My camera takes crappy pictures, what should I buy?

I've been asked this question numerous times, normally I refer people to this earlier post but I figured I'd rehash the issue and provide some more info.

Essentially it boils down to
a) what exactly are they unhappy with in their current camera
b) what is their budget and
c) is camera size a crucial aspect?

Most of the time when people say they aren't happy with their current camera it due to one of 4 things:
1) Poor lowlight capabilities
2) Poor zoom
3) Pictures aren't sharp enough
4) Too much lag when the shutter is pressed

I'll cover each of these issues and explain why they happen and which type of cameras are affected the most and least.

Common complaints:

Poor lowlight:
All cameras whether film or digital suffer in this environment, photography needs a lot of light because after all we're capturing photons here hence photography ;) In the digital realm it really all boils down to sensor size, the larger the sensor the bigger the "footprint" available for the light to hit. Its like running outside in the rain to collect water, the person with the biggest container is going to get the most water. Point and shoot cameras are immediately at a disadvantage because of their size, smaller body = smaller sensor. If you're dead set on owning a point and shoot you're only real option is to use that nasty on-camera flash to create more light. Digital SLR cameras, having larger sensors, tend to work better than their diminutive point and shoot cousins in this environment. They are still not perfect but they offer a very noticable improvement. At the time of writing this one of the best low-light dSLR's in the entry level range is the Canon Rebel T2i ($979 with 18-55mm kit lens at Don's photo) which yields very acceptable images up to ISO 800. There are more expensive dSLR's with larger sensors (full frame sensors) but these are really out of the price range of most people ($3000+ for just the camera without lenses).

Image sensor sizes, the smallest shown are point and shoot sensors

Poor Zoom:
Once again the point and shoot camera is being dealt a poor hand right of the flop, their small size physically limits the amount of zoom that can be available. Ignore any claims about digital zoom, this is not real zoom at all, it’s the same as blowing it up on your computer and you'll result in a blurry image. Optical zoom is the important number here, 3-5x optical zoom is fairly standtard within the realm of point and shoot cameras (P&S's from hereout) with a few touting 7x optical zoom. When you start going above this range, up to say 14x zoom, you leave the P&S realm and get into the mid-sized "bridge" or "prosumer" cameras. They call them bridge cameras because they bridge the gap between P&S camera and full fledged dSLR's. I tend to tell people to avoid these cameras, the reason is that about 4 out of 5 people that buy them are upgrading because of an interest in photography and end up buying a dSLR soon after anyway. I say skip that expensive step and just go for a dSLR, the size isn't that much bigger than a bridge camera and prices in some instances can be roughly the same. For those scared off by dSLR's because of all of the extra features don't worry, there is still "auto" mode and as you feel more confident you can explore the manual features to improve your photos even more. Lastly with a dSLR you can change lenses so if the kit lens that it comes with isn't enough you can buy a telephoto zoom that suits your needs.

Example of a "bridge" camera, for the most part I say skip these and look into dSLR's which will start at close to the same price.

Pictures aren't sharp:
Most often this complaint is less the camera's fault and more operator error when it comes to image quality. Even though digital cameras are common place now its surprising how many people don't realize you should always press the shutter halfway first, let the camera focus and determine exposure, then press fully. If this isn't done photos are often blurry because you're rushing the camera, often the autofocus doesn't have time to detect a face instead of the background (though this is improviing). Sometimes poor images are due to low light situations like we covered above. Point and shoots are mainly meant to yield nice 4x6 shots, that’s not to say if shot properly they couldn't provide bigger enlargements, but in the end they are made for capturing friends and family more than they are for fine art prints you'd blow up and frame in your livingroom. A station wagon is a station wagon and a sports car is a sports car, they are two different classes and are meant to do two different things, don't set your expectations too high. With the digital era people started viewing their photos on computers, immediately they began viewing them at 100% size and used this to judge image quality, while this is a valid method in some instances really what you should be doing is viewing it at the desired print size. For example a 12MP camera will snap a picture at roughly 4272 x 2848 pixels, this equates to a 14" x 9.5" print at 300dpi (just divide the pixels by 300), most point and shoot cameras when printed or viewed at 100% or maximum size won't yield the nicest quality. If you take the same image and view it at 1200 x 1800 pixels or 4x6 size they image will probably look much better. The truth is that most of the cameras out there are perfectly fine when it comes to image quality when judged by the print sized they'll most likely be used for. The problem is that manufacturers kept making them with higher and higher MP ratings when the sensor itself shouldn't really have that many and didn't need it if you look at what they're going to be used for. In truth anything above a 7MP camera for a point and shoot is really a waste, 7MP will let you make 8x10's at photo quality and can be pushed up to 11x14 in many instances, most people never even make enlargements at these sizes anyway.

