Why would I want to move from Film to a Digital Camera?

1.      Instant feedback – you don’t leave till you have the picture you wanted.

2.      No waiting till you’ve got to the end of the film before you see the results and can show them to your friends.  Great if just want 2 or 3 “instant” photos very quickly.

3.      It costs nothing to take the pictures – so you can experiment more, try new ideas.  Take a risk, then throw away the shots which don’t work.

4.      The cameras can be very tiny – if that’s what you want. (Can your fingers cope with tiny buttons?).

Do I need a Computer?

1.      Not any more.  Many High Street photo shops have kiosks where you can take the memory card from the camera and pick the pictures you want to have printed.
You can also:

a.      Zoom in on the key part of the picture (“cropping”).

b.      Correct exposure or eliminate “red-eye” from flash pictures.

c.      Transfer the photos to CD to play on your DVD player.

2.      Alternatively, there is now a wide range of photo printers which will accept your memory card  and produce prints at home without a computer.  Here too you can make some improvements to the pictures before printing them.

3.      But using a computer to work on the pictures can open up a whole world of new opportunities if you want to develop a serious interest in your photography.

a.      Using a photo-editing package you can bring out the best in  each photo.  The more you learn, the more satisfying and subtle the results  can be. For me, this is the best bit !

b.      You can run a “slideshow” on the PC screen very easily – the pictures will look much better than in an ordinary sized print.

c.      You can e-mail pictures to friends & family, or post them on a website.

d.      You can organise and backup your pictures much more effectively.

4.      Enthusiasts using film cameras can do the same by scanning their negatives or slides.  It is just a different way of getting a digital image.

Choosing a Digital Camera

1.      There’s a bewildering choice.  Buy some magazines, talk to friends, see what’s on the market, learn the jargon.

2.      Be prepared for rapid change.  Whatever you buy will be outclassed in a year or less.  Don’t worry on this score – if you want to be in the game you have to take the plunge and buy what’s available now.

 

3.      Most importantly, decide what kind of photographer you expect to be.  Do you want to:

a.      Keep a camera handy in your pocket or handbag to take happy snaps of the grandchildren on a day out, or your pals at a party.  (At a pinch, the best camera-phones can do this).

b.      Have a compact camera that’s easy to use but gives you a chance to control the settings when you learn more about photography and want to get a successful picture in tricky situations.

c.      Continue the advanced picture-taking you do now with your film-based SLR.

4.      You will hear a lot about Megapixels – but that’s not the whole story. 

a.      You won’t get a good picture without a decent lens.  Megapixels are cheap now, but good optics will always cost more.

b.      Ignore “digital zoom”; recognise the value of a wide “optical zoom” range.  Pay attention to the Aperture of the lens (a small f-number is better).

c.      Do you want to use a “proper” flash gun?  You will need a hotshoe or a special flash gun driven by the built-in one.

5.      Go to a shop where you can handle the camera to check that it’s nice to hold and handle.  Discuss you options with the staff.  Ideally, get them to charge up the battery and let you take some pictures.  If there are better prices on the Internet, the shop may well match them – just ask !  If they’ve given all this help, they deserve the business.

6.      Enthusiasts long for a digital SLR – but remember a set of lenses could cost more than the camera itself.

Taking Better Pictures

1.      Fancy kit gives you more flexibility, but ultimately it’s the photographer’s eye and brain which produce that stunning shot which grabs your attention.

2.      With digital, you can experiment more and see immediately what works and build on that.  The pictures come with an “EXIF” file which you can read.  It records the camera settings for each picture;  this accelerates the learning process too.

3.      Subscribe to a good magazine to glean tips and see outstanding pictures.

4.      Join a camera club.  There are plenty in the Radio Berkshire area.  Mine is the Bracknell Camera Club.  See their website:

www.bracknell-camera-club.co.uk  (it has links to other local clubs)

or contact the Secretary, Debbie, on 01344 485568