Camera Reviews

Choosing among all the different cameras can be confusing. Before buying a camera, you should first consider what your main photographic objectives are. Do you want the camera just to snap shots of your family and pets? Are you planning on taking pictures of landscapes and monuments as well as human subjects? How much traveling will you do with your camera? Would you like the camera to fit in your shirt pocket? Are you going to take pictures of sharks off of New Zealand? If your main objective in buying a camera is to send pictures over the Internet and you seldom need to print your shots, you might want a digital camera. Some cameras are better than others for certain types of pictures and particular skill levels.

Camera Construction
Most cameras come in one piece and don't have removable lens caps or parts that are easy to misplace. Many models include a built-in lens cap, which can use either a "clamshell" design, which slides to the side of the lens; or a "barrier" design, which retracts at the touch of a button. On most models, opening the built-in lens cap doubles as a power switch, making it impossible to take photos when the lens cap is still on.

When choosing a camera, the main distinguishing factor to consider regarding the camera's exterior is whether you require rugged or standard construction. Some cameras are designed to be weatherproof or splashproof--useful if you plan to use the camera for outdoor adventures or at the beach. If you will primarily use the camera indoors, standard construction is probably sufficient.

Focus
The most basic camera uses fixed focus. Fixed-focus cameras ensure that any subject you photograph within a certain distance, usually an 8- to 12-foot range, is always in focus. Fixed-focus cameras are the least flexible and are not ideal unless you want a very inexpensive camera.

Most cameras use autofocus, which electronically adjusts camera settings to focus on subjects at a wide range of distances. Unlike fixed-focus cameras, autofocus cameras enable you to focus on subjects that are a short distance away, so you can shoot close-ups. Autofocus cameras are also much better than fixed-focus cameras at taking sharp, clear pictures in low-light situations.

Premium cameras often feature advanced focus modes--including macro focus, infinity focus, and focus lock--that can give you greater artistic choice in your photos. Macro focus allows you to snap clear pictures of objects that are very close to your camera, such as individual flowers or details on a building. Infinity focus, also called landscape mode, is ideal for taking pictures of landscapes from behind glass or when close objects, such as tree branches, might confuse the camera's focus mechanisms. Focus lock lets you set your focus and then adjust your overall picture composition, permitting you to place your subjects off center to improve the composition.

Zoom
The most flexible cameras have built-in zoom lenses. Powerful zoom lenses are prevalent in many of the more recent camera designs. They add tremendously to the camera's usefulness, without sacrificing much in the areas of weight and size. Most zoom models have lenses that offer between 2x and 3x magnification.

While zoom lenses add flexibility, they also generally add to the camera price and sometimes detract from the picture quality. Because zoom lenses have more elements (the internal pieces of glass or plastic) they cause more "flare," or stray light bouncing around inside the camera, which can muddle picture contrast and focus. The best-quality zoom lenses have aspheric elements, or rounded internal lenses, which offer reduced flare and higher picture quality.

Exposure modes
While many cameras offer automatic light metering and exposure compensation, some higher-end models offer exposure overrides, such as backlight adjustment. While exposure overrides can result in better shots in difficult lighting situations (for example, when you photograph a subject in front of a bright window), they generally are more confusing than helpful to point-and-shoot users. If you are a beginning photographer, your money is probably better spent on other features; however, if you're willing to experiment with exposure modes and learn what works best, they can help improve your shots.

Shutter and aperture priority
In addition to all-automatic modes, advanced point-and-shoot models often give you the option to choose shutter or aperture priority modes. Shutter speed determines how rapidly the shutter opens and closes, while the aperture determines how wide the shutter opens. Both shutter speed and aperture determine how much light the film must receive for proper exposure. In shutter priority mode, you can choose a fast shutter speed and the camera will adjust the aperture to get a correct exposure. Fast shutter speeds are useful for capturing subjects in motion, such as players at a sports event.