Laggy shutter times:
Buy a dSLR. Period. Sad but true even with the most expensive P&S and bridge cameras you're always going to run into shutter lag. Even dSLR's when used in automatic mode will have some amount of lag as it autofocuses and adjusts the exposure however the time it takes to do it will most likely a lot less. Some cameras are worse than others and they way that you use your camera will affect this as well. As mentioned earlier pressing the shutter half way to "prep" the focus and exposure will significantly reduce any lag. Use of a flash can have a huge impact on this as well since it takes time for the flash to charge.

So what should I do?
It depends on a few things. After reading this do you still think you need a new camera? If the answer is yes then you'll need to see if what you want out of a camera is possible given your budget.

Buy another point and shoot?
The only time I'd recommend this is if you have a camera that wasn't made by a reputable name (ie Canon, Nikon, etc), if you're looking for new features like HD video, or if your camera was just really old (2MP for example). There are a few brands out there that have really crappy point and shoot cameras and you wouldn't expect it from the name, Polaroid for example makes terrible digital cameras, Olympus also has left a lot to be desired upon entering the digital arena. As far as MP's go I always tell people not to get to carried away with it but realistically if you're still shooting a 2-4MP camera an upgrade may be desireable. Another acceptable reason would be if your current point and shoot has very limited zoom or no optical zoom at all, in this case you may want to look at a better point and shoot or upgrade to a bridge or dSLR.

Should I look into these bridge/prosumer cameras?
Maybe. This is a really tricky area because they are really not that much cheaper than an entry level dSLR and only slightly smaller. If you think you may be considering a dSLR in the future you should definitely skip this range and hold out for a dSLR. If you're strictly looking for a bit more zoom and some added controls then perhaps a prosumer or bridge camera is precisely what you're looking for, my only advice is give it some serious thought before taking the plunge.

Should I just go all in and get a dSLR?
If you're wanting better photos, don't mind a bit larger camera, and can afford it then unequivocally YES. There are just so many advantages to a dSLR and due to their increasing popularity you can buy amazing cameras for very low prices. Ten years ago consumer level dSLR's didn't even exist, in late 2003 Canon came out with the first one for a resonable price ($1500) and it was 6.3MP. Today you can get an 18MP dSLR capable of full 1080P HD video for under $1000 and a resectible 10MP for $549 with a lens. Plus you can still keep your old P&S for snapshots ;)

Some example cameras from each class
Prices accurate as of Aug 30 2010

Point & Shoot
Canon Powershot SD1400IS ($249)
Pros: Very small and portable, Surprisingly crisp HD video (720p)
Cons: Only 4x optical zoom, can't use optical zoom when recording video

Canon Powershot SD780IS (Low prices if you can still find it in stock, its last years model but virtually identical to the SD1400IS)

Pros: Very small and portable, Surprisingly crisp HD video (720p)
Cons: Only 4x optical zoom, can't use optical zoom when recording video

Canon SX120IS ($229)
Pros: 10x optical zoom (very high for a P&S)
Cons: No HD Video (still has SD video though), Large for a point and shoot

