50 shopping mistakes to avoid this Diwali (CAMERAS)

50 shopping mistakes to avoid this Diwali (CAMERAS)

• Aperture Range is as important as the starting Aperture itself

Did the salesman just show you a camera for 15K with an aperture of f/2.8? Did that get you incredibly excited, almost enough to flop that cash at the checkout counter? Don’t. That f/2.8 will quickly change to a black-hole like f/4.8 (or worse) and you’re better off trying to sketch the scene than photographing it at this aperture. Go for a camera which has a smaller aperture number printed on it, something like f/1.8-2.8.

• Forget Megapixels, check the sensor size

The worst is probably when a salesman will try to pawn off a camera to you by saying “sir, this has more megapixels, it will give you better images.” You take that very camera and beat him with it, asking if the extra MPs caused extra hurt.

• AA batteries may be large, but they’re life savers

Custom lithium-ion batteries are great because they’re tiny, but guess what? You get rechargeable AA cells as well and if there is one thing that is the bane of any photographer, that is running out of charge at the wrong (or right) time. A slim, Li-ion battery might ensure that your camera is slim, but nothing beats the comfort of being able to purchase a fully charged battery off the shelf.

• Don’t get swayed by the Focus Points

If more focus points meant better focusing then we’d never miss a shot. What really matters is the area covered by those focus points and 45 focus points in the middle of the viewfinder means nothing vs. 11 scattered points. Also, it’s the number of cross-type points that matter since they’re the ones that do most of the hard work.

• Understand what makes a camera good in low light

We asked salespersons across various big retail chains to show us cameras that were good in low-light and none of them really knew. Rule of thumb, don’t trust the salesman. Read up about the various types of sensors and other factors that go into low-light photography.

• Wi-Fi, GPS? What’s it doing on my camera?

These gimmicky features makes us want to punch a baby seal. You don’t REALLY need Wi-Fi and GPS on your phone. Both the features drain your battery faster than a parched camel drinking at an oasis. It's not like you can’t upload your images when you get home onto a computer. An hour’s worth of delay isn’t going to kill you, is it? Also, you do know where you took your shots right?

• Why the Entry-Level DSLR is not necessarily best for Beginners

We often come across people wanting to buy an entry level camera because “they’re just starting off.” It’s by far the worst excuse ever to justify the purchase. An entry-level DSLR might seem like a good option, but you’ll get over it sooner than you might think. Wait a few months and go semi-pro. You won’t regret it. 

• The DSLR is king, the mirrorless the court jester

Its shameful just how salesmen often say that a mirrorless camera is inadequate when compared to an entry level DSLR. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Yes, their AF systems aren’t as evolved, and they may not have three dozen lens options to boot, but what you do get is an incredibly compact camera with the SAME image quality as that of an entry level DSLR. Yep, you read that right. The same quality. For most users, that’s more than they’ll ever need.

The Canon 5D Mark II DSLR

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• Expensive lens does not mean better images

Just because you shelled out upwards of Rs. 80,000 on a lens doesn’t mean that it’s the most awesome lens in the world. Choose your lens wisely. Read reviews, consult a few experienced people if possible and more importantly, find a way to try a lens before buying it. Also, remember that a lens that costs Rs. 6,000 (The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8) for example, offers better quality than most lenses retailing at more than triple the price. Remember that a lens doesn’t determine your ability to take great pictures.

• The mysterious X (X zoom factor)

A point of frustration when trying to buy a camera is when salesmen say that a camera is better because it has a better “Zoom” factor (8x is better than 6X?). What they don’t tell you (or don’t know) is that the X factor is not an indicator of actual magnification but an indicator of the magnification that the lens is capable of from its base magnification.

• HD, Full HD, Ultra HD, Ultra Mega HOLYHELL HD Video

In our journey through various big store chains, many salesmen told us that some cameras recorded HD video and some did Full HD. When asked what the difference was, we were told that HD meant 720p while Full HD meant 1080p. You can argue about the merits of one over the other but just know this, forget the nonsense that’s spewing from that salesman, whip out your phone and Google the specs.

• The myth of the “All-in-One” lens

Many a times, we end up buying a DSLR and then don’t want to deal with the “hassle” of changing lenses often. Self-defeating purpose aside, the whole idea of an “all-in-one” lens comes to a grinding halt when you take into account several factors. They have terrible aperture ranges, horribly distort your images at all but a few focal lengths and are generally no better than what you would have got on a bridge camera anyway. Stay away