In aperture priority mode, you can set the aperture to allow a greater or shallower depth of field and the camera will adjust the shutter speed to compensate. Depth of field determines how sharp your background and foreground will be: the higher the aperture number, the larger your range of sharpness. High aperture numbers are good for sweeping landscapes; low aperture numbers are good for portraits because they blur the background, emphasizing your portrait subject. Be careful at high aperture numbers, however, because they will make your shutter speed slower and thus make your pictures more prone to blurriness from camera shake.

If you need more creative control, the shutter and aperture priority features can be quite useful.

Flash
Unless you're using high-speed film and a tripod, most cameras are useless indoors without a flash. Fortunately, most cameras, even the basic ones, feature a flash that fires automatically in low-light situations. Most midrange to high-end cameras let you select different modes for the automatic flash. The most common modes are red-eye reduction, flash off, and fill-in.

Red-eye reduction helps eliminate the tendency for people to have demonic red eyes in photographs. Red eye is a result of light bouncing back at the camera from subjects' retinas. When the flash operates in red-eye reduction mode, it fires twice--the first time constricts your subjects' pupils, and the second time lights the scene.

Flash off mode prevents the flash from firing in inappropriate situations, such as in museums or at the theater, where flash photography is forbidden. It's also useful when you want to take night pictures of cityscapes or in sunrise/sunset situation--just be sure to set your camera on a tripod or other stable surface to avoid blurriness in these cases.

Flash fill-in mode enables you to fire the flash in odd light situations, when your background is bright but your subject is in shadow, or when you photograph a person in front of a sunset. Some advanced cameras offer flash synch mode as well, which fires a flash and then leaves the shutter open for a relatively long time period. Flash synch works well for taking pictures of people in front of night scenes.

Film transport
Most cameras offer easy film loading and many automatically advance to the first frame and then rewind at the end of a roll. All but the most basic models offer automatic film transport between shots. One nice feature to look for is midroll rewind capability, which allows you to remove a roll of film before you've shot every exposure. Midroll rewind is great if you drastically change lighting situations and need a different film speed or if you want to switch between color and black-and-white film.

Viewfinder
When you look through a viewfinder on a point-and-shoot camera, you're not looking through the actual camera lens. Because the viewfinder is in a slightly different place than your lens, the image you see may not be exactly the image your camera sees, especially if your subject is close. If at all possible, you should look for a camera with a viewfinder that denotes the boundaries of the picture you are actually taking (usually with lines superimposed on the viewfinder). Otherwise, you may be inadvertently cutting off your subjects' heads in your photographs.

If you wear glasses, you may also want to look for a camera featuring diopter adjustment. This enables you to adjust the viewfinder to the same focus as your prescription, so you can shoot your pictures more easily.

Special shooting modes
High-end cameras sometimes offer special shooting modes, such as panoramic view mode or continuous shooting mode. Panoramic view mode allows you to take short and wide panoramic landscape shots with the flip of a switch. All APS cameras have panorama mode built-in; you can switch among panoramic, classic, or wide-angle shooting modes with the touch of a button. Continuous shooting mode allows you to fire the shutter repeatedly in rapid succession with a single press of the shutter release button--it's ideal for capturing action shots. While special shooting modes can make point-and-shoot photography more fun and creative, they're not crucial to taking good pictures.

Self-timer
Self-timer mode, which comes with most moderate and high-end cameras, delays the shutter from firing for a few seconds (usually 10 to 12), allowing you time to get into the picture. Many cameras also offer optional three-second remotes that allow you to activate the shutter when you are already in position. If you plan on using the self-timer often, you may want to invest in a tripod.

Date imprinting
Date imprinting allows you to mark your pictures with the date they were taken and often lets you also record the exact time or even the occasion where each photo was shot. Some cameras even allow you to print information on your pictures in various languages. Most models allow you to turn date imprinting off. Date printing options come standard with all APS cameras and many mid- to high-range 35mm cameras.