Camera comparison, you ask “Where do I start?”

Every "expert" has their own ideas on correct camera comparison and how you should choose. I will start by saying I feel most are misleading.

Most of the advice is based on technical specifications of the machine rather than being based on you and your desires. You are a human being not a machine. Don't you think you should decide based on what you will be most comfortable with and what you want from the equipment?

If you have already settled on a specific camera please read through this comparison page anyway. It will do one of two things. It will either reinforce your decision or it may raise some issues you haven’t considered.

It seems that every market, whether it's automobiles, tooth brushes or cameras bombards us with all the reasons their product is technically superior to, and will outlast all the others.

What they seem to overlook in camera comparison, as well as the rest of the products is comparing them in a way that shows me how it will benefit me. What will it do that will ultimately make me happy.

In photography what makes me happy is the finish picture. I'm happy with this truck. Another shot taken with an inexpensive camera. I've spoken of post editing. This photo is the result of pretty simple post editing.

In any category of product these days, when you are comparing apples to apples, the reality is that relative quality is so very close. It becomes more a matter of personal preference, even in camera comparison.

All the little things that make a difference to you. The size, how it fits your hand. How easy it operates in comparison to the scope of features it offers and all that in comparison to the range you personally want in your camera. All the little things that matter to you.

O.K. We’re off and running. First in your camera comparison shopping, find which category of camera is right for you. The answer to which category depends on the answer to a few other questions. Once you have these answers you can delve into brand name and features. Then you will be able to find your personal “Best Camera.”

The category names I choose to use for camera comparison are

*Ultra compact

*point & shoot

*Advanced point & shoot, and

*DSLR

Don't just look at your current level of expertise or how you expect to use the camera. Rather, I strongly urge you to make a chart for cross comparison of your criteria.

First, what will you photograph most? It sounds pretty elementary but where and how you will spend most of your time snapping makes a huge difference in what equipment you should use. We will cover cost of equipment in due time. Right now concentrate on what you will be shooting.

For instance. Ask yourself

*Am I a beginner, amateur, advanced amateur, semi professional, or what?

*What rank do I want/expect to achieve and how long do I expect it to take?

*Is there a possibility I will never pick up the camera after the first few times?

*How will I mostly use the camera? Action like animals, sports and children? Or are most of my subjects still, maybe slight movement.

*For the few times I will do more advanced shooting, should I invest in a larger, more expensive one?

*How much do I want to invest? What: cost vs. how often I’ll use it, will I be happy with?

*What is the most I can possibly invest should I so choose? Even if I have to work overtime!?

*Am I willing to carry around a huge camera and accompanying equipment to get the most advanced shots?

*Do I have a specific need? I.E. I have to carry it in my shirt pocket. I have to make poster size prints. I am shooting fast moving subjects like speed boats.

*And, anything else you can come up with to fit your circumstances.

Don’t worry if you cannot balance the answers right now. By the time we are finished with categories of camera comparison you will know how to choose.

Entry level cameras, do create beautiful memories.

If you shoot still or slightly moving subjects a point & shoot may be just right for you. For landscapes they are fine as long as you don’t plan to zoom in too much. I’ve noticed that they seem to be universally great for close up photography.

That is the ones that have macro capability. Check out this picture taken with a $100 digital point & shoot. You can even see the thickness of the filter paper where it connects to the body of the cigarette.

In camera comparison, those at the entry level are taxed in low light shots and action shots. When you combine low light with action, like volley ball at sunset, you’ll be hard pressed to crisply capture the instant you want.

I find that even many who are new to photography, after they have made their camera comparison, decide they are better off with a little more advanced camera. As an example, many parents love to take pictures of their active toddlers or their youngsters in sports.

There are some point & shoots that do a pretty good job at it. Yet in comparison to faster cameras they blur or miss the shot altogether because the camera itself is slow to focus and shoot. It is seldom one will snap that vivid, close up memory with a point and shoot.

Can you see yourself in later years, sitting in your rocking chair, tears streaming down your cheek remembering when he kicked his first goal? This kind of vivid memory, to me, is priceless and you can only expect a revisit by using certain Advanced Point & Shoot cameras or a DSLR. (lots of $)

I am the type who wants it all. This alone would make my decision. I would get the money to invest and learn what I have to in order to create these memories.

That’s me. Is it you? This is one of the things to keep in mind during your camera comparison.

Prosumer is a fairly new term. It refers to goods that are high end consumer, bordering on professional grade. It seems the term prosumer has various meanings. I plan to avoid the term.

