How To Buy A Digital Camera for Self-Portraits

 

Some Practical Points to Consider while purchasing a digital camera for self-portraiture

 

I am no fan of equipment-talk, but I can appreciate how daunting an experience purchasing a digital camera can be, given the mindboggling array of choices available. Even a pro would be lost in the double-speak and techie specs being presented. I started photography at three. My father did photography for a living, and I was his sometime darkroom assistant. My duties included agitation of the fixer tray (a bath-tub) and the rotary drum dryer. My childhood toys consisted of a Mamiya Universal and empty 120 spools. In high school, I took over instruction of the photography department after the teacher discovered my track record. I traded doing his duties with use of his personal 6x7 medium format camera for my forays into the Zone System. I dreamed in between Ralph Gibson frames and Edouard Boubat romances. In college, I worked in a photo-store in between classes, mediating between the belligerent owner and brow-beatened customers. I have been doing portraiture and self-portraiture exclusively for the past ten years, alternating between an RB 67, a gang of 8x10 view cameras, and a digital. So you're in good hands for a tip or two, if you're in the market. I happen to be looking for a new digital camera lately, so I'm sharing the finds of my research with you.

When there is an expansive range of choices, the first thing one should do is narrow the field. Ask yourself: What are you trying to achieve? The topic here is self-portraiture, so we will focus on that requirement. Luckily, this genre requires only a few specific features, most of which concentrates on not having to work the camera when you are the subject. Never ever underestimate the tension and stress that will show in your face and body when you have to run back and forth constantly changing roles between being technical and being beautiful. The camera never lies, as they say. Well...at least until Photoshop came along. Here they are:

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Features to look for

1. Self-Timer : Look Ma! No Hands!

Most digital cameras have a standard 10-second self-timer. You want as much time as possible to get from the camera to the position of the subject. At first, ten seconds sounds adequate until you consider the steps you have to take to go from being a photographer to model: Consider the time it takes to travel, adjust yourself, your clothes, your position, and get into the mood with your facial expression and body language all under 10 seconds. Now it becomes apparent how this may make a world of difference between an amateurish shot and a professional one. So always consider digital cameras with longer self-timer delays.

 

2. Remote Control : When A Dummy Is No Substitute For The Real Thing

A remote control, as mentioned in the previous article How To Shoot A Self-Portrait, is beneficial in that it will save many unnecessary trips between your sitting (or standing) position and the camera. Keep in mind that you may still have to make a few initial trips to the camera to look and approve your results before you turn off the Preview Mode (in order that the camera will advance on it's own) and employ the remote control. Needless to say, wireless remote controls are better than wired ones, but either one often enables "interval shooting" (next section). When you combine remote control abilities with the self-timer, you are buying yourself plenty time to stay in the proper position and look natural. Not only have you done away with the quot;stand-in;quot; dummy, you don't have to jog back and forth to the camera under 10 seconds! What could you possibly ask for more? Answer: Interval Shooting.

3. Interval Shooting : Make That Once -In-A-Lifetime Expression Surface Every 30 Seconds

Interval shooting enables the camera to automatically take a picture when a set amount of time have elapsed. If a camera provides this feature, it is usually every 30 seconds and/or every 1-10 minutes. Interval shooting is great because now you don't even have to work the controls on the camera, you can just sit pretty, vogue, or pose. But you do need to be able to count to 10 at least!

4. Resolution : You Got Pixel Envy, Don't Lie!

First question's first: Ask yourself: Do you want to print a hardcopy (An actual print) of your digital picture? If the answer is yes, then go for the highest megapixel you can afford (I have included a few recommendations for 6-8 megapixel cameras below).

If, however, your answer is no, and you will be chosing to share your pictures online and email. A simple calculation will reveal why the hype of megapixel envy holds no water. Look at your computer monitor resolution setting. It is usually anywhere from 800 x 600 to 1200 x 1600. What do these numbers mean? Well they are pixels. If you multiply them, you get the total megapixel that your monitor is set at. So a hi-resolution big monitor setting of 1200 x 1600 = 1,920,000 pixels(1.9 megapixel) while a regular 800 X 600 = 480,000 pixels (a mere .4 megapixel). If there's one thing you should remember it is this: Your monitor is only capable of displaying it's maximum resolution. So even if you have a whopping 16.7 megapixel picture, it's abilities will not be fully realized in a monitor that can only render .4 megapixel (half a megapixel, for clarity).

