I want to buy a digital camera and learn my knowledge.

I just bought the machine two months ago, and I think the following contents are helpful for your reference. Personally, I prefer Canon cameras, but Kodak's colors are really bright and pleasing to the eye.

The process and steps of purchasing a digital camera

First, determine the purpose and purpose of buying a camera.

It is very important to determine the purpose and purpose of buying a camera. Only by knowing your own needs can you choose to buy the machine you really need through mergers and acquisitions. Otherwise, you may spend a lot of money to buy it back, and it turns out that the function can't meet your own requirements, or there are too many functions to use at all. We can think about what we buy digital cameras for. For example, some friends buy digital cameras to travel; Some friends want to learn photography; Some friends want to take macro photos; Of course, some people want to take close-ups or remember their newborn children. In short, we must be clear about consumption.

The output of photos also needs to be considered in advance, whether it is necessary to develop large photos or just watch them on the screen. Through this, we can decide how many pixels of machines we need to buy. If we just watch it on the screen, then a 3 megapixel machine is enough. If we want to print, and print to more than 10 inch, then we need to buy DC with as high pixels as possible.

Second: determine the psychological price.

After deciding the purpose and use of buying a camera, you should decide an affordable psychological price according to your own economic ability, such as 3000 ~ 4000 yuan or 6000 ~ 7000 yuan. This can help us save a lot of time and be more purposeful when choosing. DC is still a luxury, so everyone must do his best. There is no point in comparing with others, just enough.

Third, collect information through various channels.

Early data collection is very important, which can give us a certain understanding of the machine to be purchased. There are many ways to collect product information. First of all, many manufacturers will have certain publicity pictorial when they launch digital cameras. We can go to the vendor and have a look. Secondly, media advertising is also a very important way. There are many advertisements for digital cameras in IT newspapers now, so we should pay attention to them. Thirdly, many digital magazines or some newspapers now have a certain space to introduce or evaluate digital cameras, and we can also buy some to read. Then, we can also learn about it through the Internet. For example, there are many articles about various digital cameras in www.pchome.net, a famous computer house in China. In its DC product library, we can also find the technical data of almost all digital cameras and see users' comments. PCHOME's forum has a DC equipment area, which is a good place for users who want to buy digital cameras to communicate. Besides, if you are proficient in English, you can also go to www.dpreview.com, where there is a professional assessment. Of course, we can also go to the manufacturer's website to get technical information about the products.

If possible, you can download the manual of the corresponding camera and have a look. This is very good for buying a machine: on the one hand, it can make you more familiar with the machine, on the other hand, it can make you ready for basic operation when buying a machine. I like reading instructions myself.

Technical data can let us know the appearance, function and other information of digital cameras. We should look at the actual photos. In this way, you can know the characteristics of DC you are concerned about, such as color, image quality and so on. We can go to the digital photography website to learn about this, such as the computer room we introduced earlier.

Fourth: roughly determine the model.

The collection of product information is very important, which allows us to fully understand the characteristics of digital cameras. But just looking at these materials, we can only have a perceptual understanding. Only by actually looking at the machine or even trying it out can we have a rational understanding of the machine. This requires us to go to the IT store. We can look at the samples in the window or counter. The real machine may look different from the photo, or it may look better. We can also watch others buy machines and listen to what others say. Of course, we can also ask the merchant to take out the machine, actually touch it, or even operate it. Of course, be polite when you try the plane. Don't take care of everything, it's strange that merchants don't let you buy it.

Fifth: the machine depends on the price.

When making an inquiry, we should pay attention to the fact that there is usually room for counter-offer in the quotation of merchants. Also, ask them if the price they quoted is licensed or parallel.

Sixth: inspection skills

After deciding to buy the machine, you should choose auspicious day to buy DC back. When I say auspicious day, I actually want to seize the opportunity myself. The price of digital products changes rapidly, so it is very important to judge the market. However, obviously, you should avoid buying before the festival as much as possible. There must be a lot of people buying machines before the holiday, and the price will not be very good. But if you really want to use it in festivals, don't hesitate. After all, many things can't be measured by money. As long as you are happy.

