I hope I have been able to educate you about taking sharp photos without boring you with too many details. 

In summary to take photos as sharp as possible you need to do the following:

Make sure everything you want is in focus

• Focus on subject
• Small apertures

Avoid camera movement

• Hold the camera properly
• Use faster shutter speeds
• Use a tripod
• Use flash

Avoid Subject motion

• Use faster shutter speeds
• Use flash

Get the best resolution you can

• Use 6 megapixel or better digital camera (or 35mm film camera)
• Use low IOS setting or film
• Use fine quality setting and highest file size on digital cameras
• Use good lenses (avoid cheap plastic)

Do these things and you’ll find your pictures will turn out sharp. Try to follow as many recommendations as regularly as possible so that the once-in-a-lifetime photo you take, turns out nice and tack sharp when you want to enlarge it. Just like you saw it!

This may seem like a lot to remember, but start with one or two things at a time. As you practice, your find more and more of your photos turn out sharp.

One last thing that will help you take a sharp photo is resolution.

Usually, we think only digital camera’s have resolution, but film has resolution too (some think that digital cameras are a revolution but we are just concerned with resolution right now). I am also going to tie film grain and digital noise into resolution, even though they are different from resolution because the end result in the real world is the same (less grain or noise will appear to be a higher resolution in many cases).

Resolution is the amount of information your camera records when you press the button. With a digital camera the light causes an electronic process in the camera. With a film camera the process is a chemical one. It is most easy to understand in digital terms. 

A six megapixel camera will produce a file of about 18 megabytes in Photoshop.

In a digital camera, the sensor chip is made up of little circuits that change when light hits them (to put it very, very simply so I can understand it). Each circuit records a speck or pixel of information about the light hitting it (again, this is a very simplified, inaccurate way of describing it but you get the picture). The number of pixels (basically dots) that make up the picture equal the resolution. The first digital cameras had a sensor with about 640×480 rows of pixels or dots. This equals about 307200 pixels or  about .3 megapixels (this was loudly proclaimed photo quality by the manufactures – a term they used for several generations of digital chips which still tends to give digital a bad name around some professionals). This is also typical of many mobile phone cameras today. The size of file this actually about 921600 pixels when you open with Photoshop in a computer. A six megapixel camera will produce a file of about 18 megabytes in Photoshop.

A good 35mm negative shows about 24 megabytes of information

By comparison, a good 35mm negative, when scanned into a computer, shows about 24 megabytes of information. You’ll find that a 6 megapixel camera will produce quality that is equal to a 35mm. This is why I recommend if you are looking for a digital camera you start looking at 6 megapixel cameras.

It is amazing how often that "once-in-a-lifetime" shot occurs

It is true that most people will never make anything larger than 4×6 or maybe 5×7 prints from their photos with maybe an occasional 8×10. A 2 megapixel camera will give an ok 8×10 and is just fine for 4×6′s. Why do I recommend a 6 megapixel camera if all you want are 4×6′s for your scrapbook?

Chances are, sooner or later, you will take a picture where you just cannot get close enough to the subject (maybe you don’t really feel like getting into the swamp for a close up of that alligator).

If you want to crop around that alligator you will actually be using a smaller number of those pixels. If our alligator takes up a quarter of the original picture, your 4×6 will already be more that equal to that 8×10 in actual information. What are the chances that photo will also be the one you really want to make 8×10 for the starting page of your vacation scrapbook? Because we view smaller photos more close up, you may not have as much detail when you crop as you would like (those sharp teeth may look more like dull white blobs up close). I can’t tell you how often I saw situations like this in the film processing business. It is amazing how often that "once-in-a-lifetime" shot occurs.

A 6 megapixel camera will provide a level of quality equal to 35mm

The standard in photo quality that most are used to has generally been the 35mm photograph. A 6 megapixel camera will provide that level of quality that we have become used to in terms of resolution. If you are really into photography one of the 8 megapixel cameras will make you happy for years.

