|
 Low-Key Low-light shot
Features to look for:
RAW via JPEG capture modes:
Almost all SLR-like digital cameras comes with RAW format, and you don’t need to worry about this feature. But who knows, there might be a light SLR-like camera out there that does not support this feature, so make sure you check before purchasing your SLR-like camera of choice. RAW format lets you compile your images after shooting and in post–processing, just like you would do with a negative in a darkroom. You can modify sharpness, saturation, contrast, exposure and color tones, and reproduce the same image from that RAW file again. When you shoot in RAW, you can be fairly confident that you can still modify your photos and change settings of your picture to bring out the sharpest color details of the original scene.
Memory buffers:
This is something you can find in some high-end SLR-like digital cameras. The more memory buffer, the faster your camera, especially in continuous and high-speed continuous shooting modes. Almost all SLR-like digital cameras offer hefty memory buffer, but still less than DSLRs. Don’t forget that you’ll get what you’ll pay for. SLR-like digital cameras are built for multi-purpose photography and you can’t expect much from them. If you are looking for faster frame per second shooting and higher performance and recharge speed, then you should definitely look for a DSLR that fits your budget with proper settings.
LCD:
SLR-like LCDs are big enough to give you a great preview and they also rotate in a wide variety of angles. Rotational LCD panels are a must nowadays. With such a fast development in digital camera technology, it’s not a demand anymore to have a rotational LCD, but it’s a must. Rotational LCD helps you take picture at low angles, which is most needed in low-light nature photography.
ISO range:
SLR-like digital cameras offer a wide range of ISO. Usually an ISO ranging between 100 and 1600 is an acceptable range for shooting night and low-light scenes with SLR-like cameras, and they produce quality results even at high ISO ranges. ISO range is one of the most important factors for digital night and low-light photography.
Photography is the art of lighting and how to handle the light entering cameras lens. Three settings can control light entering the camera: aperture setting, shutter speed and ISO range. As previously mentioned, it is not a good practice to trust all manufacturers and digital camera makers, because introducing high ISO ranges is not always an advantage. High ISO with acceptable quality is what we are after in night and low-light photography. Try to test your digital camera of choice before purchasing one, and read some reviews over the Internet to make sure they can produce acceptable qualities at their higher end or mid-range ISO settings.
Aperture:
Lenses use an iris, or diaphragm, to adjust the amount of light entering diaphragm and falling on the camera’s APS (Active Pixel Sensor). SLR-like digital cameras often have a disappointing maximum and minimum aperture value in comparison with DSLR cameras. Take Sony R1, for example. This is a monster SLR-like digital camera with 10.2 Mega Pixel count, but the minimum aperture does not exceed 16, which is far below what DSLR lenses offer. Canon’s cheap lenses that come with the DSLR kits offer a minimum aperture value of 32, which is twice as much. This applies to the maximum aperture value as well. SLR-like digital cameras do not offer anything beyond maximum aperture of 2.8, while you can easily have lenses with maximum aperture value of f/1.2 with DSLR cameras. This example only helps you better understand why you are paying more, or less, for different types of cameras and what those extra bucks can buy!
Startup times:
SLR-like cameras have a low catch-up in manual mode, but they have much faster startups than prosumer compact cameras. Although they walk behind DSLR cameras, they offer a reasonable startup time for the money you pay.
AF systems:
SLR-like lenses are programmed touse the auto focus, and it is not going to fail you unless you add extra filters, zoom or wide lenses that might require manual adjusting of lenses. Usually, SLR-like digital cameras offer both manual and auto focus systems.
Exposure Mode Dial:
You have a couple of preset exposure modes with your SLR-like digital camera, such as portrait, landscape, action and night photography. This helps you to act faster and your camera also acts faster in these preset modes, especially as of the AF point of view.
Flash system and accessories:
All SLR-like cameras come with hot shoe, which means you can attach external flashes to them. Some of them also enable you to use several flash units through special wires they offer. Try to read your camera’s manual carefully, and study beforehand if you plan to do low-light portraiture in particular.
Custom functions:
Check to see how many functions you can change through the main menu over the LCD. The more you can change, the more problems you can solve when they arise.
White balance:
This function controls and corrects color casts that the camera detects in the scene. SLR-like cameras allow for more fine-tuning to correct the color even more thoroughly.
Storage and memory cards:
You will not face any problems with this item, but make sure to purchase memory cards from good brands. They give you more security and you are less likely to lose your data in sudden accidents. Also keep in mind that two 1-gigabyte memory cards are much better than one 2-gigabyte card.
|
Night Camera buying guide 
Del.icio.us
Digg
Google
Spurl
Blink
Furl
Simpy
Y!
MyWeb