Here’s a quick overview of the main parameters you need to look into.

Megapixels

The more, the better, or the sharper is your image. Keep in mind that for the average user, under 10MB pixels is actually more than enough. The higher ranks would serve you better if you prefer to print out large, even poster sized, pictures of your work.

Zoom

A good zoom ability is what allows a camera to be your little telescope and bring objects closer to you. You might note two types of zoom mentioned in product description: digital zoom and optical zoom.

The digital zoom ability allows the camera to manipulate the image and artificially increase it on your camera screen. That won’t do though, because by definition, digital zoom also decreases your image quality. That means less details and a walk away from the crisp sharp image you’re looking for.

The optical zoom ability is far more advanced and provides you with a “real” enlargement through high-end lenses. It’s also far more expensive, and in some cameras may require a change of lens, to achieve the best optical zoom. Oh, and yes, optical zoom abilities are more expensive.

Focus Capabilities

I still remember my Dad’s camera, with its manual focus. When taking a picture, you had to manually rotate the focus ring to get a sharp image. That was before the days of digital cameras. Today, those smart digital chips can easily get your picture in focus for you. However, in the high-end professional digital cameras, you can have a manual focus ability too. Just for fun, or for creating more advanced photographic setups.

Aperture and Shutter Settings

If you have no idea what these are, and you don’t want to find out, that’s just fine. Any camera you’ll get will take care of these for you, either in “auto-mode” or in any of the advanced, yet easy to use, pre-fixed photographic mode. Professional photographers, however, prefer to have full control over these settings, so as to create exceptional images.

And finally… the S Word – SLR!

So what the heck does SLR even mean? and why is that the hallmark of professional digital cameras? The words behind the acronym won’t be much of a help probably, but for the record, they are: Single Lens Reflex. Technically, in digital cameras, we should be talking about DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex.

So, what is that? it’s another feature that aids in sophisticated high-end photography. It also allows you to use different lenses and it generates a what-you-see-is-what-you-get image in the camera display screen. So, yes, it’s pretty cool, but to make the most of it, you have to know what you’re doing.

SLR has become a code word for a high-end camera. Professional digital cameras now have the term attached to them, pretty much.

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