Guide to Buying A Digital Camera

Wanting to buy a camera for long? Bamboozled by the cameras around you? However, not sure how to go about hunting, what to look for? What features and how many megapixel counts? You need some help in choosing your perfect one.

Tiny digital cameras may look handy but can’t physically house all the features. Your need for a 10x optical zoom or external flash calls for an average to larger-size camera.

Millions of dollars spent by companies on advertising the ‘megapixel myth’ have brainwashed many. The fact is megapixels have nothing to do with image quality. Cramming more megapixels into a smaller image sensor can even lead to reduced picture quality.

With cams available in 1.3 to 12 megapixel resolution, what do you pick? For high-quality prints sized 8”x 10” or more, you need a camera with at least 3 megapixel resolution.

Getting close to your subject is a secret of great photos. But what’s this optical/digital zoom stuff? Optical zoom is the magnification within the lens itself when you zoom in/out. Make sure the camera has powerful optical zoom capability.

Digital zoom doesn’t change focal length. Instead, as you zoom in, a smaller and smaller portion of the digital sensor is used to record the subject. This lowers the number of pixels.

Digital cameras eat up batteries. Make sure the camera you select accepts rechargeable batteries. Battery life is usually covered in camera reviews, so note it. A good camera takes about 100 photos with a single charge.

Rechargeable batteries are convenient, but offer no means of recharging while on the move. If you’re worried about running out of power while travelling, you can go for a camera that uses standard AA size batteries.

All digital cameras have a built-in LCD screen. Some offer crisp renditions of photos, others accept hoods to boost visibility, yet others tilt, twist, flip… All fun features but consider how you use a camera before deciding. If you need to shoot around corners or edges, a movable LCD is a good idea.

Compact Flash memory cards are very popular due to their durability and wide storage range (16 MB to even 32 GB, for pro cams).

In-built scene settings help you take better pix. When you choose a scene, like landscape or portrait, the camera adjusts itself automatically to the settings best suited for it. Consider a camera with an array of scene modes!

Redeye reduction is a standard feature on most cams. But it’s just a reduction, not a removal. If you hate red-eye or shoot a lot of portraits, consider a camera with a hot-shoe or connection for an external flash. Keeping the flash away from the lens reduces red-eye. Want max flash control? Look for a camera that allows manual adjustments!

The best camera for you doesn’t have to be the most expensive or most popular. It is the camera that does what you want it to do.

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A New Engagement

Last weekend the happy news in circulation was of my Wife’s cousin brother getting engaged and soon to be married.

Although the news trickled in from a different source,we had been awaiting it for some time as to being aware of the many thwarted attempts he was going through previously.Finally,we managed to corner him on the instant messenger one evening and he no longer was the Man who belonged to the Family.

There was an apparent energy in his words and it was almost every alternate message he typed in that we felt him getting dreamy.Phrases like “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi”,”we did not seem like strangers” sprouted from nowhere and I am certain all of us who have experienced it will  relate to instantly.

His description of the all so sudden happenings of the engagement and the day after it couldn’t hide the fact that he was waiting for the moment for his life and then the sharing of pictures of the “would-be” was sheer energy at display.

The reason for me to pen down the above scenario follows hereafter,but firstly an important disclaimer

All characters are fictional. Any use of real names is coincidental and purely unintentional. Any similarities to actual persons is also pure coincidence, and not the intent. If one of the stories happens to become fact, it should be considered a lucky guess, and not as a result of any inside information.There are seven billion of us on the planet.

All of us who have been married know the euphoria of these initial days.I know my elder brother’s agree with me on this wholeheartedly.The question is “How do we bless this Man,our very own gender,who is closely related to our better halves and what are the words that would encourage him as well as ground him to the realities of the battle ahead?”

I found no other way to explain him how to be Happily Married Everafter but this short story that says it all(hope he gets it before it is too late )..    :-)

Once upon a time a married couple celebrated their 25^th marriage anniversary. They had become famous in the city for not having a single conflict in their period of 25 years. Local newspaper editors had gathered at the occasion to find out the secret of their well known "happy going marriage".

Editor: "Sir. It's amazingly unbelievable. How did you make this possible? "

Husband recalling his old honeymoon days said: " We had been to Shimla for honeymoon after marriage. Having selected the horse riding finally, we both started the ride on different horses.

My horse was pretty okay but the horse on which my wife was riding seemed to be a crazy one. On the way ahead, that horse jumped suddenly, making my wife topple over.

Recovering her position from the ground, she patted the horse's back and said "This is your first time".

She again climbed the horse and continued with the ride. After a while, it happened again. This time she again kept calm and said "This is your second time" and continued.

When the horse dropped her third time, she silently took out the revolver from the purse and shot the horse dead!!

I shouted at my wife: "What did you do you psycho. You killed the poor animal.

Are you crazy?"

She gave a silent look and said: "This is your first time!!!"."

Husband: "That's it. We are happy ever after."