera, and FYN Photography.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Published by: PhotographyKnowHow

Publisher’s comments: Flash photography is great for getting good exposures in low light. Unfortunately, it can also create some problems that won’t be seen until the photo is taken. There is nothing so disappointing as capturing that perfect moment only to find that the flash on your camera ruined the shot. Might be a reflection, a strange glare, red eye or weird shadow. And because the light is not seen until the brief moment of the actual shot, you won’t notice these things until it is too late.

5 of these common problems and how to avoid them are listed in this article and will help you avoid those disappointing flash photos.

Flash Photography – How to Avoid 5 Common Problems

Whether the flash on your camera is built-in or a separate unit, you use it to provide enough light on your subject to take a good photograph. When just starting out taking pictures with your camera, you will most likely encounter at least one of these problems when using your flash. This article provides you with at least one solution to each of these common problems.

1. Flash Glare behind subject: this is usually the result of taking a photo of your subject with a reflective surface, such as a mirror, window or polished surface, behind the subject. If it is not possible to move your subject, take the photo at an angle to the reflective surface so that the light from the flash does not reflect directly back at the camera.

2. Subject too far away: you must know the range of your flash to know just how far the light will effectively reach. On average, the maximum distance is about 15 feet. If your subject is any further away the photo will be dark. Also note that there is a minimum distance as well, usually about 2 feet. This explains why the photo you took at the concert had the head of the person in front of you over-exposed and the stage in relative darkness.

3. Red-eye: the light from the flash reflects off the retina in the eyes of your subject causing them to appear red in the photo. Many cameras have a red-eye reduction feature that fires the flash once to make the pupils of the eyes close more and then fires again when the photo is taken a second later. If you do not have this feature or dont wish to use it, simply have your subject look slightly away from the camera.

4. Glare on Glasses: if your subject wears glasses and prefers to leavethem on, you can effectively eliminate the glare by having them tilt their glasses down slightly.

5. Shadows: if your subject is standing close to a wall, the flash may cause a dark shadow to appear as a halo around your subject. If possible, have your subject move away from the wall. If this is not possible and you can adjust the angle of the flash, bounce the flash off a reflective surface – a light colored wall or ceiling will do. The light from the flash is more diffuse and will reduce or eliminate the dark halo.

For more useful tips and information on photography, visit the photography tips website.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Shooting great photos happens by improving the photographer, not having a better camera. These tips are aimed at helping you see and take better photos.

Article : 7 Tips for Shooting Great Digital Photos
by Guest Photographer: Gary Hendricks

Do you have trouble shooting good digital photos? Perhaps you’ve been taking digital photos for some time, but never really got the beautiful shots you wanted. Maybe you somehow messed up the photos you took of important events, like your daughter’s birthday or your trip to Paris.

How do you begin to take good photos? Well, the first thing to remember is this: It’s the photographer that takes great photos, not the camera. Think about that for a minute. It’s true isn’t it?

I’ve seen some people take great photos with a simple point-and-shoot camera, while some take lousy shots with the most expensive SLR.

Fret not! Read these tips on shooting digital photos and apply them the next time you have a chance. Before long, you’ll be shooting photos like a pro!

1. Know Your Camera
Does this sound familiar? You buy the latest digital camera out there, come home, rip off the box, then proceed to fiddle with the device. You briefly flick through the hundred page camera manual and then never look at it again. Not a good idea! If you buy a digital camera, you owe it to yourself to understand its ins and outs. Learn how to control exposure, how to use different camera modes and how to use the flash. The knowledge you gain about the camera will be invaluable when you’re out in the field taking those special photos.

2. Learn to Control the Flash
One of the most important things you need to know about digital photography is to control the flash. Personally, I hate to rely on the automatic flash that comes with the digital camera. Depending on the situation, you need to switch off or switch on the flash.

For example, when taking outdoor photos, it is sometimes good to turn on the flash to illuminate the subject, especially if he or she is in the shade. On the other hand, you can also choose to turn off the flash when taking indoor shots. Sometimes, using the flash indoors will result in unnatural skin color and harsh glare in your photos.

3. Play with the Macro Mode
Almost all digital camera these days have a macro mode. This setting is ideal for taking close up shots of objects like flowers or insects. On my Canon PowerShot S500, it’s represented by a flower symbol. What you do is to pick a subject, turn on macro mode, then get as close to it as your camera will allow. Make sure you allow the camera to focus properly before depressing the shutter button fully.

4. Hold the Camera Level
A basic rule of photography is to hold the camera level. Since most digital cameras come with a LCD, you can use it to properly frame your shots. Next time you’re taking a shot, try to look for the horizontal lines and use them as guides. A good example is to make use of the horizon when you’re taking a photo of a sunset.

5. Use The Tripod
I recommend this tip to all budding photographers – camera tripods are an essential tool in your photography arsenal. When will you need a tripod? Well, it’s useful if you’re taking shots under low-light conditions or trying to capture fast moving objects. I like to use a tripod when taking night shots city streets, for example. Always try to look for a tripod that’s convenient to carry around. For personal use, you don’t need a huge one – just a simple compact one that’s easy to pack.