Here we have it. The camera comparison of different categories and how they can fit into your life.

A) ULTRA COMPACT CAMERAS

It seems as of this writing the Canon Powershot SD, is the most raved about in this category. There are over 25 that get top ratings. They start around $150.00. There's even more than one "Powershot" available.

These are the smallest but, as you can see, not necessarily the least expensive. Some have quite advanced capabilities. And many have great photo quality. They offer the convenience of being easily stowed. I always keep a small camera in my glove box.

If very small size is necessary many in this category will certainly do a great job.

B) POINT & SHOOT

These are a little bigger camera. This category has the greatest variety available. They range from very inexpensive, simple cameras to quite complex.

A couple things Point & Shoots have in common are;

1) They do not have interchangeable lenses.

2) Most are still fairly small and flat.

3) They will take pictures ranging from very nice to beautiful.

I love this water tower in Milwaukee Wis. With just a little bit of post editing this picture can look like it is 100 years old. It was taken with a little point & shoot.

Differences in Point & Shoots include;

* Some are very simple with few settings. Others, quite complex.

* Prices are all accross the board.

* Most go from fully automatic to fully manual settings allowing you to advance and to choose how to get your own best results.

If you choose a Point & Shoot you will have to decide where in this category you want to be. That is a full camera comparison in itself. Start by deciding how simple or complex is right for you and what your budget will allow.

Remember, if you choose a point & shoot, plan to shoot mostly slow or still subjects. You’ll have to improve your reflexes and learn how to anticipate both the camera and your subject in order to get great action shots.

I am not saying you cannot take great action shots with point & shoot cameras. I am saying, in comparison, the number of great action shots will be substantially greater with the larger, faster cameras.

C) Advanced point & shoot;

This category is between point & shoots and DSLRs. The range available somewhat overlaps each.

They have more speed and versatility than the point & shoot, and a step up in the quality of pictures, but they still can’t compete with the versatility and results one will see with a DSLR.

This is another category that does not have interchangeable lenses. For general photography it is usually not necessary as the built in lens will often adjust from close up shots to telephoto shots.

They have something known as a "hot shoe" for an external flash unit. Through experience I have found that flash photography is the best way to get “people pictures” to really come to life.

Periodically natural lighting will work just fine, but when shooting people, a thing known as filler flash makes a world of difference over almost any existing lighting. The joke goes, "The professional trick is to use so much fake lighting that it looks natural!"

They have better optics than the point & shoot. Thus, they provide better results especially with moving subjects.

The ultra zoom in this category have telephoto lens’ that go to about 12X. Many of these have what’s called image stabilization. It is a built in shake reducing mechanism which minimizes blur.

What it means to you is that you can hand hold your camera for a wider variety of pictures than you otherwise could. This way you aren’t lugging a tripod around with you.

For the tear in your eye memories of children's sports this camera very well may do the trick.

Cost at the upper end of this category can be more than entry level DSLRs. If you are considering one of the better Advanced Point & Shoot cameras, compare it with entry level DSLRs to be sure you get what's best for you.

D) DSLR;

The acronym DSLR stands for digital single lens reflex. It's just a fancy name for a camera where you see what you're shooting directly through the lens. This actually can be very helpful for composing the picture exactly the way you want it.

Once again this camera comparison category has a wide variety available.

Some entry level DSLRs overlap, in certain respects, with the advanced point & shoot. However now we are into cameras with more room to customize for your shooting desires as well as top of the line results.

For one thing a DSLR can be placed in fully automatic mode to just point and shoot like the little ones. This gives you the best of both worlds. You can point and shoot with the highest speed available, which is pretty fast. Some of the fastest cameras out right now shoot 10 or more frames per second.

The smaller cameras can’t focus nearly as quickly on a moving subject as a DSLR. The only way to really decide what speed you need is to experience it. Someone can always tell you with words, but until you try one you just don’t know.

The shutter release button has two stages. Stage one is a half press of the button. It places the camera in motion setting the focus and exposure.

Stage two snaps the picture. DSLRs are so much faster than others from the time you press the shutter release button to the snap of taking the picture.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from the "point & shoot" settings you can place the camera in full manual mode. And you can further fine tune that if you still don’t like the results. It gets pretty involved and gives you a lot of creative control.

Another advantage is interchangeable lenses. With a DSLR you can have one lens for shooting extreme close ups, another for portrait photography, another for general shots and yet a forth for long distance shots. There are wide angle lenses and an array of other specialty lenses.