What about grain and noise? Do they have an effect on resolution?

While a bit different than resolution, grain will make a difference in how much detail you see in a picture. Grain shows up as speckles in a photograph. It is very dependent of film speed. 100 – 200 ISO film speeds (or less) show very little grain. A 400 ISO film will show moderate grain. High speed films such as 800 ISO and higher show excessive grain. Again, at 4×6 size grain (even in high speed films) will not bother you much. As soon as you crop or enlarge those photos, that grain will become very apparent.

The film companies can charge a lot more for an 800 ISO film than a 100 ISO film

A few years ago, many film companies started to suggest higher speed films as do everything films (or even calling them "self adjusting" films – an extremely liberal use of the term – I won’t say dishonest, but….). While higher speed films do have an advantage when it comes to exposure latitude (the amount your camera can goof up the correct exposure) and stopping action (remember those high shutter speeds we wanted to eliminate movement), you may be sacrificing useful resolution for speed.

Not to mention. the film companies can charge a lot more for an 800 ISO film than a 100 ISO film.

I personally recommend not going above 400 ISO unless you are trying to shoot indoors without flash (and without a tripod). If you are looking for the absolute best photos you can take, and it is bright and sunny, use 100 ISO film. If your shooting fast subjects (sports like Grandpa in the Olympics mentioned above), or it is cloudy out, use ISO 400. Many point-and-shoot cameras are really designed for ISO 400 and if you need one film that will work in almost all situations use ISO 400.

What is noise anyway? (I don’t hear anything from my photos)

With digital cameras we have something that acts just like film grain only it’s called noise. Ever try to watch a television program on a channel that did not tune in good? Those little specks of color (the "snow") are noise. Noise is almost exactly like grain, the faster the ISO setting on the digital camera the more noise you get. For the moment, just like film, you’ll see little noise at ISO 100 -200.

Most consumer digital cameras lose out to film at ISO 400 and higher

This is where things change very drastically between digital and film. As I write this (early 2006), most consumer digital cameras lose out to film at ISO 400 and higher. In fact, combine a 400 ISO and a lower resolution camera or file setting (maybe 4 megapixel) and things will look more like that out of tune TV than a photo. This is very dependent on the camera. High quality new SLR cameras like the Canon D20, D30, 5D, and the 1D and 1Ds actually do better than film at higher ISOs. Typically the smaller chips used in point-and-shoot cameras are more sensitive to noise (even higher resolution models). While they are currently a little behind film (for the most part), I expect that within the next year we will see this change as the new cameras will improve on noise even at high ISO settings. Very soon I believe ISO settings will not matter at all as far as noise is concerned and will be an additional creative tool.

Always, always use the highest quality (jpeg) setting you have 

One other difference between digital and film is the quality setting on a digital camera. Always use the highest setting you have. Something that I can never figure out is why someone would spend hundreds of dollars more for the latest gigapixel camera and then use the lowest quality setting so they can fit more on a memory card. Buy a cheaper camera! (Sorry I feel like screaming.) Then spend the extra money on memory cards.

One last, minor factor on resolution is lens resolution and image size 

A lens also has a resolution or at least resolving power. A cheap plastic lens with simply not give you as much detail as a high quality lens from a top camera company will.

As we increased film resolution and began to use smaller formats the importance of having sharp lenses increased

In the early 1900′s camera lenses were no where near as sharp as current lenses. Photographers used larger sized film to help make up for this (along with the higher grain film had back then). The larger film formats would be less sensitive to lens imperfections. As we increased film resolution and began to use smaller formats the importance of having sharp lenses increased. Almost all digital cameras today use a sensor the size of an APS film format (about 1/3 the size of 35mm) or smaller. The only exceptions to this are very expensive professional level cameras.

