Which digital camera should I buy and what do those dials do!

For some of you that means looking in various nooks to locate your owner's manual. If you fall into the category of “safely put away where I will never find it”, then go to your camera manufacturer's website and see if a camera manual is available for online viewing or to download.

If you have a Nikon, Olympus, Sony or Canon, check shortcourses.com. Dennis Curtin writes these guides. He doesn't include pictures in his pocket guides but covers a lot of topics in a small amount of space. He also covers other topics, such as Editing Digital Photos and Best Websites for Digital Photography

Most cameras today have similar features with few variations. Usually they are factory pre-set to fully automatic functions, such as file type and compression, color control and scene mode. In some cameras these functions are adjustable; in others they are not.

Let us start with file type and compression. All cameras deliver images in JPEG format. JPEG format is intended for compressing images that will be looked at by humans. Other images such as GIF were created for use on the Internet, and TIFF was created for use in print media. While you may have the capability within your camera to save pictures in formats other than JPEG, doing so may require more memory usage and special software to review these pictures.

Color control or white-balance refers to the ability to adjust color based on the amount of light available. Digital cameras use white as a reference and adjust the color balance to give the truest possible color. If you have never used these settings on your camera try taking several pictures in the exact same location at the same time of day using the different settings to see which one provides you with the best pictures. Automatic settings include such things as daylight, fluorescent light, or overcast skies.

Scene modes are those settings on your camera that have been pre-adjusted by the manufacturer to permit you to take landscape, portrait and close-up photos with a minimum amount of adjustment on your part. On your camera you may view them as picture images such as a flower or a group of people.

Try these and other settings on your camera at the same location with the same lighting so that you can compare which settings provide you with clearer, more defined pictures.

As you all know we don’t normally make suggestions or recommendations in respect to digital cameras. However will make a slight detour and give you three examples of cameras we have looked at recently. We will tell you what we think their strengths are and where we went to research this information. After that the choice is up to you.

Excellent Value Rating - HP offers several excellent cameras for Realtors on their web site. The midrange entry is the HP Photosmart R707 digital camera. It is a very impressive 5.1 mega pixel resolution that can allow you to make poster size images that are crisp and clear. It also offers a 24x total zoom—3x optical, 8x digital—and 10 shooting modes, on camera manual controls and an optional docking station. At less than $350 this is an excellent choice.

Good Mid-range Camera  – With a full 6.0 mega pixels of imaging power and a high-quality 4x optical zoom lens, the super-intuitive Canon PowerShot A540 is ready to produce impressive results right from the start. It’s small enough to fit into your purse or pocket yet offers a picture quality as good or better some high-end cameras. It has a large LCD screen and the best part in my opinion is that it uses regular AA batteries. Price range for the Canon PowerShot A540 is between $215 and $350.

High End Point and Shoot Camera – Kodak offers 2 new cameras that have a very unique lens set-up. The Kodak EasyShare V 570 and V 610 offer two different types of lenses within 1 camera body. They offer a 3x zoom with an impressive 23mm wide-angle lens for the V570 and a 10X optical zoom for the V 610. Each camera offers a variety of scene and color modes as well as a tripod mount should you wish to use a tripod. The costs range from $283 to $595. The V 570 is a 5.0MP and the V 610 6.36MP. Either camera would do nicely as a high end point and shoot model.

Any of the cameras mentioned will do an excellent job of taking pictures for use with the VisualTour Internet Marketing System, and with the new Studio 5 version it is now easier than ever to create panoramics. Simply designate the pictures to be included and the software stitches them together seamlessly in a matter of seconds and saves the new picture not only to the screen you are on, but as a jpg in a folder designated My VisualTours in the My Documents directory. This makes it much simpler to locate any picture and reuse it for other advertising media such as a flyer or on your website.

If you’re still not sure which camera is best for you, there is a wonderful place on the Internet called Imaging Resource. They have a link called “Find the Best Camera for You” and it will let you select your preferences. If price is more important than resolution, for you let it know. At the conclusion of the questionnaire it will offer suggestions for the cameras that best fit your requirements.

If you haven’t purchased your VisualTour Agent starter kit yet call 1-800-873-0700 ext 230 or email Sales@VisualTour.com to schedule a presentation with the Regional Sales Manager that covers your area or to purchase your VisualTour Agent Starter Kit at a specially reduced price designated specifically for Advanced Access Marketing Tip Readers!

Sources: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ProductCatIndex1Act&fcategoryid=101, http://www.kodak.com, and http://www.hp.com. Our thanks to all of these websites for providing such helpful information.

About the Author - Kathy joined VisualTour in 2002 after working in the real estate title industry.  During Kathy’s tenure with VisualTour she has helped create literature and training guides for VisualTour customers, and she has researched a variety of camera equipment and websites to provide them the latest information available to make their decision-making processes less time consuming.

Note – VisualTour is in no way affiliated with any of the websites listed in this article, nor do they derive any financial benefit out of your purchase from them.