If you’re encouraging readers to submit photos, your community reporters will need a digital camera to snap photos of local stories and events.
A good resource for digital camera buyers is Digital Photography Review, http://www.dpreview.com/. It has a useful side-by-side camera comparison feature. However, if you don’t want to delve into the minutiae of digital photography statistics, we can recommend several cameras.
In general, Canon cameras have excellent color and contrast. And for less than $300 you can get one that shoots capable video and comes with image stabilization (look for “IS” in the model name).
Any of the PowerShot point-and-shoot models will do the trick. The Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS is a small model that offers good value for the price. It uses a non-standard rechargeable battery pack (Lithium-Ion), so buying an extra is essential. The Canon PowerShot A1100 IS is a bit more bulky but runs on AAs, so you can always stop at a store and purchase new batteries in a pinch. You can also buy rechargeable AAs for it. Rechargeable batteries are environmentally friendly and, given digital cameras’ high power consumption, will save you money in the long run over repeatedly buying conventional AAs.
About megapixels
Digital cameras capture images using a charged coupling device, or CCD, which translates light into dots of color known as pixels. The more pixels a CCD can capture, the sharper and clearer its images. One megapixel equals one million pixels. Cameras with more megapixels capture larger, more detailed pictures. As of this writing, most consumer cameras capture a minimum of 8 to 10 megapixels.
Other considerations
The essential factors to compare when camera shopping are megapixels, zoom and the type of storage card the camera uses.
When comparing zoom, only use the optical zoom rating. The digital zoom function simply crops the photo your are taking to make it look like you’re getting a closer shot.
Digital cameras generally store images on removable memory cards, and cameras with lots of megapixels create larger images that take up more space on those memory cards. Most digital cameras come with low-capacity cards that can only store a handful of low-quality images. After you buy the camera, pick up a storage card of at least 4GB. Depending on your camera/settings the card will be able to hold differing numbers of photos. At 8-megapixels, a 4GB card can store approximately 1000 high-quality images, however if you set your camera to a lower quality you can store additional photos.
Always be sure to set the quality depending on how you plan to use the photos. It’s better to keep one high-capacity card in the camera at all times than to switch back and forth between two lower-capacity cards — you don’t want to miss that shot while you’re switching. (However, having two cards means you can be downloading from one while you’re shooting with the other.)
If you are commonly on the go, you could also consider an Eye-Fi card. It’s a WiFi-enabled SD memory card (be sure to check their compatibility list) that allows for your photos to automatically upload to popular photo storage/sharing websites as long as you’re near an open WiFi network. The photos could be tied directly to your home website or used by staff back at the office without having to wait until the photographer returns.
Different brands of cameras use different types of memory cards. Fingernail-sized SD or XD chips are popular, but some cameras use Matchbook-sized CompactFlash cards. Sony’s cameras use the company’s own brand of keychain-sized MemoryStick Duo technology. Ask a clerk at your local electronics store’s camera department which kind of memory will best fit your needs. SanDisk, PNY and Kingston are good brands, but let price be your guide. When buying a new camera, be sure you purchase extra memory as most come with extremely limited internal memory. Think of these cards as your “film.” Keep them accessible so you can quickly switch to a new card, but safe so you don’t lose all your hard work.
The PowerShot A11000 IS is a 12-megapixel device with a 4x optical zoom and accepts SD, SDHC, MMC or MMC Plus cards, and the SD1400 IS has 14 megapixels and a 4x optical zoom. It also accepts SD, SDHC, MMC or MMC Plus card storage.
Currently, there are dozens of professional digital cameras available. DSLR’s are more versatile and powerful cameras aimed at professionals and photography enthusiasts, as opposed to the point-and-shoot cameras mentioned above which are designed for casual consumer photography. While most consumer point-and-shoots have a single built-in lens, DSLRs use interchangeable lenses for different depths of field, zoom options, filters or lighting conditions.
Both Canon and Nikon make comparable professional models for around $1000 (including the price of a standard 18-55mm lens). The Nikon D90 is a 12.3 megapixel camera and the Canon EOS Rebel T2i (or 550D as it is also known) is an 18 megapixel camera. Both accept SD or SDHC cards, include rechargeable batteries and are available with or without lenses. Shopping for lenses can be complicated and gets pricey quickly, but the default 18-55mm lens provides excellent range, versatility and responsiveness.
Keep in mind that if you’re publishing solely for the web, you don’t need the detail that a 10+ megapixel cameras provide. Look for cameras that respond quickly and take clear images. If you miss the shot while waiting for the camera to snap a photo, megapixels won’t matter. However, higher-megapixel cameras are useful when the images you take for the web will also be appearing in print publications.
Other important purchases:
- Lens cleaner.
- A leather or plastic cover that stays attached to the camera.
- A battery recharger and extra batteries, depending on the camera.
- A camera bag that will protect your camera’s LCD screen and hold accessories (lenses, memory, batteries, etc.).
Once you purchase your camera, check out our sections about photo software and image editing techniques.
Digital Video Cameras
In many cases, the camera you buy for pictures will capture good enough video to use online, especially those with image stabilization technology (look for a model that ends in “IS”) or a DSLR that shoots video. In some cases the DSLR is enough to shoot excellent video, however DSLRs and point-and-shoots do not always offer the features of a dedicated video camera. With that in mind, consolidating your needs into one camera will save you money and streamline the amount of equipment you have to juggle out in the field. So purchase depending on your usage, as you may not need all the features available.
If you want to take the next step, and acquire a set-up specifically for shooting video, here are some suggestions to follow. Putting together a video kit need not break the bank but you will want at least the following equipment:
- A camera.
- A tripod.
- A microphone or two (plus an audio mixing board if you plan to use more than one microphone).
