Purchasing the right Canon Digital Camera
Although there maybe some overlapping in features or functions, broadly speaking, there are six categories of Canon Digital cameras which a buyer can choose from. They are (1) Canon Super compact (2) Canon Compact (3) Canon Full Featured camera (4) The 5 megapixels Ultra Zoom Camera (5) The Eight Megapixels Ultra Zoom camera (6) and the Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR).
Your ideal choice of purchase should be based on your actual specific needs. If you are a professional Photographer, the Ultra Zoom or SLR cameras will be more suited for your needs than a super compact or compact camera. This is because the SLR or Ultra zoom range of cameras allows you to install telescopic lenses which let you take sharp crisp clear pictures. But with the ability to mount optional lenses, these type of cameras tend to be large in size when you compare them to the super compact or compact cameras.
The super compact range of canon cameras like the Canon SD10 is designed with pocketablity in mind. They are extremely small in sizes and usually have limited features due to their sizes. They are also usually fully automatic and lack manual settings for many features like aperture priority or exposure. The focal length is usually fixed and they come with 2 to 3 times zoom capacity. The compact ranges of cameras are also small in sizes although slightly larger than the sub compact. They have more features and also are usually have a higher pixel counts than the sub compact. They also allow limited manual settings as compared to none for the sub compact camera. Their zoom capacity is normally around 3 to 4 times.
The Canon full featured cameras in the mid range category of the canon line of cameras. More expensive than the compact range, they are still cheaper than the ultra zooms and the SLR range. Being partially automatic, they have manual settings to let the user override some of the auto features of the camera. As such without being overly complex or simple, this type of camera will be ideally suited for the amateur photographer.
The 5 megapixels Ultra Zoom camera comes with lenses with a zoom capacity of 5 to 10 times. Most of them uses electronic viewfinder as opposed to optical viewfinder. They also come with a wide range of auto exposure settings and also with manual override. The higher rated 8 megapixels ultra zoom camera Canon EOS 1D Mark II is more expensive than the 5 megapixels camera as they have a bigger sensor for less noise interference in image capturing. Features wise they are comparatively the same. Their range of optional accessories is also quite comprehensive and to a certain extent allows you to “customize” your camera. A feature like the horse shoe allows you to install the external flash for added lighting if conditions require it.
At the end of the scale, is the Digital SLR camera. The Canon EOS 10D although looks like a traditional film based camera, is a high tech piece of digital photographic equipment. Besides from having the largest digital sensors, the digital SLR is also extremely expensive. Their body makeup allows you to swap lenses around, even those meant for a 35mm film camera. With this ability in mind, what you ultimately will buy depends not just on your needs and to a certain extent what you have as well.
