10 Tips for Digital Photographers

Below I offer 10 Tips for Digital Photographers everyone should know:

1. No more shutter delays. If your camera has a shutter lag problem, you'd better try the trick of pre-focusing. Another option: many cameras offer a continuous-focus, which consumes more battery, but also reduces shutter lag by focusing constantly as you go frame (or while the subject moves).

The newer, more expensive cameras tend to suffer less shutter lag, and digital SLR models do not have any delay.

2. Do not believe the megapixel myth. A greater number of megapixels a camera does better.

Megapixels measure the maximum size of each photo. For instance, a four-megapixel camera captures pictures made up of four million tiny dots. The problem is that camera manufacturers boast of their number of megapixels as if they are a measure of photo quality, and many consumers are falling.

In fact, the number of megapixels is a measure of size, not quality. There are terrible seven-megapixel photos, as there are spectacular three-megapixel shots. The quality of the lens and sensor are better determinants of your photographic results; is a pity that there are no easily comparable statistics on these attributes.

Meanwhile, more megapixels means to buy a bigger memory card and to save face. And also a lot more was waiting: between shots, during transfer to your computer, and opening and editing.

There are only two situations where you should take into account the megapixels: When you want to make giant prints (eg, posters, 50 x 75 cm) and when you want the freedom to cut much of a photo to preserve the really good stuff, while still leaving enough pixels to make reasonably sized prints.

But if you do not edit photos or need larger than life, do not be fooled by the trend towards megapixels. A fine balance is in the 4 or 5 megapixels.

(Another tip, this gift: the photos will look on a screen, either the Web, e-mail or a slide show) do not need many pixels at all. Probably two megapixels are more than enough to fill a computer screen, without having to open the zoom. The large megapixel counts are primarily to do with printing, which requires much higher dot density).

3. Ignore the digital zoom. Another argument used by camera manufacturers to reach the companies also touts two different zoom factors: the optical (usually 3X) and digital (10X, 20X, 30 increases!).

The digital zoom is merely an extension of the photo. Do not you closer to the action or capture more detail, in fact, higher values can come to spoil the pictures. For best results, leave off the digital zoom. What matters is the number of optical zoom, which is the target that approaches the subject.

4. Pull the card included. Unfortunately, it is common practice to include with the camera memory card very little capacity: bait with which you can shoot a few photos while still on the Christmas tree, but that is populated with only four or five photos.

Therefore, when selecting camera, you have to have the cost of a memory card reasonable capacity, say 512 MB.

5. Service format. There are a huge variety of shapes and sizes of memory cards. Cheaper formats are Compact Flash (big and strong, the 1GB card costs about 90 €, but there are up to 8 GB capacity) and SD (about 100 € for the 1GB card, the maximum is 2 GB).

Most of the Olympus and Fuji xD cards needed (about 120 € 1 GB card, the more capacity), while most models use Sony Memory Stick Pro (about 160 € 1 GB card, up to 4 GB) or the Memory Stick Duo, which is smaller (about 200 € the 1 GB, the maximum is 2 GB).

Note that there are laptops, pocket, mobile phones, gaming consoles, printers, photo printing kiosks and other equipment with memory card slots. Most often that support Compact Flash or SD cards. Compatible slots are less common Memory Stick, and XD slots a rarity.

6. Investigate. Fortunately for potential buyers of cameras, the web is full of sites such as preview dcresource and that thoroughly tested and analyzed all the models put them within range. Consult them before buying, if in a hurry, at least read the introduction and conclusions, and look at the sample photos.

7. Identify. Do not even think to ask, "What digital camera should I buy?" a technology columnist. It would be the same as asking "What car should I buy?" or "Who do I have to marry?" There is no single correct answer.

Now there are cameras in various categories, each with its advantages and disadvantages. There target cameras as small as a Visa and only two centimeters thick (striking and very comfortable, but with few manual controls and short battery life); cameras that fit in your coat pocket (higher than the previous ones, but still compact with built-in lens cover, longer battery life and more features) zoom semipro models (no longer fit in the pocket, but targets are super-zoom) and SLR models (long battery life, no shutter lag and some extraordinary photos.)

8. Turn off the flash. The flash of a typical digital camera has a range of less than three meters. In other words, all you get with him in the play of course is to distract the actors.

9. Turn on the flash. On the other hand, there is a good trick for when someone's face is in shadow: the flash on manually. Forced flash or fill rescued from the shadows the subject's face and save more of a portrait that would otherwise be reduced to silhouette. (In most cameras, the flash on and off by pressing the lightning).

10. Turn off the screen. The rear display is undoubtedly one of the joys of digital photography, but also the main consumer of battery power. If you do not mind holding the camera in front of your eyes and look through the viewfinder, turn off the screen when you take pictures and double the length of each battery charge.