Article Directory :: Home & Family Articles

Buying a Camera - Questions You Should Ask Yourself Beforehand

By Autumn Lockwood

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 07Apr2010 Word count: 635 Viewed: 365 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Just as a picture is worth a thousands words, a camera can cost a pretty penny depending upon what you need. Any person planning on committing to photography for a hobby or profession should be expecting to spend at least a little bit of cash on equipment; new gear is one of the best and worst parts of calling yourself a photographer. You can get started taking pictures for under $100 or you can spend as much as you want as there is a lot of expensive high end gear. Since there are so many options for new photographers, let's skip all of the cool accessories (filters, lenses, tripods) and break down your most important first purchase: The Camera.

What Do You Need in a Camera? The first thing to consider when buying a camera is to determine why you want a camera and know what you want it to do. For example, an all manual DSLR (like Canon's Rebel) is great fun for photographers but is likely a major hassle if you're taking pictures of your friends out having fun. Here's a few key questions to ask yourself to help decide what you need:

* Do I want to use film or digital?
* Am I taking pictures for fun or for a career?
* How comfortable am I operating a manual SLR?
* Is image quality a make or break issue for me?

One of the reasons for the wide range of equipment is that every camera works differently and has its own pros and cons; you'll need to balance these with what you need. Professional photographers or those wanting to become professionals, often don't want to give up image quality for a lower cost while the average person doesn't care about the extra 0.5% of clarity for their family photos. It's all up to you.

What Do You Want to Spend? The sky is the limit when spending money on cameras. You can pick up a little pocket camera for around $100, or you can spend as much as $10,000 on a top of the line digital. Even a nice manual SLR that runs on film can still cost a pretty penny, so make sure you know what you're getting yourself into before you buy it. Before you pull out your wallet, ask yourself these questions:

* Can I really afford this camera?
* Do I really need all of these features?
* Is this camera suitable for the activities I'm buying it for?

Sure, nightvision, a 13,000 frames-per-second shooting option, and a gigantic touch screen sound like cool options, but do you need all that to shoot a family gathering? This works both ways - if you want to work as a professional, don't sacrifice on flexibility and results just to get a cheaper camera up front. You'll end up having to buy a better camera later, so it's often best to wait a little longer so you can buy exactly what you need. You will be happy you did.

If you're honest with yourself about what you need from your camera and how much you can spend on it, you're going to be a lot more satisfied with your purchase down the line. If you need help working out what you need or how different cameras perform in different situations, do a little online research, read customer reviews, or talk to the guys and gals at your local photo shop (not the drugstore!).

No matter how much you spend or don't spend, your camera will probably cover the bases.That's because many consumer level cameras work great in 90% of situations. Some of the photos in a recent Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated were taken with an inexpensive disposable camera so don't think a small budget is a handicap. As always, the most important thing is to have fun and take great pictures.

EasyPublish™ this article - publishers click here

More articles by Autumn Lockwood

Free Report!
Ten Essential Secrets Of Article Marketing ... Grab Your Free
Copy Now:

Need Content?
Regular Top Quality Content for your Blog, Ezine or Website ...
Delivered Direct,
For Free!
Click For Details