This is something I have not seen mentioned in most digital photography discussions

What this smaller image size means is the quality of the lens is very important. It will actually have to be sharper than the lenses used for 35mm film cameras to produce the same level of detail. This is something I have not seen mentioned in most digital photography discussions. For the most part lenses today are extremely sharp but I suggest staying away from consumer electronic brands that so not have a reputation for optics, although many have lenses made by well known lens makers,like Zeiss.

Some manufacturers may do this to make their camera appear to make sharper pictures vs. a manufacturer that doesn’t sharpen as much but has a camera that produces more detail

Some digital cameras also tend to over sharpen the image when the camera is processing the image. This is something you won’t notice till you have an enlargement made and the halo around object is noticeable from over sharpening. Some manufacturers may do this to make their camera appear to make sharper photos vs. a manufacturer that doesn’t sharpen as much but has a camera that produces more detail. Some cameras will let you set the amount of sharpening done to a file. All digital photos will need to be sharpened at some point. It is usually best to go with moderate sharpening in camera and let the real sharpening be done as the photo is printed.

Here is the conclusion to this guide to taking sharp photos.

Every one wants to know how to take better photos

Probably one of the biggest reasons photos do not turn out like we want is because they are blurry or not as sharp as they could be. My goal with this guide is to give you advice on why this happens, and how to take sharp photos.

If you have been disappointed in results from your camera, it may not be the camera.

Just changing a few things in the way you use your camera, can make a huge difference in the quality of your digital photos or film photography and get you sharper photos. Even pro photographers need to keep these in mind when they take pictures or else they cannot rely on getting sharp photos to sell.

You may not need to run out and buy a new digital camera.

First, try a few of these techniques for sharp photos and see if they help. While a more expensive digital camera will have a higher resolution, if your 4×6 photos look unsharp with a 3 megapixel digital camera, they will look just as blurry with an 8 megapixel camera. You will see a difference with an 8×10 enlargement with more detail from a camera with a higher resolution.

If you try the techniques in this guide and still are not getting sharp photos, then it may be time for a new camera

There has been a great improvement in photographic technology over the past 20 years in lenses. It may be hard to accept but even better quality cameras and lenses are not a match for today’s computer designed lenses from Nikon and Canon. If you are still using a film camera you may want to think about buying a digital camera.

Most of these suggestions work the same for your digital camera as well as film but I will let you know if there is difference.

The main culprits are:

• Focus
• Camera movement
• Subject movement
• Resolution

A couple are closely related but I will try to tackle these reasons for blurry photos in order. First is focus.

Or, The Dark Side Of Digital Photography

Digital photography is the future, if not already the present of photography.

Of that, there is no doubt. However, there are some potential problems in digital photography that are often swept under the rug by the digital photo zealots.

This is not meant to be any kind of discouragement to anyone still considering going into digital photography.

I myself have not used a roll of film for any use in over two years. There is a good chance I may never use a roll of film again. It is important to be aware that there those out there that are always doom and gloom and just cannot accept the change. Do not listen to them.

If you know the potential problems with digital photography, you can better deal with them.

Some problems are being addressed by manufacturers and are being researched, these problems will eventually be fixed and digital photography my eventually outdo film in these cases. Other problems are unique to the way people currently look at digital photography and digital cameras. This type of problem will only be solved by individuals changing themselves.

Alright, ready for the 5 top problems with digital photos?

First, digital cameras do not have the dynamic range that the negative film you used to use, had.

What is dynamic range? Simply put, dynamic range is the difference between the brightest white with detail and the darkest black with detail. You are more likely to find heavy shadows or burnt out highlights. A digital photo at the beach could easily give you problems with a dark subject or an overly bright sky or sand. Digital photos with flash often have a washed out highlight on faces.

Is this terrible? It is not too bad. Many pros think of digital photography like shooting slide film which has a similar dynamic range. This is one of the problems that I am sure digital cameras will improve to the point it beats film.

