I want to buy a digital camera, can you recommend me?

How to choose a digital camera

Digital cameras have entered the field of mass consumption. Many friends want to own a digital camera, but they don't know how to choose. As a digital product with a high degree of technology integration, there will be a question of how to choose during the purchase process. Nowadays, when everyone buys a digital camera, they focus on the number of pixels of the CCD. In addition to resolution, other performance indicators of digital cameras are actually more worthy of consumers' attention. I will tell you from different angles how to choose a camera that is affordable and has great functions. Practical "Best Digital Camera".

1. Because many consumers do not understand digital cameras, they one-sidedly believe that the one with higher pixels is better. Not really. When purchasing a digital camera, consider both its digital and optical features.

1. Digital camera lens. Well-designed high-end camera lenses are composed of multiple sets of lenses and contain aspherical lenses, which can significantly reduce color casts and minimize graphic distortion. The lenses are made of expensive fluorite or glass. In order to reduce weight and cost, the lenses of home and semi-professional cameras use lenses made of resin.

2. The image value of the CCD of the digital camera. CCD is the heart of digital cameras and one of the main factors affecting the manufacturing cost of digital cameras. Therefore, it has become an important criterion for classifying digital camera grades. Currently, entry-level products are 3-5 million pixels, while commercial and semi-professional users tend to have products with 5-10 million pixels or more.

3. Digital camera zoom. Optical zoom is a real zoom and will not affect the imaging quality of the photo; while digital zoom is an electronic zoom, which is partial magnification at the expense of photo clarity.

4. Digital camera battery and power consumption. Digital cameras consume more battery than traditional cameras because they have an LCD display and a built-in flash. AA batteries are cheap and can be purchased anytime and anywhere, but the battery will run out of power after a short period of time. Therefore, it is best to choose a model equipped with a rechargeable lithium battery. Currently, mainstream digital products are all designed with lithium batteries, and a complete range of charging equipment is provided as accessories.

5. Additional functions. More functions mean more fun and more uses with your digital camera. For example, many digital cameras have a video output function that can be connected to a TV to browse photos; some can set the startup image and shutter sound like a mobile phone; some can have a short-term digital video recording function. Digital camera drivers should be easy to install and should allow for quick image downloads, photo previews, and more. For example, the software that comes with Canon digital cameras has very complete functions. It can manage pictures by categories, has a variety of settings when printing, and can also simply modify pictures.

The image sensor is the decisive factor in camera performance. Generally, the pixel value of the image sensor should be greater than the maximum pixel value of the real-shot image. In order to make up for the lack of pixels in the image sensor, some manufacturers use software interpolation to increase the pixel value of the image. In fact, this interpolation method can be implemented in almost all image processing software, so it has little practical significance. When purchasing, be sure to base your purchase on the hardware pixel value of the image sensor rather than the maximum pixel value of the output image.

Digital cameras record photographic information on a semiconductor element called a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), rather than on the film of a silver halide camera. CCD size refers to the diagonal length like a TV set, expressed in inches, such as "1.27 inches (note)". The larger the CCD, the more pixels and the higher the sensitivity. Therefore, with the same number of pixels, the larger the CCD, the better the image quality. ·CCD size 1/2.7 inch (4.0mm×5.3mm) 1/2 inch (4.8mm×6.4mm) 1/1.8 inch (5.19mm×6.91mm) 2/3 inch (6.6mm×8.8mm) Note: 1 An inch is equal to 2.54cm. The CCD of a digital camera uses the same representation method as the picture tube of a television.

2. Four Basic Principles for Buying a Machine

●For ordinary home users, if they are limited to home entertainment and pay great attention to practicality, powerful functions and durability The high cost performance is the preferred factor. Currently, the 3-megapixel and 5-megapixel models that dominate the market can meet imaging needs. Multiple shooting modes, a wide ISO value setting range, and high-speed and accurate focusing are necessary features, and the metal casing ensures durability. is also an essential consideration.

