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How to Choose a Compact Camera 2

How to choose a compact camera is something most of us struggle with at one time or another. We covered megapixels and photo print size last time, but what about all those buttons? Which settings and features are important, and which are just gimmicks?

Here are the next two considerations. It’s not a long read, but by the time you finish, words like manual exposure, aperture setting, shutter speed, histograms and RAW file format will make a whole lot more sense.

Are you a photographic newbie? Or do you require manual settings and lots of features?

The settings you use the most will be manual exposure, aperture priority and shutter priority modes, for more control in composition. You may not know what these are all about now, but you’ll want them later if you plan to increse you skill. If you have manual options, your compact camera can serve as a stepping stone for a more advanced model in the future.

One other feature you may want is the ability to save files in the RAW file format, which is the digital equivalent of a film negative. RAW files are more flexible if you later have to change the white balance or exposure, and can help you maximize image quality for a given number of megapixels. A camera that can take pictures in RAW is a step closer to a pro setup.

Try to make sure your compact camera can display image histograms. Histograms are a digital type of light-meter, and can instantly show how well your photo has been exposed. This is a great tool for learning about photography. Newer cameras may also have a live histogram and will show changes in the image histogram in real-time as you compose the shot.

Will you be taking pictures in low light conditions?

Features for low light conditions are directly related to the cameras size. Smaller cameras will almost always do poorly in low light conditions as the small sensor will result in lower light sensitivity. If you must get camera with a very small lens be sure to get IS or image stabilization. This is also called vibration reduction, and lets you achieve longer exposure times and sharper images by compensating for camera shake. This only works for camera movement, though, not subject movement.

If you want help with both camera and subject movement chose a camera with a large lens aperture. This will increases its light-gathering ability. The max aperture setting is listed in terms of its f-stop number, For some reason, smaller numbers mean a wider lens opening, and consequently more light gathering ability.  For compact cameras a max aperture setting of f/2.0 or more (smaller number) is excellent. Your average compact camer wil have f/2.8 to f/3.5. Small changes in the aperture setting correspond to huge changes in light-gathering ability. For example, a lens with f/2.0 gathers twice as much light as a lens with f/2.8.

Also make sure the compact camera you are considering has a flash. You’ll use a flash in low light conditions when your subject is close to the camera, but be aware that a flash will do you no good with distant subjects at night, such as buildings or monuments, and can actually make things much worse by tricking your compact camera into thinking your subject is better lit than it really is and result in settings that lower the light sensitivity.

Also, make sure that your compact camera can take photos with high ISO settings. Higher numbered ISO settings mean better light sensitivity. An ISO setting of 400 provides twice the light sensitivity of ISO 200. This means that in the same light conditions you will be able to get away with a shorter exposure than would otherwise be possible. Be aware, though that the higher the ISO settings, the grainier your photo will be. Be sure to look at pictures taken with the camera you are considering and check if the quality of photos taken at high ISO settings are acceptable. Compact cameras generally have lower image quality at the same ISO setting as a larger camera.

Tags: aperture setting, compact camera, ISO settings, light sensitivity, low light conditions

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