Second, digital photos were presented as photo quality long before many would agree they were truly equal to film.

While a 2 megapixel camera will make great 4×6 photos, nearly anyone with decent eyesight can tell the difference between a good 35mm photo and a 2 megapixel camera at 8×10 size. Not only the lack of resolution will show but color transitions will also show some problems. A three or four megapixel camera will be much harder to see a difference but film would still provide a better picture.
Who would buy a 2 megapixel camera nowadays, you think? Well, people do buy them, but that is not the real point. I just recently heard a commercial exaggerating the ability of 4 megapixel cameras. Digital cameras now do provide film quality in detail and color gradation at the six megapixel range. Of course if you thought your Kodak Disc camera took great photos, go ahead and buy a two megapixel camera. If you are really trying to economize, you may be happy with a 5 megapixel camera but I would discourage anyone from purchasing anything with a resolution less that 5 megapixels.

Third, often digital photos are presented as more easy to fix than they really are.

There is the idea, that since it is digital, a bad photo can be fixed up in Photoshop later. Bad photography, fixed in Photoshop, is still bad photography. Movies and television often show computer fixes that just are not really possible or are very expensive and time consuming. Often, people see this science fiction and think it can be done, when the opposite is actually true. The JPEG format that most cameras save images in, does not allow corrections to be made to the file without a loss of quality occurring. Whenever you make changes to a digital file, at least a small bit of information is lost. The larger the changes made, the more information that is lost. Small changes may not make as much of a difference.
Combined with the lower dynamic range, many professionals have had to start being much more careful with exposure than they were with negative film.

There are two more problems with digital photography covered on page two.

Page Two of The Dark Side Of Digital Photography

Here is a real-life example adapting the principles in my guide on how to choose a digital camera.

My wife and I decided to buy a digital camera as a Christmas present ourselves last year. We chose to buy a Canon SD600 Digital Elph. I will briefly go through the reasons why we chose this particular model. This may not be the right camera for you, but I hope you can still use the method for choosing a digital camera that is right for you.

First of all, since I did not need advice from a local camera store, we chose to buy our digital camera online.

We chose to order our digital camera from NewEgg. NewEgg has long been a trusted online retailer for computer parts, software, and computers. They have an excellent reputation for service and great price. Also, they sell digital cameras.

This digital camera was for my wife to carry in her purse, and for us to use on vacations.

It’s been very inconvenient to carry a large digital SLR on our last few vacations. I had been thinking a compact point-and-shoot digital camera would be nice, and was glad my wife proposed we get for Christmas. The type of photography we wanted to use this camera for meant a compact point-and-shoot digital camera would be ideal.

My wife had seen a very tiny digital camera and suggested a camera like the one she saw.

The camera or she was referring to, had very low resolution, and was made by a consumer electronics company not a photographic company. I pointed out that a digital camera made by a real photographic camera manufacturer would not cost much more. I also told her, but I believe we would be much happier with a higher quality camera in the long run. My wife is wonderful, and of course agreed. We did agree, that we wanted a small compact digital camera. Size was a primary factor.

I firmly believe that Canon and Nikon are the two best camera manufacturers available in consumer cameras

Both are well-known for their excellent lenses and high-quality cameras. I am more familiar with Canon, and decided to stick with that.

Even though this was meant to just be a fun camera for my wife, he never know when you will take that one picture that becomes a real treasure.

It would be a real shame if that picture cannot be enlarged due to poor resolution. I always recommend at least a six megapixel digital camera because this will give results similar to 35mm. Again, the price difference between a lower resolution camera and a six megapixel camera is not that big. We chose to concentrate on at least a six megapixel camera.

Type of memory is often chosen by the choosing the brand of camera.

Both Nikon and Canon tend to use CompactFlash or secure Digital (SD). Because both these memory formats are popular among many manufacturers, both memory formats are well supported. It is easy to find good deals. In fact, we got a free 1 GB secure Digital memory card when we bought our Canon SD600 Digital Elph from NewEgg.

