ShareThisBy ANNA WALLNER and KRISTINA MATISIC
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
With the holidays just around the corner, you may be thinking it's time to upgrade your camera so you can better document all those wonderful family memories. And sales on electronic items will be starting any day now! Here's how to wade through the sea of bells and whistles when looking for a digital camera:
_ Before you even set foot in a store you need to ask yourself three questions: What will I use my camera for? Do I want to e-mail my photos? And, how much will I be enlarging photos?
_ In addition to comparing prices of cameras themselves, you'll need to compare costs of extras such as memory cards (the digital equivalent of film) in case you plan on taking a lot of photos before uploading them to your computer.
_ Resolution refers to the size of the photo in pixels. Generally, the higher the resolution, the better the printed photo will turn out. If you're publishing your pictures or making large prints you'll want a higher resolution camera. If you're just e-mailing pictures to friends, 5 or 6 mega-pixels is plenty.
_ Check the quality of the lens. Higher-end models have coated multilevel glass lenses. Cheaper lenses are made from plastic.
_ If you like taking close-up shots of smaller objects like flowers, you'll need to inquire about macro focus ability.
_ Test the lag time (ie, turn it on in the store to see how long it takes to get going and how much time it takes between shots). A shorter lag time means you'll be better equipped to capture spontaneous events.
_ Look for a camera that has both an LCD screen and a conventional viewfinder. You can turn the LCD screen off to conserve battery power.
Anna Wallner and Kristina Matisic host The Shopping Bags on Fine Living TV Network. Contact them at www.fineliving.com. For more columns visit www.scrippsnews.com)