Sony Cybershot DSC-H55 ($269)
Pros: 10x optical zoom (very high for a P&S), HD Video (720p)
Cons: Uses expensive proprietary Sony Memory sticks for the storage medium

Nikon Coolpix S8000 ($279)
Pros: One of the smallest cameras sporting 10x optical zoom, HD Video (720p)
Cons: No optical zoom while recording video

Bridge / Prosumer cameras
Canon Powershot G11 ($549)
Pros: All the controls of a dSLR, solid build, almost the industry standard camera for journalists
Cons: No HD video, only 5x optical zoom

Canon Powershot SX20IS ($449)
Pros: 20x optical zoom, HD Video (720p)
Cons: Lack of RAW support, slow lens at telephoto range (ie aperture is smaller letting in less light)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 ($549.99)
Pros: 24x optical zoom, Full 1080p HD video, Leica lens
Cons: Electronic viewfinder could stand to be higher resolution

Fuji Finepix HS10 ($499)
Pros: 30x optical zoom, Full 1080p HD video
Cons: Slow processing of RAW format images

Digital SLR cameras
*Unlike the rest of the cameras I've listed above I'll include the MP rating for the ones below since the larger sensors actually make it a legitimate spec. Keep in mind that even 7MP will yield a crisp 8x10 print so unless you're planning on making posters you should still avoid getting too caught up in this rating. One caveat is that higher MP will allow you to crop a photo more and still retain detail.

Canon Rebel XS 10MP ($549 with an 18-55mm kit lens)
Pros: Solid entry level camera for a low price
Cons: No video capabilities, 10MP (which is still not bad)

Canon Rebel T2i 18MP ($979 with an 18-55mm kit lens)
Pros: High value for money, Full 1080P HD video, High MP for the price
Cons: Price may be above an entry level budget

Nikon D3000 10MP ($499 with an 18-55mm kit lens)
Pros: Solid entry level camera for a low price
Cons: No video capabilities, 10MP (which is still not bad)

Nikon D90 12.3MP ($999 with an 18-55mm kit lens)
Pros: Wildly popular, first dSLR to allow HD video shooting
Cons: Video is only 720p, price may be above an entry level budget

Sony Alpha A230 10.2MP ($399 with an 18-55mm kit lens)
Pros: One of the most inexpensive dSLR's, allows shooting to SD card as well as memory stick
Cons: No video recording, hotshoe is non-standard and may require adaptors for use with non-sony/minolta flashes

Pentax k-x 12.4MP ($629)
Pros: Compatible with almost all Pentax lenses, burst rate of 4.7 frames per second
Cons: Video is only 720p, no HDMI port

But wait!
Before you go running out the door to drop your hard earned cash on a new camera I recommend doing the following. Leave your cash/cards at home and go window shopping first, if at all possible try the camera out in the store and see how it feels. Write down a list of cameras you're interested in, when you get home scour the internet for reviews on them and see if there is any hidden flaws you didn't notice. Dropping a few hundred bucks or a grand is a big deal and you should be sure of what you want before you drop that kind of cash. I'd also recommend holding off on buying all sorts of accessories for the first week or so while you try out the camera at home, this way you can still return it without getting stuck with a bunch of accessories.

Good luck ;)

Buying Guide For Entry Level Cameras

[Originally written for a camera club we started at work]

Entry Level Camera Buying Guide
written by James Hildebrandt with contributions from Perry VanDongen
Budget: $150-250 (May 2008)

**Disclaimer: This guide is intended to help you with your purchase, however the decision is ultimately yours and we are not responsible if you are unhappy with the camera you choose

Who this guide is for:

This is for the person who likes taking pictures but doesn't want to be bothered with complicated settings (aperture, ISO, shutter speed etc) but may want to tinker a little later. They don't want to blow up images larger than an 8x10 and most of the time they are just going to get 4x6 prints or email them to friends.