●For those consumers who pursue fashion and avant-garde, the close combination of appearance design and highlight functions is the preferred standard. Compact appearance, bright colors and comfortable hand feel are must-haves, and some highlight functions such as macro shooting function are the icing on the cake for this type of product.

●If you are a professional-level user, the most important thing is the ultimate pursuit of imaging quality. Manual operation is a must. Interchangeable lenses, a CMOS image sensor of more than 6 million pixels and multiple image recording modes are the guarantee of high image quality. If you also have an explosive kit price of less than 10,000 yuan, This will make more professional photography enthusiasts flock to it.

●The last thing to consider is where to buy. A regular digital camera sales counter will guarantee the "originality" of your camera. Brand effect should be considered when purchasing, as it is the main guarantee for the overall quality and after-sales service of a digital camera.

3. Preparation steps for buying a camera

Step 1: Clarify the use and purpose of buying a camera

It is very important to determine the use and purpose of buying a camera , only by understanding our own needs can we choose and purchase the machines we really need. Otherwise, you may spend a lot of money to buy a camera, only to find that the functions cannot meet your requirements, or there are too many functions that you cannot use at all. We can think about what we buy a digital camera for. For example: some friends buy digital cameras to travel; some want to learn photography; some want to take macro photos; of course, some want to take close-up portraits or take photos of their newborn baby. In short, you must consume clearly.

The issue of photo output also needs to be considered in advance, whether you need to print large photos or just view them on the screen. By considering this, we can decide how many pixel machines we need to buy. If we just watch on the screen, then a 3 million pixel machine is enough. If we want to print, and we want to print to 10 inches or more, then we need to buy a camera with as high a pixels as possible.

Step 2: Determine the psychological price

After deciding the use and purpose of purchasing the camera, we should decide an affordable psychological price according to our own financial ability, such as 3,000 ~4,000 yuan or 6,000-7,000 yuan, etc. This can help us save a lot of time and make our choices more purposeful. DC is still a luxury product, so everyone must do what they can. There is no point in comparing with others. Just use enough.

Step 3: Collect information through various channels

Preliminary data collection is very important, which allows us to have a certain understanding of the machine we want to purchase. There are many ways to collect product information. First of all, many manufacturers will have certain promotional posters when they launch digital cameras. We can go to the seller to take a look. Secondly, media advertising is also a very important way. Today, there are many digital camera advertisements in IT newspapers and periodicals. We should pay attention to them. Thirdly, many digital magazines or some newspapers now have a certain amount of space to introduce digital cameras or evaluate digital cameras. We can also buy some and read them.

If possible, you can download the manual of the corresponding camera and take a look. This is very beneficial for buying a machine: on the one hand, it allows you to become more familiar with the machine, and on the other hand, it allows you to be prepared and able to perform basic operations when purchasing. I love reading manuals myself.

Technical information allows us to understand the appearance, functions and other information of the digital camera.

And we should look at the actual photos taken. This way you can know the characteristics of the DC you are interested in, such as color, picture quality, etc. We can go to the digital photography website to learn about this.

Step 4: Roughly decide on the model

Collecting product information is very important, which allows us to fully understand the characteristics of the digital camera. But just by looking at these materials, we can only have a perceptual understanding. Only by actually looking at the machine or even trying it out can we have a rational understanding of the machine. This requires us to go to the mall. We can look at the prototypes placed in the window or counter. The real machine may look different from the one in the photo, and may look better. We can also watch others buying machines and listen to what others have to say. Of course, we can also ask the merchants to take out the machine and actually touch and operate it. You need to see the machine and ask about the price. When asking about the price, you should note that the merchant's quotation usually leaves room for counter-offering. You should also ask whether the price they quoted is the price of licensed goods or parallel imports.