6. Play with the ISO Setting
I find the ISO setting in digital cameras very useful. The ISO setting of a essentially camera controls it’s sensitivity to light. If you’re taking a photo of a still object, like a flower, then always use a low ISO setting. It allows for a longer shutter speed and produces a cleaner image. If you’re shooting a moving object, like a baby playing with a toy, then a higher ISO setting of say 400 would be better. Do take note, however, that a higher ISO setting gives a faster shutter speed and requires less light. This will produce noiser photos.

7. Have Enough Memory Capacity
Just like you must have enough rolls of film when using traditional cameras, make sure you always have enough memory capacity in your digital camera. It’s terrible to be on a holiday taking great photos and suddenly realizing you’ve no memory space left. Here are some general guidelines for digital camera storage.

2 megapixel cameras – get at least a 64MB card
3 megapixel camera – get at least a 128MB card
4 megapixel camera – get at least a 256MB card
5 megapixel camera and above – get at least a 512MB or 1GB card

Conclusion
Whew. A pretty long article. I hope I’ve managed to give you some good tips on shooting great digital photos. Always remember what I said – while the latest and greatest digital cameras have amazing features, you still need a skilled photographer to take nice pictures. Apply the above tips to your everyday shooting and learn to be a better photographer.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Photography is a popular hobby enjoyed by millions of photo enthusiasts around the world. Amateurs and professionals alike love to share their photos with others as well as pass along their knowledge of photography.

Digital Camera vs. Film – Pros and Cons
by Brandon Layne

Consumers have been pretty receptive to the lower priced “point and shoot” models (some 5 million digital cameras were sold in the U.S. during the Christmas 2005 holiday season), but there are still some holdouts.

Great strides have been made in digital technology over the past few years, but more sophisticated digital cameras have only recently come down in price enough to attract the “serious amateur” market. In the past, the price of high-end digital camera equipment was more suited to the professional who could turn that investment into an income source.

Even traditional film buffs are slowly coming around to the benefits of digital photography. Among the holdouts, the chief problem seems to be confusion. There are so many choices, with a broad range of options, and just as many price ranges.

It’s cheaper not to make a decision, than to make a mistake.

They get lost in the terminology, and have reservations about the quality of digital photos and about the reliability of the digital cameras. With the whirlwind of innovation flooding our lives everyday, it’s become really difficult to keep up.

Technology advances, prices come down, and a deal today may be obsolete tomorrow. At least that’s what worries many potential digital camera owners.

So let’s look at five of the most common questions about digital camera photography to shed some light on the matter, for those who are hesitant about this new technology, or who have dismissed it as a mere fad.

1. Do digital cameras produce quality photos?

Digital photos can be displayed at very high resolutions, and could easily surpass conventional photographs, but many have seen poorer quality images. Early color printers could be used to print color photos from digital cameras, but the quality just wasn’t there. Blurry images on low-grade computer monitors or on the small LCD screens of the cameras themselves, do nothing to increase your confidence.

But view the high resolution images available from today’s digital cameras on a capable monitor or after being printed on one of the newer photo quality printers (using photo quality paper) and you’ll see the crystal clear quality of what is available today.

2. How durable are digital camera photos?

Digital camera photos are not stored on film. They’re stored on electronic memory devices that actually require much less care than negative film.

As long as reasonable care is taken of the particular storage device, there shouldn’t be any problems with protecting images caught on a digital camera, and you can easily make copies of the digital image files on your computer or even burn them to a CD – an option that isn’t available with film.

3. Are digital camera photos more expensive to process?

Not anymore. First, you can eliminate any poor images before printing and only pay for those that you print. With “easy share” technology and photo quality printers now available, it is both affordable and convenient to print digital camera photos.

You can even do the task yourself, in the comfort of your own home – without buying expensive development chemicals that are required for film processing! Or, you can send your images electronically to a professional processor, and receive professionally produced photos back in the mail in just a few days.

4. Can I get different effects with a digital camera?

That depends on the digital camera. High end models have built-in features that allow different kinds of effects. But even if your digital camera doesn’t have these advanced features, you can always manipulate the photographs on your desktop computer, using any image editing software.

5. Are zooming features comparable?

Here digital cameras actually have a distinct advantage over film cameras. While cheaper digital cameras may only have digital zoom (which is really just a form of in-camera enlargement that results in a lower resolution original image), high end models are available with both digital and optical zooming.

When shopping for your digital camera, give priority to the optical zoom capability and buy the highest power optical zoom that fits within your budget. Digital zoom is a nice extra, but the effects can easily be replicated during the “processing” of the image on your computer, prior to printing the images.

As a “serious amateur”, Brandon Layne uses both film and digital photography primarily for fast action and nature shots, and publishes tips and techniques for digital photography on the web. Read his tips on digital photography and learn to shoot better photos with your digital camera.