A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE ON HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST CAMERA

A camera option is available over almost all smart devices like phone, laptop, tablet, doorbell, etc. We all are familiar with taking a variety of pictures in different ways and sharing them on various platforms. Still, most of us use the cameras without having complete knowledge, by simply pointing and shooting for capturing a good moment that you never want to miss. If you wish to buy a camera that you have already move beyond taking pictures on your phone, then before trying to get a new camera of your choice, you need to have an idea of which one to opt for.

The Key Settings

If you're a beginner in digital photography, the three things that you need to be familiar is ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. All three works in concert. If you can control them, then you can capture fabulous photos even without touching the rest of your camera. Collectively, they are known as the Exposure Triangle as the aperture control on how much light you're exposing the camera, the ISO control on how sensitive the camera is to the light, and the shutter speed on how long your exposure lasts.

ISO

This describes the camera's light intensity. Its also known as 'film speed'. It is a static measure of the amount of light a film could absorb. But in the case of modern digital cameras, the ISO can be adjusted. If the ISO is higher, then it results in a brighter image. The camera's sensor and noise reduction processing quality depend upon the maximum ISO at which you capture the images. While considering this respect, the Canon’s 5D Mark III and Nikon’s D4 are the best.

Aperture

Aperture is a setting with an obtuse nomenclature. Usually, most of the lenses have their own ability to constrict the light which passes through them with the help of an internal element known as diaphragm, which can be further extended using controls on the camera. If you think you need more light on the image that you capture, then pull the diaphragm backward as far as it can, or if you need less light, just extend it and limit the incoming rays to a more focused, narrower hole. Simply, it is just a relative measure for the diameter of the camera's lens opening.

Shutter Speed

Opposed to ISO and aperture that direct how much light is absorbed once, the shutter speed holds the control on how long the camera spends on light collection. This is measured in fractions of a second. A 1/125 shutter speed means that the shutter is open for 125th of a second. If the shutter speed is higher, then it simply means that the camera captures within a shorter period of time.

Now, let's move deeper into the camera features.

Other Features that Matters:

The above discussed three features are the most important controls on a camera.

• Lens Sharpness

There is no specific method to know the quality of the lens. The problem is that the lens performance varies based on the aperture and zooming. But, a couple of easy guideline principle that helps you to choose the right one is as follows:

Construction Materials: Some of the lenses are made from real glass on the inside and with robust materials on the outside. This can be seen in Canon’s L series and the higher end of Nikon’s Nikkor. The DSLRs that comes with the kit lenses and the non-removable one that can be seen on cheaper cameras are made of plastic on both inside and outside. Such lenses are less reliable and less impressive when you come over the results. But, there are exceptional cases in the plastic lens which are good. If you are looking for a good lens in general, consider the weight and durable feel.

Prime Lenses: Apart from the zoom lenses, the prime lenses without a zoom function and with a fixed focal length performs better. For best results, you may need a camera with a capability of exchanging lens with a wide-aperture lens at each of the focal lengths-24mm, 50mm, 80mm, 100mm, and 200mm.

• Autofocus

Considering the autofocus feature, focus on more focusing points along with a faster motor for the lens. The reliability and speed of the autofocus need to be considered, particularly in low light, which is one of the ways you can choose the best while looking for professional cameras. Always stick on a fast-focusing lens on the camera that you wish to own.

• Sensor Size

All about sensors is that a bigger sensor results in better photos and with a bigger photosensitive surface area, more light is taken in at a time. Full-frame cameras have attained their name from the size of the sensors they hold. With a full-frame camera, a 24mm lens will deliver you exactly that focal length. In case of smaller sensors, a crop factor will work in between that tends to turn everything into a slightly more zoomed-in version of itself.

The sensor size and price are proportional to each other. Hence, medium format and full-frame cameras cant be reached by most of the enthusiasts.

• Megapixels

When planning to buy a camera, you need to look at the number of megapixels the camera holds. Always keep in mind that, more megapixels results in better images. Suppose, if you are looking for a 16 MP camera, then there are 16 million pixels that will get recorded.

If tons of megapixels comes on a small sensor, then the camera needs to calm a lot of information into a small space which overall results in image noise and lack of clarity.

• Zoom

Another feature you need to consider is the amount of zoom. There are two categories of zoom - Optical zoom and Digital zoom.

Optical Zoom: In optical zoom, the lenses that come with the camera move close and apart to bring a distant object closer by varying the focal length. This will not affect the quality of the image or video. Simply, optical zoom is just the same that we see in binoculars.

Digital Zoom: Digital zoom is the feature that you can see in most of the digital cameras. This zooming works by scaling up the pixels in the videos that you capture. Digital zooming is similar to cropping and resizing the video by using a video editor, except that here the camera itself will do it for you.

As you can see from the above, it's Optical zoom that you must pay more attention to. Today most of the camera companies offer 10x, 20x, and more zooming levels. Its all clear that more zoom means more versatility. If the camera that you choose can fill the frame with the object you focus at a distance, then you can capture better images.

In the case of DSLR cameras, the zooming factor is not a matter as you can replace the lens and can have different levels of zoom. If you like to capture images with various zooming levels, then you can go for interchangeable lenses that give you exact results.

First Plan then Buy!

Before buying a new camera of your choice, always make a plan with all the features that you are looking and then start searching for the one the exactly meets your needs. This will definitely help you shape the best options for your new camera.

myG, a complete digital hub, is well equipped with a variety of latest camera collections from which you can surely find the one you dreamed of. You can also have a look at myG online store and can order your favourite one which will be delivered on the same day anywhere in Kerala.