Step 5: Choose the time to buy

After deciding on the machine you want to buy, you need to choose the "auspicious day" to buy the DC. The "auspicious day" I mentioned actually means that you need to know the right time. The prices of digital products are changing rapidly, so it is still very important to judge the market. But one thing is clear: avoid buying before the holidays as much as possible. There must be many people buying machines before the festival, and the price will not be cheap.

A must-read when buying a camera

When buying a camera, we need to inspect it carefully to avoid buying defective products or being deceived by JS (profiteers). Here we give a detailed machine inspection step. As long as you follow the instructions below, there will be no problem:

1. Never pay money to JS first, be sure to check it after Pay again;

2. Check whether the packaging is very old. If it is very old, it may have been replaced by someone else, or it may be a product that has been stored by JS for a long time;

3. After opening the box, check whether the accessories inside the box have been used or have been obviously dismantled; pay special attention to whether there are scratches on the battery pins;

4. Check the appearance of the machine . Check to see if there are any scratches on the fuselage, including the lens, LCD, EVF and casing;

5. Try shooting and use the zoom to see if you can take clear pictures from both distance and near. If you are not familiar with the machine you are about to buy, you can use AUTO mode to shoot when testing the machine. In addition, you have to try the flash;

6. Then take a closer look at the LCD and EVF to see if there are any dead pixels. You can block the lens slightly with your hand so that you can see a more solid color image, or face white paper and dark paper.

7. CCD is a key component of DC. If there are bad pixels on it, it will affect shooting. Since it is difficult to see clearly the dead CCD pixels directly on the DC, you need to import the pictures to the PC to view them again. If the merchant does not have a computer, it is recommended to negotiate a certain replacement period with the merchant, and then go home and test it with peace of mind;

How to test for dead pixels

Before I talk about how to test for dead pixels , we want to explain what a bad pixel is. To put it simply, it is a point on the CCD that will never be sensitive to light, or this point will always be on. Usually there are most cases where it is always on, and there are very few cases when it is not on. So why do bad pixels occur? This is related to the manufacturing of CCD. Although today's technology has become very advanced, CCD still cannot guarantee a high yield rate. Just like LCDs, there may be imperfections. So we need to test the machine after buying it.

The test for bad pixels is actually relatively simple. We can use two methods to test: one is to look at the original image with your eyes. In fact, this method is more intuitive, but you have to be careful, otherwise you will easily miss something. The second is to use software testing. The most popular dead pixel testing software now is DEADPIXEL. Usually wherever DC is sold, if there is a computer, this software will be available.

Before testing, we must first take some completely black photos. Ordinary photos cannot be tested. This is very critical. For machines with lens caps, we only need to cover the lens cap to shoot. If there is no lens cover, such as Casio, etc., then we can put a piece of thicker paper on a flat table, put the DC lens downward, and buckle the lens on the paper to shoot. It should be noted that light must not enter the lens, and do not use too much force, as this may easily damage the machine.

We can set the parameters when shooting to the maximum aperture and ISO 100. As for the shutter, we need to choose 1/60 and the slowest shutter. That is, one picture is taken at different shutter speeds.

After the shooting is completed, we can import the photos into the computer and open DEADPIXEL for testing. After opening this software, we can see the interface as shown below. We click the "Browse" button and select the photo we need to test. Then we press the TEST button and the results will appear. If the 1/60 photo test shows a lot of noise exceeding 10, then try to change it, otherwise it may affect the shooting.

Check whether all the accessories are there. Usually there is a list in the packaging box, which details how many random accessories there are. We can check it and count it.

Purchase of accessories

Of course, after buying a DC, you also need to buy certain accessories so that we can shoot better. Accessories are actually quite important. If they are not purchased well, they may affect our normal shooting. Usually we may need to buy memory cards, batteries and chargers, UV and adapter rings, camera bags, tripods, etc. Some people like to buy all digital cameras at once. I think if you buy these at a place that sells DC, the price will definitely not be cheap. In addition to memory cards, you should go to a specialized photography equipment store to buy other items, which are not only reliable in quality but also cheaper. Below we will talk about what you need to pay attention to when buying these accessories by category.

