The Continuing Battle of the Digital Camera Categories
How to Find the Digital Camera Type That is Best for You
By Jeff Wignall
There's a funny scene in the movie Broadcast News where
William Hurt and Holly Hunter's characters are arguing about the
ever-shifting line between honest journalism and good ratings. Hunter's
character accuses Hurt's of crossing over that line and he retorts
angrily: "It's hard not to cross it; they keep moving the little
sucker, don't they?"
In a lot of ways trying to draw a clear line between digital camera
categories poses a similar dilemma. Just when you think you understand
the features that make each digital camera category distinct, a new wave of cameras is
introduced and, voila, your existing guideposts have vanished--only to
hop across an invisible boundary and re-appear elsewhere. It can be a mind-bending experience to find a digital camera that is both affordable and will do everything that you want it to do--which is, of course, take great digital pictures.
Dividing cameras into seemingly unambiguous groups is, of course,
largely a marketing device because manufacturers do need to target
their audiences. It's silly to advertise a hot red Corvette to grandmothers
(most grandmothers, anyway)--but it's an equal waste of energy to advertise a family van to a 20-year-old kid fresh out of college. In cameras as well as with cars, you have to aim your bait at the fish you're trying to hook. And let's face it, everyone has different things they want from a digital camera. The result? The camera world is overflowing with camera choices. And, as I'm writing this, Photokina 2010 (the world's largest trade show for all things photographic) has just wrapped up in Cologne, Germany and so get ready because an avalanche of new cameras is about to fall off the mountain.
But understanding how these digital camera categories
differ--and the practical difference between them--can help you decide which digital camera type is right for you. And, of
course, you don't have to confine your camera search to one category.
Look instead for the features you need and can afford and then find a
camera--in whatever category it happens to be--that fits your needs. For most of my professional work, of course, I use DSLR (digital-single-lens-reflex) cameras, but I also own a number of other digital cameras--including several point-and-shoots, a few zoom cameras and, of course, a few mixed-breed type of digital cameras.
After all, while a 12-megapixel advanced zoom camera might be the perfect
one-stop solution for the serious vacation shooter, it's also a great option for
a pro (like me) who needs a lightweight backup camera--or, as I like to think of them, "fun" cameras. And there are many serious
consumer shooters who pack lots of pro gear--you only have to spend an
afternoon at a high-school football game to see that. I see lots of amateur photographers with better gear than I own or could ever afford, trust me.
If you start to read about a particular type of camera below and
suddenly think "What's he talking about?! I don't need that much
camera!" then move on to the next digital camera category--but I think if you read
about each different type of camera you'll get a better overall picture
of what is currently on the market.
