Buying a Digital Camera by David Doty
Both cameras show here have been replaced by newer models since this article was written in 2004. A newer Canon, now called the G7, does not have the tilt/swivel viewer that this G5 does. A similar Canon that does have this feature is the PowerShot A640.

Here are two common digital cameras. On the left is a typical point-and-shoot, the Nikon Coolpix 2100 (about $180, and now replaced by the 2200). The other is a more elaborate, and larger, camera, the Canon PowerShot G5, selling for about $600. Both good choices, depending on how you want to use your camera.
If you want to buy a digital camera for the first time or are replacing an existing one, you'll find a wealth of choices. There are more than a dozen makers of digital cameras, each of which produce many models. The wealth of choices makes it very confusing, particularly because the latest cameras, whether basic point-and-shoot or more refined, provide many options. Still, there are basic features on all cameras that you need to consider:

• The size of the picture, stated in megapixels
• The zoom lens
• How close the camera can focus.

Looking at megapixels
What's a megapixel? A pixel is a picture element. That's the smallest element in a digital photo--or on your computer monitor--essentially a tiny dot of color. A one-megapixel photo will have about one million pixels, or dots, roughly 1200 by 900 dots. That's about the number that a typical computer monitor has and is sufficient for emails. However, many folks want to print out their photos, so a camera that makes 2 megapixel or larger pictures is better. Frankly, I rarely use a megapixel setting larger than 2 unless I plan on using the photo in a publication, which requires many more pixels. If the camera you are considering is a 2 megapixel one, that will be fine. Don't get trapped into thinking that a 3 or 4 megapixel camera is better quality. It's not. It just makes bigger pictures.
This is a small section of a digital photo showing the pixels
Zooming, or enlarging the center of the picture
Other than the least expensive digital cameras, virtually all will have a zoom feature that lets you enlarge a portion of the image in the center of the picture--like a telephoto lens on a regular camera. To do this, the camera lens has glass elements that move, zooming in on the center of the photo. It's called optical zoom. Most cameras also offer what is called digital zoom. What that means is that the camera enlarges the center of the image with a mathematical algorithm. Sort of like taking the center of the image and enlarging it dot for dot. It's not as good as optical zooming, so don't get fooled into thinking digital zoom adds much.
This is a small section of a digital photo showing the pixels
Most digital cameras have what is called 3x zoom. That amounts to about the same as a zoom on a conventional camera that zooms from about 35mm to 105 mm. Most also offer the questionable digital zoom.
Ability to take close-up photos
Of importance to photographers of items like Carnival Glass is the ability of a camera to take photos close enough to see detail. We've all seen photos of small items that were out of focus or fuzzy. That's because the camera wasn't able to focus closely enough. Make sure the camera you are considering can take photos as close as, say, 8 or 10 inches. Some will take photos even closer. With some cameras there is a special button that allows you to take these close-up photos.

Other things to be aware of:

Storing the photos in the camera
Digital cameras store their photos on thin removable chips or storage cards. Cameras are supplied with a chip of 16 megabytes or 32 megabytes in size. That's large enough for about 100 or 200 photos, depending on whether you are taking 1 megapixel or 2 megapixel photos. It's not like film photos where when you buy a 24-exposure roll, you get up to 25 pictures. The bigger the digital photo, the fewer will fit on a card. You can purchase cards with larger memory capacity to replace the ones provided. The images can be deleted and the cards can be used over and over.
Both cameras discussed in this article use the same type of memory card called Compact Flash. However, there are several other formats and they are not interchangable.
Storage format
To conserve space on those digital storage cards, the cameras save the images in a compressed format called JPEG (.jpg). It does this by analyzing the image and combining adjoining pixels with the same colors. This can save a considerable amount of space without affecting the quality in an obvious way. But how much detail is in the photo can make a difference. For example, a photo of the sky blending into the sea would result in a much smaller file than one of a piece of Carnival Glass with lots of colors and detail. That can make a difference in how many you can temporarily store in the memory card.
Modes
Digital cameras these days provide a number of different "modes." On most cameras, this will be done with a small wheel on the top of the camera. There is always an automatic mode which can be used to take snapshots and photos of Carnival Glass outdoors.

Your camera should also have a manual mode. This mode allows you to make special settings that will let you photograph indoors. For example, if you wanted to photograph Carnival Glass on a table but wanted to use flood light rather than the flash, the manual mode will allow you to access a setting called "incandescent" which adjusts the camera for the color of a standard indoor light bulb which is more orange than daylight is. The booklet that comes with the camera will be your guide as to how to do this.


This is the mode wheel on the Nikon Coolpix 2100. The blue marking showing the camera icon is for automatic settings, which is most conventient for point-and-shoot photos. Most cameras will have similar wheels.
Framing the photo
Most digital cameras have two methods of viewing the scene that you will photograph. One is a simple viewfinder through which you look at the scene prior to clicking the shutter. You put your eye up to the tiny hole and adjust the position of the object. You should also see the effect of the zoom.
The second method is with a small screen in the back of the camera, the LCD viewer. This is like a tiny monitor that shows the precise framing of the photo and, like the viewfinder, shows the effect of the zoom. To use the LCD viewer properly you have to hold the camera pretty much at eye level and 12 to 18 inches away. The drawbacks to LCD viewers, however, are that in bright outdoor light (especially from behind) the image on the viewer can become indistinct, as it can be when viewed from even a slight angle. In this case, you can use the regular viewfinder.