Memory card: When buying a memory card, you should consider your daily shooting volume and combine it with your own DC to determine the capacity of the card you need to buy. Secondly, we need to consider the brand of the card. There are many card brands on the market at present, and the card brand determines the quality of the card to a certain extent. For example, Kingston CF card and TOSHIBA SD card are not very fast, but their quality is definitely top-notch and their compatibility is also good. Again, we have to consider the speed of the card. There are two types of cards on sale now: normal speed and high-speed cards. If you need to take photos in RAW or even TIFF format, try to buy a high-speed card.

Battery and charger: There are generally two types of batteries used in DC, one is rechargeable lithium battery and the other is AA (AA) nickel metal hydride battery. My suggestion for rechargeable lithium batteries is that you go to regular stores to buy them. On the one hand, they have quality assurance, and on the other hand, there is a high probability of buying fakes. In terms of nickel-metal hydride batteries, the current GP Speedmaster batteries are not very expensive and are of first-class quality. Of course, domestic products are not bad either. We try to buy ones with larger capacity, such as 2000mAh. As for the charger, many digital cameras now come with it as a gift, so I won’t go into detail here.

UV and adapter ring: The main function of UV for digital cameras is to protect the lens. Whether you need to buy this or not, I think it first depends on what kind of machine you are using. If the machine is relatively small, then it is better not to consider it. Because usually UV can be installed on the machine through an adapter ring or barrel, which increases the size of the camera. If the machine itself is relatively large, such as Canon EOS350D, this is more suitable. There are many brands of UV, and it is recommended to consider multi-layer coating. When buying UV, we also need to consider the caliber of the UV. If you are not very familiar with this, you can buy it with your camera. In addition, after installing UV, the original lens cap that comes with the camera may not be able to be replaced. We need to get another one.

Photography bag: Be sure to consider the location of accessories, and take the machine with you to buy it. Only in this way can you buy the right one.

The bigger the camera bag is not the better, but the fit is the best. In addition, you should also pay attention to the material of the bag and try to buy a waterproof bag.

Tripod: When choosing a tripod, pay attention to its stability and avoid buying one that is wobbly. Also keep an eye on the weight; if you're strong and in need of exercise, this may not be an issue. The most popular one on the market is the Weifeng brand. This brand’s tripods are relatively cheap and pretty good. The imported brand Japan's Admiralty has a long history, and many top international photographers choose this brand. The price is not very expensive either.

Tips for distinguishing parallel imports from licensed products

Customers often ask me how to identify licensed products. Generally, licensed goods have obvious signs. Let me briefly talk about them below:

1. Canon: There is an anti-counterfeiting mark on the licensed box. You can check by phone after scraping off the coating; the serial numbers on the box, warranty card, and body should be the same; Canon's triple warranty card has a laser anti-counterfeiting label in the upper right corner, and The warranty card is in Chinese; the instruction manual is in simplified Chinese.

2. FUJI: The FUJI licensed products currently sold all have Chinese menus. If the menu is found to be in English, it can be basically considered to be parallel imports; the outer packaging of licensed products is in Chinese; licensed products have simplified version instructions; in terms of warranty cards, FUJI licensed products provide them It is the simplified version of Fuji China's warranty card, with three links.

3. Minolta: You can call Shanghai Minolta’s free consultation hotline: 8008200077 and ask them to verify the fuselage number.

4． NIKON: Since NIKON has no company in China, sales are handled by several agents, namely Quantum, Lida, Liangchi, and Xinkanghua. The methods for identifying licensed products from each agency are not exactly the same, but there are still certain ways to identify them. We first need to look at the warranty card. The licensed warranty card is in English and has the stamp of the agent on it. Licensed products have simplified Chinese instructions. Some agents such as Quantum put anti-counterfeiting labels on the boxes.