When buying a camera, you need to check it carefully to avoid buying defective products or being cheated by JS (profiteer). Here we give a detailed inspection step, as long as you follow the following steps, there will be no problem:

1. Never pay JS first, and then pay after inspection;

2. See if the packaging is old. If so, it may be replaced by others, or a product that JS has stored for a long time;

3. After unpacking, check whether the accessories in the box have been used or obviously disassembled; Pay special attention to whether the battery pins are scratched;

4. Check the appearance of the machine. Look for scratches on the fuselage, including lens, LCD, EVF, shell, etc.

5. Try to shoot, and zoom to see if you can shoot clearly. If you are not familiar with the machine you are going to buy, you can shoot it with an automatic file when you try it out. In addition, remember to try the flash;

6. Then carefully check whether there is anything wrong with the LCD screen and EVF (if any). You can hold the lens slightly by hand, so that you can see a more solid image, or face white paper and dark paper. If there is a bad point, change to a machine;

7.CCD is the key component of DC. If there are bad spots on it, it will affect the shooting. Because it is difficult to see the bad points of CCD directly on DC, it is necessary to import the picture into PC and watch it again. If the merchant doesn't have a computer there, it is recommended to talk with the merchant about a certain replacement period (such as 7 days or 15 days), and then go home for safety inspection;

8. First of all, let's talk about the noise ... I think the noise is caused by the signal crosstalk of CCD ... (Personally, it's not accurate, so I'll explain it here), which is related to the CCD manufacturing process and the overall quality of the machine ... Generally speaking, each machine has a rough noise level range, for example, the noise of Fuji 602 is generally below dozens (15 second exposure).

9. Before talking about how to test a bad point, explain what a bad point is. Simply put, it is a point on the CCD that will never be sensitive, or this point will always be on. Usually always at the top, rarely not. So why is there a bad point? This is related to the manufacture of our CCD. Although the technology is very developed now, it still can't guarantee the high output of CCD. Just like LCD, it may be defective. So we need to test the machine after we buy it.

The test of bad points is actually relatively simple. We can test it in two ways: one is to look at the original picture with our eyes. In fact, this method is more intuitive, but be careful, otherwise it is easy to miss points. The second is to test with software. The most popular software for testing defects is deadpixel (which can be downloaded from/design/digipic/12468.html). DEADPIXEL does not need to be installed, and it can be used directly after unpacking. Usually JS, which sells DC, has this software.

Before the test, we must take some all-black photos first. It is very important that ordinary photos can't be tested. For the machine with lens cover, we only need to cover the lens cover to shoot. If there is no lens cover, such as Nikon 2500, then we can put a thick piece of paper on the flat panel, put down the DC lens and buckle the lens on the paper to shoot. Note that light must not enter the lens. At the same time, don't push too hard, which will easily damage the machine.

The shooting parameters can be set to the maximum aperture and ISO 100. As for the shutter, we need to choose 1/60 and the slowest shutter. That is, take a photo with different shutter speeds.

After shooting, we can import the photos into the computer and open DEADPIXEL for testing. After opening this software, we can see the interface as shown below. We click the "Browse" button and select the photos that need to be tested. Then we press the test button and the results will appear. As shown in the figure below, the circle 1 is the parameter, where 60 is the parameter of noise, indicating that when the brightness of a point is higher than 60, it is judged as noise. 250 is the parameter of the bad point. Circle 2 is the statistics of hot spots and dead spots. The figure below shows 168 noise without bad points. Inside circle 3 are details of noise and bad spots. Where "type" indicates whether it is hot or dead, and "x" and "y" are the coordinates of noise on the screen. "lum" is brightness. When testing photos with 1/60 shutter, it is suggested to change the noise parameter 60 to 10. If the photo of 1/60 has a lot of points over 10, try to change it, otherwise it may affect the shooting.

10. Remember to fill in the warranty card after checking the machine. Some warranty cards, such as Fuji's, need to be stamped by the dealer. Don't forget;

1 1. Check that all attachments are there. Usually there is a list in the box, which explains in detail how many accessories are included, and we can check them against each other.

12. Remember to pay at last. Otherwise, we will be in trouble:). Don't forget if you want to make out an invoice.

Seventh: Buy accessories.

Of course, after buying DC, we need to buy some accessories so that we can shoot better. Accessories are actually important. If we don't buy it well, it may affect our normal shooting. Usually we may need to buy memory cards, batteries and chargers, UV and adapter rings, camera bags, tripods and so on. Some people like to buy all digital cameras at once. I think if you buy these in a place where DC is sold, the price will definitely not be good. Except for the memory card, everything else should be bought in a special photographic equipment store, which is not only reliable in quality, but also cheaper in price. Let's talk about the points that need to be paid attention to when purchasing these accessories in different categories.

Memory card: When purchasing a memory card, you should consider your daily shooting amount and combine your DC to determine the capacity of the card you need to purchase. Secondly, we need to consider the brand of the card. At present, there are many card brands on the market, and the brand of the card determines the quality of the card in a certain sense. For example, the card of SanDisk brand is not very fast, but the quality is absolutely first-class and the compatibility is good. Third, consider the speed of the card. There are two kinds of cards sold now: normal speed and high speed. If you need to take photos in RAW or even TIFF format, try to buy a high-speed card.