My wife is excited about the movie capability of the camera, I couldn’t care less.

It has some image effect features I also have no use for. It does have a nice optical zoom, which is more important. It is also one of the smallest digital cameras available with a reasonable resolution.

The camera came from NewEgg with all the cables and software that it should have.

Also included was the battery and charger to fit. Nothing was stripped out of it.

Our Canon SD600 Digital Elph was made for sale in the United States.

It has the USA warranty. I did not order any kind of extended warranty.

It came down to a choice between the Canon SD600 and the Canon SD630.

Both have the same resolution, and same zoom lens. The SD630 has a larger preview screen. The SD600 is just a hair smaller, and has an optical viewfinder were the 630 does not. With an optical viewfinder and a price about $40 less than the SD 630, the Canon SD600 Digital Elph was the final winner.

So far we’re both happy with the Canon SD600 Digital Elph.

It responds fast with little lag. It takes great digital photographs. It is extremely small and very convenient. Now, I just need to dig into that user manual. It’s a great camera for its intended purpose. I can definitely recommend Canon SD600 Digital Elph, and recommend purchasing it from NewEgg.

Before I summarize, I would like to list a few features that you should compare between models of digital cameras.

Optical zoom range

• Point-and-shoot digital cameras do not allow you to change lenses. Ranges generally go from 3x to 10x. Do not count digital zoom in this factor.

Lens speed

• This is a measure of how much light the lens lets through to the sensor. A smaller number is better. Many point-shoot-digital cameras have F5.6, F6.7, or even F8.0 lenses. Faster lenses are F2.8 but this is very rare in point-shoot models. Lenses tend to get slower as you zoom in more.

External flash hot shoe

• Usually not on compact models but some larger point-and-shoot models have them. All digital single lens reflexes have them. Another thing to glance at is the distance the built in flash is from the lens. A built in flash that is farther from the lens will show less red-eye. Unfortunately, small cameras do not have much room to move the flash away from the lens.

Larger preview screen

• Personally, I only take an occassional quick glance at preview screens when shooting a digital camera. I prefer optical viewfinders which do not get washed out by daylight. I find the histogram a more useful use of the screen for a quick check of the exposure. A large screen is nice, but still not the best way to view digital photos.

Rechargeble batteries

• Digital cameras will use tons of batteries. Many cameras come with a rechargeble battery. I suggest also ordering a backup so you can keep shooting after one goes out.

Ok, that’s about it.

To Summarize choosing a digital camera

• Do not go by the advice of a saleperson at a consumer electronics store.
• Buy at a local camera store if you feel you need advice.
• You can save money buying your camea online.
• What kind of photography you plan to shoot should determine what style digital camera you buy. A casual shooter should look a compact camera. The family historian should look at the larger, more versatile point-and-shoot models. The soccer mom needs an optical viewfinder or digital single lens reflex. A dedicated hobbiest will want a high end point-and-shoot digital camera or a mid to low range digital single lens reflex. A professional should not need to read this, but will want high to mid range digital single lens reflexes and also will need a spare.
• Buy a digital camera brand that has a history in photography – Canon and Nikon are the best examples.
• Buy a camera in the 6 megapixel – 8 megapixel range of resolution. This resolution will provide equal or better than 35mm film quality (providing insurance from quick obsolecence).
• Do not buy a camera just to be compatible with digital camera memory you already have. Secure Digital and Compact Flash will tend to have the best prices.
• Do not let nearly useless features determine what digital camera you buy. Stick with features that are really important on a digital camera.
• Make the price you are comparing includes everything the manufacturer normally includes in the box.
• Order a USA warrantee if you live in the US.
• Once you have several models that met the above guidelines, compare the remaining models on useful features.

