Most people these days assume that buying digital cameras is a thing of the past — who needs a separate camera when you’ve got a camera app built right into your smartphone?
Actually you might be surprised by how useful a digital camera still is, and we’re not talking about the camera on your smartphone. The trouble now is, if you’re buying a digital camera for the first time you probably aren’t really sure what to look for.
With that in mind, here’s some basic information on digital cameras and what to look for when you’re buying a digital camera online or in-store:
- The first thing you’ll want to do is figure out your budget before anything else. It’s a good idea to brainstorm what kind of camera you would be most interested in purchasing, and then researching the industry standards for prices of that camera. Before you really seriously consider purchasing a camera, try to do this research and set a price limit for yourself.
- The three most important settings of a digital camera are the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. You’ll want to pay extra attention to these settings because they can differ quite a bit from camera to camera. Professional photographers may be a little more familiar with these settings and will probably know what to look for based on how they intend to use the camera, but even novice photographers will benefit from doing a little bit of research on these features based on whether they intend to use their new camera for portraits, landscapes, still photos and videos, etc.
- Reviews are another important part of buying a digital camera! Ask your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers if they have any suggestions about a camera to buy; online reviews are another way to find out unbiased information about digital cameras.
Most importantly, if you really are interested in buying a digital camera, don’t let anyone convince you that your smartphone will suffice! More research here.