The speed of change in the digital cameras area is fast and new models show up on a regular basis. Yes, you might feel inclined to buy the latest gadgets that are launched, play with the latest options and then show off the photos you just took, but do you actually need the latest digital camera or will the current one work for a while longer.
Probably not, maybe they just look at things a little differently. Camera manufacturers are releasing new camera models at an unprecedented rate.
Unless you have money to burn, impulse buying can be fraught with future disappointment. Digital cameras are complex instruments by nature, and require some level of understanding. You need to do at least some homework. Especially if this is your first camera.
Today however, things have definitely changed. Digital cameras mean more megapixels, image stabilization, face recognition, software menus, LCD screens, memory cards and firmware upgrades. These are all features driven by or completely impossible without CPU’s and software. Meaning, that cameras are not just cameras anymore, they’re actually little miniature computers that just happen to take pictures.
We all know how often computers become obsolete and upgraded. That lesson certainly hasn’t been lost on the brain trust that run companies like Canon, Sony, Nikon and Kodak. OK, maybe a little lost with Kodak, but I digress.
What’s most important here, is to understand what your getting into with SLR. It does allow for more control over your photography, but also assumes you have more understanding of what makes a good picture. Controlling aperture, f-stop, color balance, focal length and metering are good things to know here. You can of course use the default auto settings forever, but that kind of defeats the purpose of having an SLR.
If the only reason behind the new purchase is getting a few extra megapixels, then you’re a bit misguided.
One piece of information you might need is if the image sensor was increased at the same time as the number of megapixels. If the image sensor remains the same and the number of megapixels increases, there is a good chance you will get a photo that is noised. The bigger the sensor, the better quality you will get from those extra megapixels.