A friend of mine just purchased a Nikon D7000—-my dream camera.
I lust after the DSLR in much the same way I do a Dyson, and I know I am not alone.
The Nikon D7000 is considered the best non-professional DSLR on the market. However, at $1,500 it’s not exactly within my economic reach.
To temper my longing for the incredible piece of photographic hardware I have been asking myself if I really need all the bells and whistles that it offers.
I do… okay, maybe I don’t.
Actually, I do.
Actually, I want them more than I need them, but who cares about semantics.
If you are just getting into the field of photography, then I wouldn’t suggest investing in a D7000—yet. Rather, shop around for a more affordable point-and-shoot and concentrate on the following:
Resolution: The quality of resolution is determined by the amount of pixels. A megapixel is 1 million pixels. The more pixels you have, the more digital information is contained within the photo and the sharper your image will appear. With that said, you don’t want to choose a digital camera with less than 3 megapixels. In fact, if your budget allows, you might want to splurge on a camera with 4 megapixels or higher. By doing so, your pictures will not only look great online, but also you’ll be able to enlarge and print them without compromising the resolution.
Zoom: There was a time when camera owners were their own zoom feature dodging, weaving and sticking their picture-taking tool in their subject’s face. These days you can buy cameras that have the feature built-in. Most standard point-and-shoot cameras start at a 3X optical zoom. You’ll find the higher the number the pricier the camera. For example, a digital camera with a 3X zoom may run you about $300 (depending on its other features), while a digital camera featuring a 10X optical zoom may be twice as expensive.
Power: One of the key factors I look for when shopping for a quality camera is battery life. It varies by manufacturer, so I would suggest either reading online reviews or chatting with others who already own the camera you are interested in purchasing. A good way to conserve the life of your battery is to limit your use of power-sucking features like the LCD screen.
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