This LCD viewer also lets you view the photos you've taken. A switch or button on the camera activates this feature. You can also immediately delete a photo if you don't want it. Some cameras will also allow you to view a group of photos, 4 or 9 at a time.


This is the LCD viewer on the Nikon 2100, typical of what you see on a 1.5-inch LCD. In addition to the image, the LCD can display information about settings and warnings. Larger LCDs can display quite a bit more if you wish.
One drawback of the LCD viewer is that they are quite small and can be difficult to view. Many of the less expensive cameras have an LCD that measures 1.5 inch diagonally. Some of the more expensive have a 1.8 inch LCD, a slight improvement.
Power
All digital cameras run on some type of batteries. Most will use a pair of AA batteries, either standard alkaline or rechargeable. Some cameras, usually the more expensive, have their own proprietary rechargeable battery and come with their own charger. As with all battery powered items, the batteries run down. Not all cameras have an indicator that tell you when the batteries are at low power; all of a sudden the camera will tell stop operating. Not having an extra set of batteries available can be very challenging.

Digital cameras are very smart about battery use. If you turn on the camera and take a picture, the camera will automatically shut off or go into standby mode after several seconds. This can be annoying, however, if you want to take a series of photos and need to take time to move something you're taking a photo of, you may have to switch the camera back on again. With cameras that come with a charger, though, you can leave the camera on all the time if it is plugged into a power outlet.

Putting the photos into your computer
Digital photos would be of little use if we couldn't transfer them to our computers. To do this, your digital camera will have a cable that connects to a USB port on the computer and a CD-Rom disk with software that enables you to do the transfer. Be aware that the first couple of times you do this can be challenging as the instructions are not always clear or simple. Depending on the camera, you may have to "mark" the photos you want to transfer first (if you don't want to transfer them all) or with other cameras, the software will display all the images on your computer and allow you to transfer whichever you want.
You can also buy a card reader, a small device that also connects to a USB port and uses the same software. You remove the memory card from the camera and slip it into a slot on the reader. The advantage of these is that they require no power to transfer the photos. If you use the camera to transfer, there will be some drain on the batteries.
Choosing a particular camera
I can't decide for you among all the choices available. The best I can do is to describe the two that I use. One is of the relatively simple point-and-shoot variety; the other a more elaborate and larger model that has more features and allows for larger photos.
Nikon Coolpix 2100 (and the similar 2200)
This is a smallish camera, about 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1 1/2". Small enough to fit in pocket or purse so it's very handy. With the power off the lens is covered automatically so there is little danger of getting the lens dirty or scratched. It is a 2 megapixel camera (actually a little larger), for which I paid $200 in February of 2004. Despite the price, it has many advanced features, such as the ability to crop the photos in the camera or reduce them in size if they were taken at a larger size than you need. It has a typical flash and the usual 3x zoom. It takes excellent photos, including closeup. As with most digital cameras, not only can you transfer the photos to your computer but you can view them on a TV. There is also a movie mode that lets you take short movies.
The back of the Nikon Coolpix 2100. Top left is the viewfinder; on the right the zoom control. Along the bottom are delete, monitor, menu, and playback buttons. The round 4-way button allows you to set additional controls.
Canon Power Shot G5
This is a larger camera (4 3/4" x 2 3/4" x 3" deep) that takes up to 5 megapixel photos. To me, the biggest advantage of this camera is the LCD viewer. It not only has a slightly larger LCD than the Nikon but the LCD flips out and can rotate. This is a great help when taking photos as waist level such as when photographing Carnival Glass on a table--which I do a lot of. Saves having to bend over.

This model also has a settings display on the top of the camera so you can read them without having to obstruct the view in the LCD viewer. It also has a hot shoe, which lets you attach a more powerful flash unit. These cameras are now selling for between $500 and $600.


The back of the Nikon Coolpix 2100 showing the flipped out LCD which can also rotate. Top left is the viewfinder; on the right the zoom control. Along the bottom are delete, monitor, menu, and playback buttons. The round 4-way button allows you to set additional controls.
One of the nice things about this camera is the battery life. I once took the camera on a cruise that lasted almost a week. Without recharging, the battery lasted the whole time, allowing me to take about 200 photos. It has it's own proprietary battery and comes with a charger. Also, you can take photos with the charger plugged in and not have to worry about discharging the battery.

This camera also has numerous modes including automatic, manual, a panoramic function that lets you stitch several photos together to make one long 360 degree photo, a portrait mode, and you can take short movies movies with sound (though the images are small).


One of the nice things about the Canon G5 is that it comes with software that lets you take photos from your computer. That's very handy when you're taking a lot of photos. The images are downloaded directly into the computer rather than the memory disk on the camera.

If you want information on digital cameras, an excellent website that reviews them is www.dpreview.com