Choosing a Camera for Mom and Dad
by Danie Smallwood
http://web.mac.com/daniespages

As parents, we love to take pictures of our kids.  We use the pictures to brag.  We use them to stay in touch with out-of-town friends.  We put them in photo albums to remember what our children were like when they were toddlers.  To get these shots, we need a camera with features designed to combat our highly mobile and usually impatient little family members.  While Internet and print publications are brimming with advice for choosing the perfect camera (I’ve included several references at the end of this article), I want to draw your attention to several camera features that I believe are ideal for capturing all those wonderful childhood memories.

First: Choose Digital or Film 
Digital cameras offer a number of advantages over film cameras.  Though their purchase price is often higher, the savings in film and developing add up quickly if you take a lot of pictures.  Perhaps most importantly, you can see your picture instantaneously, and share them nearly as quickly-and isn’t that what we, as parents, primarily aim to do with our pictures? Plug your camera into your computer, upload the pictures to a free site like Snapfish.com (where you can also order inexpensive prints), and email a link to all your friends and family…and coworkers…and the guy you sold your old cell phone to on eBay last year.   Being able to see your results instantly, right on your camera, let’s you know whether you got the picture you wanted, and may even coax a reluctant child into having his picture taken (kids love to see their pictures on the camera). I strongly recommend digital for parents buying a new camera.

Second: Choose Point-and-shoot v. SLR
To oversimplify greatly, point-and-shoot cameras perform almost all functions automatically, which makes taking pictures easy, but gives you little control over the results.  They also tend to have dramatic delays in taking the pictures.  Still, point-and-shoots tend to be small (you can find models that fit into your pocket, and most will fit in a purse or diaper bag), so they are easy to always have with you “just in case”. 

SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras tend to be larger and correspondingly pricier (though there are models for under $500 now)-but you can control things like what parts of the shot are in focus or whether you “freeze” action or let the scene look a little blurry to show the motion.  Most importantly for parents, however, SLRs take the picture with no detectable delay.  Most SLRs still give you the option to use automatic settings, so you don’t need to read 12 books and take a course to use them.

So which do you choose? Okay, I use both-my SLR for professional shoots, of course, and when I don’t mind lugging it around with me for important events (like a trip to the park); and my point-and-shoot, which lives in my purse or the diaper bag, for “emergencies”.  My recommendation?  If you can possibly afford it, get an SLR, especially if you already have a small point-and-shoot you can carry around for unexpected photo opportunities. 

Third: 3 features parents will want
–Minimal shutter delay (aka, how fast can you take a picture). This might be the most critical feature when you’re dealing with kids, and it’s where an SLR clearly wins because, well, there is no real delay.  With a point-and-shoot, find out the shutter delay, both shutter lag (how fast the camera can take a picture after the shutter release is pressed), and next-shot delay (how fast the camera can write the picture to the memory card and be ready to take another picture).  Since the delay can range from about 1 to 5 seconds on average, shutter delay will make or break your chance to “get the shot”.  Note: some point-and-shoot cameras can minimize the delay by allowing you to “pre-focus”-press the shutter halfway and hold it; the camera will then focus, and when you press the shutter the rest of the way, the delay is minimal.  You definitely want that feature.

–Image quality: Everyone wants good image quality–10 to 12 megapixels will get you brilliant 11×14 prints, and even 6 or 8 will get you great pictures if you’re making small prints.   If you take a lot of pictures in specific lighting conditions (how many times do we try to take pictures in the relatively low-light of an auditorium where you can’t use a flash, for example), look for cameras that can still take good pictures under those conditions (and be sure the camera you want doesn’t struggle to focus in low-light!).

–Zoom: If you need to stand far away from the kids (for example, in a sporting event where you have to remain on the sidelines), make sure your camera can zoom far enough for your needs.  Look only at optical zoom on a point-and-shoot camera-digital zoom is more or less equivalent to cropping the image on your computer, so image quality is diminished.  Some point-and-shoot cameras offer 20x optical zoom.  SLRs show zoom as the focal length of the lens-a lens that goes to 200mm will get you a pretty good close-up.

There are hundreds of other features.  Some that may be important to you are battery life, rechargeable v. regular alkaline batteries, size and feel of the camera, layout of the menus and buttons, size of the LCD screen in back, whether the LCD moves for tricky angles, presence of a viewfinder, whether the camera can take short videos (most SLRs will not), availability of a “burst” mode (where pictures take continuously as long as the shutter release is pressed).  I have a water-proof and shock-proof camera that’s great with a toddler.  My friend has a “smile-detector” on hers (though I think that’s silly, I’m told it’s quite popular!).  Before buying a camera, be sure you read as much as you can, and ask lots of questions, as suggested in the next section. 

Fourth: Finding the right camera
The sales associates in a dedicated camera store (such as Penn Camera, Ritz Camera and other chain or independent camera shops; but probably not an electronics store like Best Buy or Radio Shack) are generally very knowledgeable and may be able to recommend the perfect camera as soon as you tell them the features you want.  I recommend first going to sites like Dave’s Picks and Amazon.com to see what other photographers and users have to say about the camera.  Consumer Reports is also a fountain of user-friendly information (their June 2008 issue covers digital cameras).

Before buying, go to the store and take a few test shots (most camera stores should allow you to do this). Where you ultimately buy the camera is up to you.  If you feel a sales associate in a store was very helpful, I happen to believe that service is worth the higher cost of purchasing the camera in a store.  However, if you’re comfortable doing so, you can often find great deals online.  Always make sure you know the return policy (Is there a restocking fee if the package is opened? How long do you have to return it?), and determine whether you want a warranty (check out Consumer Reports for a review of warranties).

A few resources:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/WB/WB.HTM  Dave’s Picks.  To the right, you can choose “kind of user”-including “family” and “mom” to see one reviewer’s suggestions of cameras that might fit your needs.  The site as a whole contains detailed, professional reviews of hundred of cameras.

http://www.amazon.com/  For purchasing (possibly); best for reading reviews from other users.  Highly recommended.

http://www.consumerreports.com/   You need a subscription to access a lot of their information, but I think it’s worth the price.  Or you can look at their June 2008 issue on digital cameras.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/  For purchasing photography equipment.  If you call them, their sales people are often extremely helpful.