I hope I have covered everything, no doubt I’ll find a few things I’ve missed from time to time. If you have a question or think I’ve missed something important, let my know from the link on the feedback page.

Is the type of warrantee that comes with my digital camera important?

You will invest at least a few hundred dollars in your digital camera. You have a right to expect it to work when you get it and not to break prematurely. No matter what brand digital camera you choose, occasionally something goes wrong and I will need to be repaired or replaced. This is where the warrantee becomes important.

In the United States you may be given a choice

A USA warrantee, or an import. If you live in the United States, the manufacturer may not honor a warrantee from outside the U.S. This is because the camera is gray market, meaning it was imported outside of the manufacturers distribution network.

Does that mean if I buy a camera without a USA warrantee and it breaks I will have to pay to get it fixed?

Not necessarily. Good businesses that offer digital cameras without a USA warrantee will usually offer to warrantee the camera themselves. This does mean you will only be able to deal with the store you bought it from, not the manufacturer.

This is ok, but there is a drawback

What if the store goes out of business? You may be left without any warrantee. Personally, the few dollars you would save are not worth it to me. I suggest sticking with the USA warrantee.

I know many of my readers are from outside the United States

I do not know at this time how the manufacturers handle warrantees outside the United States. I would not be able to give accurate information. If anyone is familiar with warrantees in other countries I would appreciate you letting me know how they work. That way I can inform others here. You can contact me by email on the feedback page.

What about extended warrantees?

Many stores may offer an extended warranty for an additional amount. I am not sure if I should recommend them or not. Chances are, if your digital camera works properly for the first year while under warrantee, it should work fine the next year or two the extended warrantee would cover. That is, baring physical damage that would not be covered anyway. It is really a choice you will have to decide on yourself. You can also check your credit card. Your credit card may automatically extend the warrantee itself.

Almost finished

The conclusion of choosing a digital camera

What Should You Expect To Be In The Box With Your New Digital Camera?

There are some practices that you find occasionally practiced by businesses. One practice is removing items that are originally included with the camera. Sometimes they are sold as an extra accessory with the camera "Do you want the cable to connect the camera to your computer, it’s just $10.00 extra?" . Sometimes, these items are simple sold elsewhere for profit (eBay?).

When you check prices, make sure everything is included in the price

It is not really cheaper if you end up having to pay extra for what should already be in the box. I do not think that is honest.

What should you expect to be included?

You should receive the cable to connect the digital camera to your computer. You should receive a CD with the driver for your camera and the CD usually has basic software for working with digital images on your computer. make sure you receive any strap that is supposed to come with the digital camera. Most important make sure the instruction book is included. If the camera comes with a rechargeable battery, the charger should be included.

The instruction book should have a list of things that are included

Make sure it is all there when it arrives. If not double check. Then call the store you bought it from and find out where it is.

It is not uncommon for a digital camera to come without a memory card included

Just expect this. It is probably a choice by the manufacturer, not from someone removing it. You should plan to purchase a new memory card either with your digital camera or from another source so you have it when your digital camera arrives.

I do not suggest kits or accessory packages that include lenses or flashes not made specifically by your camera’s manufacturer

These third party flashes and lenses are not the same quality as those made by the manufacturer. Do not be tempted by a cheap offer. They are not worth what they are charging no matter how little.

Packages with lenses by the manufacturer are a different story

You may want to take a look at them. The lens Canon includes in a kit with the Digital Rebel 300D is difficult to find when not bought with the camera. Any lens made by your camera’s manufacturer is much more likely to be of higher quality than one made by a third party.

Basically, make sure you get what you paid for

Make sure you know what you are paying for. You should be getting everything the camera manufacturer includes in the box. Otherwise, it is like buying a car and the salesman asking you if you would like a key to go with it.

Next, a little warning about warrantees.