- Headphones.
- Tapes, cables, power cords, batteries.
When choosing a camera, you need not only to consider the price, but also the features and formats.
There are many kinds of cameras on the market, but your best choice is a digital video camera – preferably a MiniDV camera. Digital video cameras record pictures electronically, and the picture quality of your images will be very high, even if you are using a consumer-level camera. Digital video is made up of tiny lines, the more lines the more picture. 720 lines is considered High Definition (HD) video. Digital video is the standard and 1080 is the highest resolution of HD video available to consumers.
Choosing a camera format
Cameras record in several different formats, and what you need is actually determined by where you live:
- NTSC (National Television Standards Committee): United States, the Philippines, Japan.
- PAL (Phase Alternating Line): Europe, Australia, South America, southern Asia.
- SECAM (Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire): France, Eastern Europe, Russia, central Asia.
Because they are so popular, the light-weight MiniDV cameras come in a number of price ranges, so you should have quite a bit of choice. The most efficient method of connecting your camera to your computer is to use FireWire (a.k.a. IEEE-1394) or USB. Apple computers have a FireWire connection built in, but many Windows-based computers do not. Also, when using Firewire you should ascertain if your computer has FireWire 400 or FireWire 800 as they are not compatible with each other. If you don’t have FireWire at all then you can use USB connections though FireWire 800 is currently faster than most USB systems. The most important thing is to remember to match the connections on the camera with those on the computer that will be performing the video editing.
When researching MiniDV cameras, look for one that:
- Is comfortable to use, with a good size and shape and buttons big enough for fingers large and small.
- Has good picture quality (again HD video).
- Fits your budget but isn’t so low-end that you lose out on necessary features (see below).
You will find a range of prices from $150 to $5,000 and up. The difference in prices has more to do with camera features than anything else. There are a few features you should pay special attention to:
- Resolution. For good image quality, look for high resolution cameras.
- Zoom. There are both optical and digital zoom features on most DV cameras. Optical zoom is the one to pay attention to – get a good one. Digital zoom enlarges the image but just like with still cameras, crops the image, so your image can look fuzzy. It is best to avoid cameras which are too reliant on digital zoom.
- Connections. At a minimum, you need a camera with at least one microphone jack, one headphone jack and one FireWire jack, and if possible it wouldn’t hurt to have a USB port either.
- Battery life. You want a camera with a decent battery life – at least a few hours – so that you don’t have to interrupt taping to replace the battery. Also, pay attention to where the battery slot is – if you have to disassemble your whole setup to get at the battery slot, the delay before you can start taping again will be significant.
- Tape or disk. Newer cameras record directly to a hard disk drive in the camera or use Flash-based memory to avoid the need for messing with tapes. If you choose a tapeless camera, you will want to have an external storage device that connects to your computer so you can archive your video.
Some options to consider:
Under $200: Flip Video HDMino. Compact and simple to use, the Flip cameras are a great option if you are on a budget. Direct USB-to-computer connection means no extra cords, and with HD video and an HDMI port the camera has good quality video for a great price. That being said, the video and sound quality may be comparable to some point-and-shoot cameras available as well.
Under $500: Canon VIXIA HF R100. With a 20x optical zoom, full 1080 HD recording, and image stabilization, the R100 is a good camera package. While it does not have an accessory shoe, it does have a mic jack, HDMI and USB output, and records directly to SD cards in full HD. The compact size combined with many other features make this a great all-around basic camcorder.
Under $1,000: Sony Handycam XR350V. A high-quality HD camcorder that records directly to an internal hard-drive, has an accessory shoe for external lights, hot mics, etc. It has a built in flash, image stabilization, HDMI and USB output, 12x optical zoom and on-board still camera ability with the choice of SD cards or MemoryStick Duo cards.
The serious videographer should also give some thought to the Canon XH A1S, which costs around $4,000. You can buy and switch out lenses for this camera, so don’t forget to include lenses in your budget. It outputs using FireWire, composite audio and video and others, contains headphone and microphone jacks, and it uses Lithium ion batteries. This camera falls in the “prosumer” range and is suitable for nearly every situation in which you might want to include video. As the price suggests, it’s a terrific camera.
For reviews and comparisons, visit CNET’s buying guide.
Video Editors
You will need to use video-editing software in order to digitize your video and then edit it. Fortunately, there are options at all price levels. And don’t be scared to try one of the lower-priced offerings; less can definitely be more when it comes to video editing since you won’t need all the bells and whistles that a professional multimedia pro uses.
Free: iMovie for the Mac is a great tool that is easy to use. Movie Maker for the PC will also get the job done.
Under $100: Sony’s Vegas Video adds even more functionality than iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. Lots of bang for the buck.
Under $200: While Final Cut and Adobe Premiere are the industry standard software platforms for professionals and are priced accordingly. But you can pick up the stripped down Final Cut Express for about $200 and Adobe Premiere Elements for even less.
Price doesn’t matter: Adobe’s Premiere Pro and Final Cut Studio are the best video-editing software applications for both PC and Macintosh computers.
Whichever software package you choose, be sure to check the hardware requirements to make sure your computer can run it. For instance, you must be able to accept incoming video — remember Firewire or USB — and have sufficient hard drive space to hold the video files you digitize.
Hard drive space is like wealth — you can never have too much of it. Realistically, you probably need at least 200 GB of space free to do frequent video editing, and even then, you should be storing your old footage on an external hard drive, DVDs or keeping it on the original DV tapes.
This entry was written May 2010, as technology is updated so often, the cameras recommended here may be out of date. In reading the information contained in this website, you can learning what you have, what you need, and what you are going to be using the equipment for; knowing this you should be able to figure out what you truly need.