The quality of your pictures will be better with a DSLR because the internal electronics is far superior. Also, each lens is designed to do a specific job. A single lens cannot be designed to work optimally at all ranges. Faster, sharper cameras and lenses equal better photos.

One more consideration is the lighting. When you get into a DSLR you have so many more options when it comes to lighting.

Recently I was explaining lighting.

Check out these two pictures to see the difference. Without good flash units I would have had to figure the necessary exposure for the shade and manually set the camera to that.

Then I could follow her and get her in focus. Even then, the background would have been way overexposed.

With the flash I left the camera in “point and shoot” settings. Thus, no worry about exposure! Both my pretty little subject and the background are correctly exposed with no effort on my part.

Granted, I had to learn how to use the lighting, but on the spot I got a great action shot that would otherwise have not been captured.

For more information on artificial lighting click here.

Every camera in each camera comparison category...

has strong points and weak points. No one can make a camera that is the best of all worlds. That is one reason for the multitude of cameras on the market.

Get the one that aligns best with your needs. Still subjects, Macro (Closeup), telephoto, action, whatever you will do most, get a camera from the category that works best for that. Once you get your camera be sure you protect your camera.

Review this page as necessary in order to know you are choosing the right category. Remember, one main reason to choose a higher cost camera is for greater field speed when you are capturing split second memories.

Another reason would be if you need to enlarge many pictures and/or you are earning money with your shots. When selling your work you want the option to enlarge yet maintain the crispness.

Other than that most point & shoots do a great job of capturing vivid memories you will be proud to display.

Don't be fooled by megapixel size of a camera.

When you are considering the megapixels your camera touts, remember you are comparing apples to oranges if you make the mistake of comparing a 12 megapixel point & shoot with a 12 megapixel DSLR.

They are completely different because they are made differently. This is not the forum for an in depth explanation. Suffice it to say the quality of the larger, more costly camera is superior to the smaller one even though they may carry the same megapixel size.

At 4X6 prints, and even as high as 8X10, the difference usually shows little if any. When you crop or enlarge there will be a difference. Compare megapixels only within a category.

This is merely another variable to consider when figuring which camera is truly best for you. Trading down in size is trading down in the quality of your pictures. If you need higher quality, don't do it.

Whichever camera you ultimately choose...

remember to look into post edit programs before you make the final decision. This way if you choose Photoshop, Elements which I recommend above all others, you can figure about $99 for it into your budget.

There are a few other considerations when making your camera comparison.

*Most cameras have rechargeable batteries. Some do not. If you get a camera that takes disposable batteries you must take battery cost into consideration. I learned the hard way that battery cost can be considerable.

*Memory cards cost money. Every camera I know of needs a memory card. Even if the camera claims to have "built-in" memory, the memory is minimal. A card is really mandatory. Different kinds of cards have different costs as well as paying more for the larger sizes.

Cards are relatively inexpensive but learn what you will pay for memory cards before you make the final decision on which camera you will get.

*Carefully study the return policy of the seller. Whether you get it from a store or online you should know what you are in for should you find you did not make the best camera choice. If you prepare correctly before your purchase this should not be an issue, yet there is always the possibility.

I personally like Amazon.com for my online purchases.

*when you are looking at cameras, don’t worry so much about all the buttons. Every camera has a multitude of buttons. Most will never be used. They are there because many people use certain ones. Each person will use a few of them and every button will be used by someone. Not necessarily you.

The buttons you ultimately don’t use just don’t matter. If you so choose, later on when you are more familiar with your camera you can explore the buttons and see what they do. Many will make your photographic experience more fun but they are not mandatory in order to get great shots.

*You will undoubtedly want a case and some other camera accessories for your camera. Consider a case, 1 or more lenses, extra batteries, lighting and anything else you can think of in your purchase. As time goes on you will probably add to your collection. More information.

*Once you get your camera don’t second guess yourself and get all bent out of shape every time someone walks by with the latest and the greatest. Many of the pictures you see on this site were taken several years ago with a 6 meg. Point & Shoot.

The pictures still look great. Your goal is to get the camera that fits your needs or wants. Get the one that you project will fill your known needs as far into the future as is reasonably possible and the one you like best.

You've made the comparison, now go get ‘em. Click on the page talking about the category of camera you have chosen and continue your quest.

Best DSLR Camera l Best Point & Shoot Camera l Cheap Digital Cameras l Camera Accessories l Protect Your Camera

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