I often see features listed on a digital camera that are not worth listing

Yet, they sometimes are the first thing someone buying a new camera will tell you about. Others, just do not have any value. I am going to give a few of these so-called features a bit of exposure here. I’ll let you know why if the feature shouldn’t make you run to another camera, at least should not be counted as a feature when comparing digital cameras.

While some of these features you cannot help avoid (many digital cameras have them) you should not let the following features be included in your decision

The dreaded digital zoom

This is not really a zoom at all. It is just a marketing ploy to make the camera sound better compared to a competitor. Unfortunately, this digital zoom thing has gotten pushed so far that all the camera manufacturers have a tendency to list it as a feature. A digital zoom just crops the image in camera and resamples the remaining information a larger file size. Digital photos taken with digital zoom are easy to spot next to digital photos taken with an optical zoom. So not count digital zoom as a feature. It is not. Only compare the optical range of the zoom. If you buy a digital camera with digital zoom, just forget your camera has it. You will get much better photos that way.

The built in movie capability

Let me tell you a true story. I had a client who bought a digital camera (from a salesman at a consumer electronic store). She did not own a computer. This is not the problem (it is possible to use a digital camera effectively now, even if you do not have a computer). The salesman pointed out the ability to record video movies with the camera as a feature. Thinking she would rather have a video, she used the video feature of the camera to record and important event ( I think it was a graduation).

This is where things went wrong.

The format digital cameras use to record video is not compatible with your TV or a video recorder. Digital cameras use either a Microsoft format (avi) or Apple format (Quicktime). These video formats need a computer to decode them (or you can connect your camera directly). You cannot directly save the video to a CD to play in a DVD player. It needs to be recoded for the DVD player.

The video produced by these digital cameras is not the same thing you would expect if you have a video camera either. It is small, usually size to a fraction of a computer screen and sometimes only uses 256 colors. In short, it looks terrible.

This poor woman listened to a salesman. She ended up with a tiny lousy video, that she could not even watch, when she could have had some nice photos to remember with.

Do not buy a camera because it is supposed to shoot video also. If your camera has this feature, use it only to play or at least try it before you rely on it for something that may one day be important. Do not record an important event this way. You will regret it. Use the still digital camera for photos.

As an aside, video cameras that claim to shoot still digital videos also do a terrible job at still photography. The method of recording still photography and motion is different. What looks good while in motion looks terrible in a still photo.

B&W / Sepia Mode

A cool idea that is not really needed. B&W and Sepia can be done in photo editing software later with much more control.

I mentioned built-in memory previously

This memory is usually not large enough to be of real use. I do not believe either Canon or Nikon make cameras that feature built-in memory. This is a feature that I would consider one of those "run away from this camera" features.

There is one feature that all digital cameras have that I suggest you forget

All digital cameras have a quality setting. I suggest you set it to the highest quality setting and forget you can change it. Why? Because to me, it make no sense to buy an expensive camera and then set it to take pictures like a cheap one. Buy a cheaper camera and get some extra memory cards instead. I’m sorry, it just does not make any sense to me. I just do not get it. Use the high quality setting you paid for.

Now that I given you some features to avoid or at least ignore, we’ll go over what you should expect in the box when it arrives.

What should come with my digital camera?

If you read the photo magazines, you might get the impression that the most important factor in a digital camera is the number of megapixels or its resolution

Well, yes, it is true, to a point. It is a lot like the nothing-beats-cubic-inches argument for automobile engine size. You do not want to be underpowered when it comes to taking great photos. You need enough information saved when you press the shutter button to make a sharp detail rich photo.

But you can have too much of a good thing

Some of the top end digital cameras have image chips recording well over 10 megapixels (16.7 megapixels for the Canon EOS1Ds Mark II). This translates into a huge, large file on your computer (even in a compressed JPEG format). Getting a resolution too large for your needs may make you feel like trading in that huge engine for a nice efficient subcompact.

So how much resolution do you need in a digital camera?