Yes, you definitely will be able to capture more subtlety and gradations. Chromatic abberations and CCD vs CMOS sensor benefits and electromagnetic noise level saturation discussions may abound. But let's not get technical. If you want to share your pics online and with friends via email, the 2-3 megapixel range these days are more than adequate. Not feeling convinced or up with the Joneses? Throw in a few more megapixels to pad yourself from obsolescence. But if you really feel inadequate, best wait for the Mamiya ZD due out this year. 22 megapixel, estimated price: $15,000.00

5. Lens : Okay, now it's really about length.

Unless you are going for unconventional fisheye shots of rappers, an equivalent of 50mm-105mm is regarded as the standard range for portrait lenses. Everything below 50mm will generate increasing degrees of distortion, while everything above 105mm will suffer from foreshortening. The popular belief that 135mm is a portrait lens is erroneous. Foreshortening (flattening of the facial features) and an increased distance between subject and photographer has made the 135mm the red-herring among photo equipment salesmen. The zooms provided by most, if not all, point-and-shoot cameras are adequate for the application of the self portrait.

A Quick Comparison Chart Of Current Models

Camera	Olympus C-60	Olympus C-8080	Nikon 8800	Konica-Minolta A200	Canon EOS 1DS Mark II
1. Self Timer	12 sec	12 sec	10 sec	10 sec	10 sec
2. Remote Control	Included	Included	Wireless Included	Wireless Included	sold separate
3. Interval Shooting	No	No	Yes(?)	No	sold separeate
4. Resolution	6.1 megapixel	8.0 Megapixel	8.0 Megapixel	8.0 Megapixel	16.7 Megapixel
5. Lens	38mm-114mm	28mm-140mm	35mm-350mm	28mm-200mm	interchangable lens

Note: Pro Cameras

I was pleasantly surprised that a camera like the C-60 provides a remote control. Accessories such as these used to be available only among pro cameras. What makes a pro-camera one? Accessories, contruction, durability, flexibility. All the things that one doesn't need when taking a self-portrait. As a point of reference, I have included the highest megapixel pro-digital SLR currently available on the market. (Canon EOS 1DS Mark II, look above on the table). Aside from the megapixel and price difference, can you tell the difference between this top-of-the-line item and an Olympus C-60? Hardly.

A camera, or any creative tool, for that matter, attains it's value from what the owner can achieve with it. On its own, it is nothing but an inert bragging accessory among collectors.

 

Some Tips and Advice on Online buying

If you buy online, look to bigger stores for safety and reassurance as they have a reputation to maintain. Adorama and B&H Photo, are two of the most reputable companies online. I went and check their prices separately on their website, and they remain extremely competitive. However, if you are adventurous, here are some things to look out for if you decide to look elsewhere.

Froogle

If you are a bargain hunter, obviously, you can froogle for the lowest prices from other stores. Froogle is only one among many price comparison sites. But I have done my fair share of research. In the end, there is absolutely no substitute for a top-rated reputable store. Yes, you can find superb prices on froogle if you sort prices from low to high, but a word of caution is in order: a simple Google search of the store name you are planning to hand your money over to (plus the word "review" or "rating" may turn up the most damning horror stories about these unfamiliar names.)

Gray Market (or Imported)

Also, watch out for "grey market" or "gray market" products. A grey market product is usually an item that has been imported from a channel other than the authorized distributor. How do you identify a grey market camera? Well, for one, you can ask the merchant. "Does it have an Authorized Manufacturer's Warranty?" If you live in the U.S. and the merchant says he provides a "US Warranty" it may not necessarily mean a manufacturer's waranty. Many many buyers have been duped into purchasing a camera with a US Warranty only to discover that it means a "store warranty provided by the merchant in a store located in the United States." In modern electronics, I would not trust my equipment to anyone but an authorized manufacturer-approved repair outfit. You are basically at the merchant's mercy if anything should happen with your gray-market purchase.

 

Ebay

If you want to try for outdated models, you can try Ebay. Be advised however, that you should ask first if the item is a "refurbished" item. Sometimes refurbished cameras still carry a manufacturer's warranty, if it has been refurbished by the manufacturer. It's your choice, just be cautious and exercise common sense. And remember to look at the seller's feedback ratings and comments! Good luck and happy shooting!.

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Click Here To Read A Short Practical Guide to Self-Portraiture