If this is where you fit in you're lucky, you can get a decent camera for under $200 and most likely be thrilled with your purchase. With the digital era taking off this is the range most people fall into and the camera companies know it, because of the volume of cameras they sell they can produce them cheaper and cheaper. What used to cost over $500 a few years ago now is less than half that price.

Glossary of Terms:
There are too many to list in this article so here is a link to a nice one online


MP / Mega Pixels: Not as important as you might think*
This is the amount of pixels the image sensor in your camera can take, however DON'T BE FOOLED! For entry level (Point and Shoot) cameras the higher the number isn't necessarily going to mean a better picture. A 3MP or 4MP camera will most likely fill all of your needs if you're not wanting to print larger than an 8x10. Most Cameras available as I'm writing this are above 5MP so you really don't have to concern yourself at all with the MP rating. When you start getting into the higher and cameras with interchangeable lenses MP do start to become more important however as the numbers get higher and higher a jump of 2MP becomes almost insignificant.



This chart shows print sizes at various DPI or “Dots Per Inch”, generally people say 300DPI is photo quality however often you can get away with a lower setting. Photos of nature tend to enlarge better than photos of people but it all depends on the style of the shot. The MP value is tricky because it is representing an area, the larger the number gets the more you have to increase it to get a significant change. Take a look at the difference between a 12MP and a 16MP camera, the 300DPI print size only increases by 2” whereas the difference between a 3MP and a 6MP is 4”.

Lens Size/Quality: Important

It doesn't matter how many mega pixels or how good the sensor is if the light getting to it is passing through a crappy lens. You're generally looking for a camera with a glass lens, some lower end cameras use plastic in order to get you a lower price (Kodak Easyshare for example) but if you can spare a little extra cash go for the glass. Another thing to note is the diameter, the larger the lens the less the image will be distorted. Think of the peep hole on your door, smaller lenses tend to "fisheye" a little. Another problem with smaller lenses is that the center of the picture is in focus but the edges get blurry. Unfortunately with compact cameras comes compact lenses so if you're looking for a tiny camera you may have to put up with a little distortion.

Some of the problems associated with small lenses

Optical Zoom & Digital Zoom: What's the difference?

L to R) Standard View, Optical Zoom, Digital Zoom (note how it looks pixelized)

Only optical zoom is important, For a point and shoot you're probably looking at a maximum of 3 to 4 times zoom (often shown as 3x or 4x). You can tell if the zoom is optical if the actual lens moves as you zoom (although on some models the lens actually moves inside the camera so you can't actually see it).

Digital Zoom: Not important at all ignore everything you hear about "digital zoom", often salespeople will try to make the camera sound more impressive by talking up a storm about the digital zoom (though they seem to be doing this less and less). Digital zoom is essentially the same as enlarging the image on your computer and then cropping the area you want "zoomed", this will result in the image looking pixelized.

Shooting Modes: Nowadays almost every camera has all you need



Most cameras have different shooting modes, sometimes called scene modes. These will setup the camera with the optimal settings to shoot a variety of subjects. These will be named something like "Kids & Pets", "Sports","Portrait", "Nature & Landscape" etc. If you're new to the cameras and just want to take pictures without having to place too much thought into the process then you want a camera that is easy to understand and allows you to switch between modes with ease.

Video: Depends on if you're actually going to use it

Cameras in general are getting better in this area, there are some that will take video that rivals camcorders. The main thing you need to know is that if you want the video to look really good on your TV you will want a resolution of 640x480 at 30 frames per second, a resolution of 320x240 will look approximately like an old VHS tape would on your TV. The average person though probably isn't going to end up doing much with the video files, often the just end up sitting on your computer because the process of converting them to DVD is often complicated.

Look at the the video feature as a bonus not a selling point, if you really want to take video then just go buy a video camera.