5. Olympus: Olympus’s current machines all use Simplified Chinese menus, but there are still a few products with English menus; secondly, the manuals and warranty cards are also in Simplified Chinese versions; in terms of outer packaging, Olympus is in Simplified Chinese versions.

6． Sony: You can find the label of Shanghai Suoguang or Wuxi Sony on the licensed box; the warranty card has the words Shanghai Suoguang; it has a simplified manual. The Sony DC or DV sold in the Chinese market are only domestically produced, as long as they are imported, they are parallel imports. You can see the words CN1 on the barcode on the outer packaging. If it is CN5, it is a parallel import.

"7.Casio: After purchasing, customers can scratch the coating on the anti-counterfeiting label on the package to get the password under the coating, which can be queried in three ways:

1. Dial 8008108315 toll-free or 010-64219000

2. Send a text message to 80028315 (China Mobile) or 90028315 (China Unicom) to inquire"

Note: There are many good ones now Digital camera brands have their own websites. Just log in to the corresponding website and enter the camera number. It only takes a few seconds to know whether the DC or DV you purchased is licensed. If you bring DV or DC from abroad or Hong Kong and Macao, it is best to ask if there is a warranty in China. As far as I know, except for Panasonic, other brands do not have warranty in China, and not all Panasonic products have warranty in China. Nowadays, most domestic maintenance departments are contracted. If there is no formal warranty, the maintenance fee is astonishingly high.

What you should pay attention to when buying a digital camera

Do high pixels equal high-quality photos?

Many users who buy digital cameras for the first time will consider pixels as the primary factor. In their opinion, pixels are the basis for judging the quality of digital cameras. It seems that digital cameras with high pixels will inevitably get high quality. The shooting effect, in fact, the relationship between pixels and quality is far from a simple direct ratio.

One thing to be sure of is - the level of pixels does not determine quality.

There are many factors that affect the quality of a digital camera, among which the factor that can directly affect the imaging quality is the lens. Whether it is an optical camera or a digital camera, the lens is one of the most important factors that cannot be ignored. Ordinary digital cameras use CCD for photosensitivity, and its area is much smaller than that of traditional film. This places stricter requirements on the resolution of the lens. Otherwise, even with a high number of pixels, the image quality will still be degraded due to the lens. relatively poor. In other words, the resolution ability of the optical lens used by a digital camera must be better than the resolution of the CCD, so choosing a digital camera with a high-quality lens is much more important than simply looking at the pixels.

Clean pictures with low noise always come with high resolution?

Noise is the enemy of the imaging quality of digital cameras. Generally, users will have the impression that clean images with low noise always mean high-resolution effects of photos. In fact, for digital cameras, the situation is not that simple. . Since digital cameras have a single type of image sensor, which is nothing more than CCD or CMOS, this means that the signals of each other's image engines are relatively close. However, the post-processing of image data creates stylistic differences between different brands and different series of models, and this is the embodiment of the core technologies of each manufacturer. In particular, the degree of research and development of noise reduction technology has a great impact on the resolution.

The higher the ISO, the greater the noise?

Slightly experienced digital camera users sometimes use high sensitivity settings when shooting moving objects or shooting in dark environments. When shooting with high ISO values, the shutter speed is relatively fast. It is easier to shoot, but one problem caused by high sensitivity is that the noise in the picture will increase. In fact, this is a dilemma that gives many digital camera users a headache. Low sensitivity makes shooting difficult, but there is less noise and high sensitivity. , easy to shoot, noisy. Generally speaking, we have to reduce the resolution to appreciate photos taken with high sensitivity, and the noise on the photos is not so obvious at this time. A simple analysis is because one pixel on the reduced image is composed of the original It is obtained after merging multiple pixels. In other words, three noise points are turned into one noise point. This is not a very strict explanation, but it can help us understand this phenomenon.

