Dec 08, 2004 04:32 PM
5828 Views
(Updated Aug 02, 2014 10:41 PM)
The first question that comes to mind while investing (I say ''investing'' because digital cameras can cost quite a bit) in a digital camera is whether it is really worth the money to buy a digital one or whether it is good enough to buy a normal one.
It is true that one can buy a very good non-digital camera with the money that one ends up paying for a standard digital camera. Well, I dont know about professionals but if you are a novice photographer like me interested in taking pictures of friends and family, of event and outings, dont think twice - buy a digital one.
For one, you are sure that you are definitely getting a photo and there will be no rude shocks of the negatives getting spoilt, reel not loaded properly, etc, etc. Secondly, if someone has closed his/her eyes, forgotten to smile, etc., you can always take another snap. Plus, you can check which photos you would really like to keep in your albums and accordingly develop those.
The Sony DSC P73 is the first camera I bought and I have been using it since about 6 months. Its very easy to use, handy, small enough to get into a pocket. For a travel bug like me, its very good.
Before buying a digital camera, the first few things one needs to look at (from a novice's point of view) are the ''mega-pixels'', the digital zoom (all cameras offer a zoom, watch out for the word ''digital'' zoom) and to some extent, the size of the LCD. The P73 is a 4.1 megapixel one (I would recommend a minimum of 3.2 MP). The photos taken in natural light are extremely clear. The photos taken at night are also pretty good. Of late, some magazines like Digit have rated this as the best among the below 30,000/- range. The price of the P73 is about 20,000/-.
You can also shoot videos which aren't as sharp as a handycam but not too bad either. It takes a few seconds to focus which means that your hand has to be very steady and when you are moving it around, just wait for a few seconds for it to focus.
Most digital cameras come with a pathetic RAM of 16 MB. Dump it. Buy a chip of at least 256 MB and even better 512 MB. I have a 256 MB one and can store about 110 photos all at the finest mode. In one of my trips, I just bought a blank CD and got the photos transferred to the CD whenever the memory stick got too full.
The P73 comes with two rechargeable batteries. It is advisable to buy a couple more just to make sure that you aren't stuck up because your batteries ran out. Batteries run out pretty fast especially if you are shooting videos.
Another point that you might think of is whether it is better to buy a handycam instead of a digital camera. I found out from the vendors that at this price, you will never get a handycam with a decent megapixel. There is no point buying a handycam which is not very clear.
All in all, go for a digital camera. A Sony P73 is definitely a good buy for its price.
