How To Wednesday: Getting Started Part I

Since I’ve been asked on many occasions for suggestions on cameras, how to get started in photography, “how can I take better snapshots,” and “how can I make my images pop like yours,” I’ve decided to start a series of posts — that will appear every other Wednesday — with how-to tips and suggestions to help make your everyday snapshots better.

So — if you have a question you want featured, email it to howto@christinamccall.com and it’ll appear in an upcoming post!

This week’s how-to will discuss what to basics to consider when buying a good basic camera, aka the “point and shoot.”

Most of those who’ve asked me for recommendations just want something pocket-sized that’ll take good pictures in any condition/situation but isn’t too complicated to use.

My recommendation? Since I upgraded my point and shoot last summer, its the Canon Powershot/Elph SD1100 IS (I have the brown version). I bought mine on sale at Best Buy, but it currently retails for around $250 at Amazon. Not only does this fit in my pocket of my jeans, hoodie, or jacket, it almost always stays in my purse. And it came in quite handy when I was rearended last September — I had my proof photographed even before the state troopers arrived on the scene. Quite a few of the travel images posted here over the past month were photographed with this camera. I usually just stick with the 1GB SD card and image size at “L” and quality at “fine” so I can print poster sized prints should I feel inclined (a 1GB card w/ the settings I use will capture 432 images — I’ll go into this more on part III).

This particular camera had two features that the other two ‘finalists’ I was considering didn’t have: manual mode and image stabilization (IS) — the latter being great for when you don’t have a steady surface to put it on. It did lack one feature I really wanted — the ability to capture images in RAW and not JPEG format (RAW are uncompressed images and special software is needed to edit and convert them whereas JPEG are compressed images that do not require special software to view/edit them).

However, I’m not brand loyal to the Canon line. I did a considerable amount of research and weighed the factors most important to me when I made my final decision. I previously owned two other digital point and shoots in the Sony Cybershot line. An old 2 mp one that I still use from time to time that documented my Vienna trip in 2003 and a 7 mp one that I just wasn’t as satisfied with like its predecessor (I’ve since sold it). When I narrowed down my top contenders, a Nikon, a Fujipix, and this one, I headed down to Best Buy since two of the three coincidentally were on sale that week. And in the end, I walked out with the Canon.

The three main factors you should consider in purchasing a digital camera:
(1) What is your budget? Can you afford to spend $250 or more for a ‘good’ point and shoot that’ll let you do a lot, or will the $100 Black Friday special more than suit what you’ll need? Just because you may have unlimited funds or want the newest camera on the market doesn’t mean you need it or will use it to its full potential. Buy the camera you will actually use, not the coolest or most tech savvy that will end up collecting dust.
(2) What do you plan to use it for? Do you really need a lot of fancy options? Or do you just want something to capture things on the go? Again, buy the camera that will meet your needs.
(3) How large do you plan to print the images? If you plan on printing nothing but 4x6s or sharing them online, don’t waste your money on the P&S with the largest amount of megapixels. 5-7 mp is sufficient for 4×6 prints and the web, don’t let the sales guys at Best Buy or elsewhere tell you differently. However, if you want to print LARGE (and by large, I don’t mean an 8×10 as the in-store photo printer enlargement options make us think is large, I mean 16×20 or larger that’ll take up a lot of wall space when displayed), do look at the 8 mp and up point and shoot camera models – or a lower level DSLR (which will be discussed in part II).

Beyond these three, the rest will interest the technical shooters who want to have some control with the camera:
(4) Zoom. Focus (excuse the pun) on optical zoom, not digital zoom functionality. The higher the optical zoom, the better.
(5) Shooting modes — the more might not be the merrier if you don’t know how to properly use them. I tend to stick to one of three modes: Digital Manual, Digital Macro, or Night Snapshot. Mine has several other modes, including underwater, but I’ve yet to bother with them.
(6) ISO — for ‘old school’ film shooters, you’ll recall that low ISO was for sunny outdoors and high ISO is for dim lighting /nighttime. Same thing with digital. My P&S goes up to 1600 ISO.
(7) Don’t want to buy photo editing software to get creative? Look for options to shoot in black & white, sepia, and negative to name a few. Just remember, if you photograph something in black & white, it can’t be converted to color later.

Need some help finding out more about other brands and cameras you may be interested in? My favorite resource for all things photography is Digital Photography School — they have an entire section dedicated to cameras with reader comments.

In the next edition of How To Wednesday (on August 5th), I’ll discuss what to look for in purchasing a DSLR — aka digital single lens reflex cameras — and the best ‘starting out’ lenses.