Choosing The Best Camera For You

If you enjoy taking photographs while you are out and about, or you need to use a camera for work, you will need to take many aspects into consideration in order to find the best camera to suit your individual needs and requirements.

As with any other electronic gadget, finding the best camera can be a lengthy process, after all, everyone’s needs and desires are different and there are many camera options to choose from. However, with a few tips, you will soon be on your way to finding the perfect camera for you.

Set Yourself a Budget

So, how should you go about finding the best camera for you? To start with, you will need to decide on a budget for your purchase. Cameras differ widely in cost, depending on the model and specifications of the gadget in question. Small and compact digital cameras can now be purchased for very reasonable amounts of money, but if you need a camera for professional use, this kind may not be the best camera to get.

More advanced cameras can cost hundreds and in rare cases thousands of pounds. However, if you know what you want from a camera, understand your limitations and set yourself a realistic budget, then you should have no problem in tracking down the perfect camera.

What Features Do You Need?

Have a think about the kind of features that you require on your camera – it’s always a great idea to make a list that you can refer to when you are shopping around. There are a myriad of potential features available, but don't focus solely on fast shutter speeds for sport and action photo's if you're actually into still life.

Another example is if you require a lightweight compact camera, or whether you would prefer something larger and sturdier for using with a tripod? Also think about the lens that you require i.e.. will you mostly be taking close-up pictures, or will you be using your camera for long distance shots.

Film Vs Digital

Although digital cameras have seen a surge in popularity in recent years, many people still prefer to use traditional cameras with a physical film – if that’s the case, you will need to find out how much the films will cost to purchase and develop, as costs can soon build up when you factor in film processing costs.

If you do opt for a digital camera, consider the memory that you will need. Generally speaking, you can buy memory cards in various sizes to fit into your digital camera. So there's no issues with storage of hundreds or thousands of images if you need. They can always be downloaded to a PC / Mac once you have finished your shoot anyway.

Modern Cameras

Modern cameras also have a wealth of other options, such as auto-focussing, zoom options, image stabilisation, different pixel resolutions and even video shooting modes, generally speaking, the more features that a camera has, the dearer it will be, although with a little research you will be able to find the best camera for you, at a very reasonable price.

Smartphones

Seriously, don't knock the latest smartphones as the camera technology has improved vastly over even the last 12 months. With the latest lens technology, superb features to capture all kind of pictures, up to 15m pixels as standard and of course the convenience of always having it with you, for most of us it's a hard one to beat.

Add in low light settings, video, photoshop-type editing on the fly and what you have is a superb all-round camera on your phone. Good enough for most of us, it's why SLR cameras have taken such a hit in terms of who buys them.