The number of pixels at which each camera produces the best results when shooting at a high sensitivity setting requires users’ own actual experience. Let’s make an analogy. If they are all set at ISO400, it may be 2 million pixels. The digital camera has the smallest shooting noise at the 640×480 resolution setting, while the 5-megapixel digital camera can achieve good results at the 1024×768 resolution setting.

The higher the CCD pixel count, the faster the focusing speed?

Let’s take a look at the earlier digital cameras first. Because ordinary digital cameras must read the CCD imaging signal when focusing, focusing and response speed were always the concerns of the first generation of high-pixel digital cameras. pain. The increase in pixels means that the amount of data required to read the CCD signal each time also increases, and subsequent processing such as focusing, metering, and LCD screen display also carries a heavy burden. Therefore, we can often see that among digital camera series based on the same hardware platform, low-pixel products are often faster than their high-pixel counterparts.

Lithium batteries have high energy density and small size. Are they the first choice for powering digital cameras?

We must first understand what are the major power consumers in digital cameras. The LCD screen, flash, image sensor and processing engine are all major power consumers, and they are basically burst-type and only work. A large current is required instantaneously, and the usual quiescent current is very small. This determines the power consumption characteristics of digital cameras, which require the power supply to have the ability to supply sudden large currents. From this point of view, batteries with lower internal resistance are more suitable for digital cameras, which can significantly improve the response speed of digital cameras. From the analysis of the average flash charging time, cameras using lithium batteries are far ahead, usually only 3 seconds, while models using nickel-metal hydride batteries often take longer than 6 seconds.

But in terms of capacity, lithium batteries have no obvious advantages at all.

In 2005, nickel-metal hydride batteries with capacities exceeding 2000mAh continued to come out, while the lithium battery capacity of ordinary digital cameras was often around 1000mAh. Moreover, for digital cameras that use general-purpose nickel-metal hydride batteries, you can buy emergency batteries at any time, or use someone else's charger to charge them at any time, and embarrassing situations due to battery exhaustion are rare. Using a dedicated charger, the charging time is often as short as 4 hours, directly catching up with lithium batteries. NiMH batteries have abundant energy and nearly 1,000 charge and discharge lifespans, making them the most cost-effective digital camera batteries currently available.

If you haven’t chosen one yet

I would recommend a digital camera first

Because I bought Samsung’s NV10 years ago. It only costs 2,400 yuan with the card

Samsung’s price/performance ratio is good, I suggest you consider Samsung’s NV10

1 10 million pixels (5 million is enough for home use)

2 3x optical zoom, (generally 3x optical zoom)

3 Advanced shake reduction function (ASR), (absolutely no blur)

4 “ "Touch" operation interface, (especially convenient and will not cause damage to the keys)

5 rechargeable battery SLB-0837(B) (800mAh), (one day is enough)

6 2.5-inch TFT LCD, (large screen)

7 SD card /MMC (supports up to 1GB) card storage, (card is small and convenient)

8 Volume 96.5 X 60 >/96405/index.html

Here is also a professional review of this camera

/20060911/68715.html Thin 10-million-pixel DC Samsung NV10 is first tested nationwide

If you have already chosen your favorite camera, you should pay attention to the following when you go to the store:

1. There must be no scratches on the body.

2. The battery must be original, and the contacts should not be scratched

3. When you turn on the phone and take a photo, it must show that it is the first one

4. Turn on the phone The first step is to select the language and adjust the date and time

5. Check the agent's anti-counterfeiting label on the box, and call or send a text message to inquire

6. Check the instructions to see if the accessories are complete.

7. Ask the dealer to issue an invoice.

Also, don’t cut the price too low. The dealer also has to support his family. If you cut the price too low, you will lose more than you gain if he replaces it with a fake one!

I hope you can buy a camera you like!