It is different for different needs. I do think there is a minimum you should consider for any digital camera no matter what you use it for. While a professional will definately see advantages in very high resolutions, especially for some puposes, there also is a level that reaches too much and becomes an inconveinience when it comes to saving those digital photos an working with them.

To get a good digital photo lets compare digital to film

I am going to use film quality as a measure for the quality to expect in a digital photo. Why? First because 35mm has become the standard level of quality for most types of photography. We are all familiar with the quality from a 35mm film camera. Second, you are going to pay much more for a digital camera than you would a film camera with the same basic features. It would make sense to me that if your going to pay more, you should at least get the same quality. If you go to an expensive restuarant you would be upset if all they did was run across the street and bring you a hamburger from a fast food chain.

What resolution digital camera will equal a film camera?

The level of resolution in a digital camera need to match the quality of a 35mm film camera is about 6 megapixels. Even on a very big enlargement, a good 6 megapixel digital camera will produce photos that will equal or better a 35mm film camera. This is the resolution I would recommend you use as a minimum when you choose a digital camera.

Why not a lower resolution – I do not make many big photos?

Again, you are still going to pay a lot for a digital camera. Paying just a bit more for a 6 megapixel vs. a 4 megapixel camera to get a quality level equal to what you would get with film just makes sense. It will help insure you are not looking for a new camera next year. The extra resolution will also help if you decide you need to crop in around a subject.

If you really do not care about quality you could get away with a 5 megapixel digital camera

I do not recommend it. I think in the long run, you will be much more satisfied with a 6 megapixel camera. Eventually, everyone takes that once-in-a-liftime picture. It would be a shame to find out that you cannot enlarge or crop as much because of a lower resolution digital camera.

What about higher resolutions?

If you are not concerned about the cost, I recommend them. You will enjoy greater flexibility in enlargement and cropping. It will not make too much difference in the typical 4×6 print but you will see a difference around 8×10 size and larger.

I have a few warnings about higher resolution digital cameras

As of Spring 2006, I do not recommend you buy a anything more than an 8 megapixel camera and you may even want to stick with digital point-and-shoot cameras in the 7 megapixel range. Because the image chips in point-and-shoot digital cameras are so small, as they add resolution to these chips, there is a tendency for noise to increase. It was noted in photo trade magazines that soon after manufacturers introduced their top of the line 8 megapixel point-and-shoot digital cameras, the next generation of top line digital point-and-shoot cameras were actually lower in resolution in the 7 megapixel range. This tends to be more of a problem at higher ISOs (light sensitivity settings) like 800 ISO.

This is not a problem with the Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras

They have larger size chips. This reduces the amount of noise they have. You will find that an 8 megapixel digital single lens reflex will produce a better photo then an 8 megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera. This will be even more true at higher ISO settings like 800 ISO. The 16.7 megapixel Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II has become known for fantastic results at high ISO settings.

The other problem with higher resolution digital cameras is the file size

The higher resolution your digital camera has, the more memory you will need. A 6 megapixel camera will fit about 75 uncompressed digital photos or about 150 compressed JPEG digital pictures on a 512 megabyte memory card. This is the largest size memory card that will fit comfortably on a CD for storage. Also, you will find larger file sizes will slow down your computer when you work on them at home. If you purchase a camera with more that 8 megapixel resolution, make sure your computer at home has a DVD burner not just a CD burner for saving your photos. You will also want to invest in larger memory cards and lots of them.

Just to summarize choosing the resolution of your digital camera

Look for a digital camera in the 6 megapixel to 8 megapixel range. If you are looking for a point-and-shoot camera maybe stay in the 6 megapixel to 7 megapixel range. This resolution will give you results equal or better than 35mm film cameras. Going higher than 8 megapixels in point-and-shoot digital cameras will increase noise problems.

Now you know quite a bit more about the digital camera you will be looking for. Next we are going to look at the different types of memory digital cameras use

What Type of Memory Should My Digital Camera Use?