What is “wide angle” view? Wide angle encompasses what you see from left to far right in one picture frame. This is called a field of view and is measured in degrees (your eyes normally have a field of view of almost 180 degrees). The wide field of view also applies from top to bottom. Great for landscapes.
Your Zoom Lens
Most point and shoot cameras come with one zoom lens that covers a focal range from somewhat wide angle to telephoto.
Zoom lenses come in two varieties: optical and digital. Without going into great detail, suffice it to say that you should avoid digital zoom at all costs. Digital zoom uses software tricks to “enhance” the image. The result is often unsatisfactory. Insist on optical zoom.
Storage media = memory cards
- Format your memory card before first use.
- Format your memory card after every use.
- Only format your card after you have downloaded and made a backup of the images on the card.
- Use several smaller capacity cards instead of one large-capacity card in case of loss or damage.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THE FILE SIZE IS GOOD FOR PRINT OR FOR THE WEB?
Ever wonder how to tell if the file on your computer is big enough for print or is small enough for the web? Look at the file size in the “Detail” view in Windows. You will see columns with headings such as “Name”, “Size”, “Type”, “Date Modified”. If the file size is 7,125 KB, that means that it’s a big file. It qualifies for a print. If the file size is 74 KB, that means it’s a very small file and qualifies for web or email.
JDP Trick
When I resize my images and prepare them for distribution, I include the size in the file name. For example, JuliePhoto_8×10.jpg. This means it’s a photo of Julie cropped to 8×10 and it’s ready to send to the lab or printer and will be printed on 8×10 paper.
Lens Zoom Range
Most point-and-shoot cameras come with one zoom lens that covers a focal range from somewhat wide angle to telephoto. Camera manufacturers list zoom capability in multiples—such as 3x, 5x and 12x—but these don’t tell the whole story. Zoom isn’t just about making an object larger in the frame; it’s also about understanding your preference for wide angle (big, wide field of view) or telephoto (telescopic) pictures, or both. Evaluating zooms this way is better than choosing by multiples.
Battery Life
You can expect that any digital camera on the market today has an adequate battery life for typical use, so don’t weigh your digital-camera buying decision too much on battery life unless you are a serious hobbyist and know that your camera will be seeing heavy use.
Small or Large LCD screen? Many newer point-and-shoot models feature screens measuring between 2 and 2.5 inches; however, the number of pixels varies between models, so look for a higher pixel count to see more detail.
How many megapixels is enough?
More megapixels are desirable for making large prints, for cropping your photos significantly, or for any other uses that require a large amount of data. Most 4 MP and 5 MP point-and-shoot models are suitable for all types of photographers because they strike a balance between quality, features and price. Point and shoots with 7 MP to 10 MP are now common, however, DSLRs still get the nod for ultimate image quality.