*Note on video cameras that take stills: While little point and shoots can take pretty good video it often doesn't work the other way around. Video cameras often don't take very good photographs, the reason is for video you don't need as high of resolution (think megapixels) sensor because the picture is always changing.

Accessories : Memory Card(s), Camera Bag, Batteries
As soon as you decide on a camera the salesperson is going to want to sell you as many accessories as they can for the camera. The main two things you will need are one or more memory cards as well as some sort of case to protect your camera.

Memory Cards: I recommend a computer store downtown called OTV for your memory card, a 2GB SD card is $11.50 for a generic brand. All of the brands I've tried there have worked well and I have not had a problem with them. When you start shooting higher end cameras that take large pictures or if your camera can take a bunch of pictures in rapid succession (burst mode) you may benefit from a high speed name brand card, however for the average user it is not necessary.

Card Reader: I always recommend getting a card reader as opposed to downloading by connecting your camera to your computer. There are a few reasons for this: 1) Its often faster 2) If your camera battery dies during the transfer you can lose the remaining photos on the card. You can get a decent one at OTV for around $10 and it supports all of the popular formats (SD, Compact Flash, XD, Memory Stick etc).

Camera Bag: Look for a bag thats small enough that you don't mind carrying it around yet has enough room to fit whatever you need to take along (spare batteries, memory card etc). Lowepro is a brand that's been around for years and has a quality product. Don's photo on Idylwyld Dr. has a good selection but you can probably find them at most big stores that sell cameras.

Batteries: If your camera runs on AA batteries then you are going to want to invest in a good set of NIMH rechargeable batteries and a charger. You're probably looking at $30-50 for a set of 4 AA batteries and a charger although I've heard XSCargo actually has some good kits sometimes for as low as $12. The batteries will have an mAh (milli-amp hour) rating, a good battery is around 1600mAh or higher.

Before you finally take the plunge and buy the camera:

1. Leave you wallet at home and go try out cameras in the store, take your time, you don't have to buy the first camera you look at. Write down a few models that appealed to you and their prices.


2. Read reviews, a great website is www.epinions.com it offers customer reviews from real people on everything from cars to dishwashers and everything in between. Another two good sites just for cameras are www.dpreview.com and www.steves-digicams.com


3. Check the smaller camera shops and see if they have the model you are interested in, if they do then try to buy it there (they'll often price match). Its at these smaller stores (Don's Photo, Phase II etc) that the people really want to help you and they are normally pretty knowledgeable. Some even offer incentives, for example if you purchase a digital camera at Don's Photo you will also get a loyalty card which gets you cheaper 4”x6” prints.

Some cameras in this price range to consider:

Canon

• Powershot Series (this whole line is pretty good)
  A560 - $139.99
  A good entry level camera, decent quality and all the standard bells and whistles. This camera is not toobig and not too small, it has a decent size lens and 4X optical zoom. Great video quality too!
• Digital Elph Series (good line of very compact cameras)
  SD1000 - $179.99
  A nice tiny camera that still takes good pictures, the elph series is known for its small size. You can still find an SD1000 in some stores, it is quickly being replaced with this years model the SD1100 ($259.99) which is why its on for so cheap. 3X optical zoom, great video, and an amazingly fast startup time.
  

Panasonic

• Lumix 10.1MP (DMCFS5K) $239.99
  A very capable point and shoot, this camera sports high quality optics with is Leica lens that yields nice
  sharp images. The camera comes complete with all the standard shooting modes you'd expect to find
  and its surprisingly compact.

Nikon

• Coolpix Series (the whole series has a decent reputation) Nikon Coolpix 8MP (L18) $144.99
  Nikon has been in the game for a long time, the coolpix series has been known to be a decent point and shoot camera that offers good quality at a decent price. Has all of the standard options and a decent 3X optical zoom.

(L to R) Canon A56o, Canon SD1000, Lumix DMCFS5K, Nikon Coolpix L18