Batteries and chargers: There are generally two kinds of batteries used in DC, one is rechargeable lithium battery, and the other is AA (No.5) nickel-metal hydride battery. My suggestion for rechargeable lithium batteries is to buy domestic brands. On the one hand, it is cheap and the quality is not bad, on the other hand, it is because there are too many fake original batteries. Nickel-hydrogen batteries are not very expensive at present, and the quality is first-class. Of course, the next generation made in China is not bad. Try to buy a larger capacity, not as good as 1850mAh. For chargers, many digital cameras are given away at random now, so I won't expand them here.

UV and adapter ring: the main function of UV for digital cameras is to protect the lens. Do you need to buy this? I think the first thing depends on what machine you use. If the machine is small, it is better not to consider it. Because usually UV can only be installed on the machine through the adapter ring or drum, the volume of the camera is increased. If the machine itself is relatively large, such as Fuji S602, this is more suitable. There are many brands of UV, so it is recommended to consider Kenko multilayer coating in Japan. When buying UV, you should also consider the caliber of UV. If you are not familiar with this, you can take your camera to buy it. In addition, after installing UV, the random original lens cover can't be covered. We need another one.

Photographic bag: Be sure to consider the location of accessories and bring the machine to buy it. Only in this way can we buy the right one. The bigger the camera bag, the better, but the best fit. In addition, pay attention to the material of the bag and try to buy a waterproof bag.

Tripod: Pay attention to its stability when choosing a tripod, and don't buy a rickety one. In addition, pay attention to the weight. If you are strong and just need exercise, then this may not be a problem. Weifeng is the most popular one on the market. This brand of tripod is cheaper and things are ok.

Eighth: skills and tricks to distinguish between parallel imports and licensed products.

My friends often ask me how to judge licensed products. Generally, licensed goods are clearly marked. Simply put:

1. Canon: There is an anti-counterfeiting mark on the licensed packaging box, and you can check it by phone if you scrape off the coating; The serial numbers on the packaging box, warranty card and fuselage should be consistent; Canon's triple warranty card has a laser anti-counterfeiting label in the upper right corner, and the warranty card is in Chinese; The instruction manual is a simplified Chinese version.

2. Fuji: At present, all licensed Fuji sold have Chinese menus. If the menu is found in English, it can basically be regarded as parallel imports; The outer packaging of the licensed goods is in Chinese; Licensed goods have a simplified manual; As for the warranty card, Fuji Licensed Products provides a simplified version of Fuji China warranty card in triplicate.

3. Minolta: You can call Shanghai Minolta's toll-free hotline: 8008200077 and ask it to verify the fuselage number.

4. Nikon: Since Nikon has no company in China, sales are handled by several agents, namely Quantum, Lida, Liangchi and New Kang Hua. Each agent's licensed goods identification method is not exactly the same, but there are still some ways to identify them. First, we need to see the warranty card. The authorized warranty card is in English with the agent's seal on it. Licensed goods are described in simplified Chinese. Some agents, such as Quantum, put anti-counterfeiting labels on boxes.

5. Olympus: Several recent new models of Olympus, such as mju 300/400, have added simplified Chinese menus, but some products are still English menus; Secondly, the manual and warranty card are also simplified Chinese versions; In terms of outer packaging, Olympus is a simplified Chinese version.

6. Sony: The label of Shanghai Suoguang can be found on the licensed packaging box; The warranty card has the words Shanghai Suoguang; There are simplified instructions.

When it comes to buying licensed goods, it is necessary to talk about a very practical question, whether to invoice or not. When you buy a digital camera, the merchant will generally give you two prices, one is invoiced and the other is not invoiced. In fact, the role of invoices is very clear, one is to facilitate the warranty, and the other is to safeguard their own rights and interests. I think DC is a relatively large commodity, which is different from buying stinky tofu (it seems that no one has issued an invoice for this, right? )。 In order to make myself psychologically secure, if the price gap is not too big (the gap is about 1 ~ 2%), it is better to issue an invoice. Of course, parallel imports should not be opened, and it is useless to open them.

Ninth: some precautions for use and maintenance.

We talked a lot about buying above. Let's talk about some precautions when using the camera.

1. When using DC, first of all, pay attention to hold the camera firmly and don't let it fall to the ground. We can wrap the camera strap and the hand strap around our hands several times. This also helps to keep the camera stable when shooting.

Waterproof is very important Digital cameras belong to electronic products, so if they fall into the water, then we can only feel sorry for your loss.

3. Pay attention to the indoor and outdoor temperature difference. If the temperature difference is large, it is easy to fog on the lens, which is not good for the lens and the components inside DC. Pay special attention to this in winter and summer. We can avoid it by putting DC in a camera bag in a cold place and then going out to a hot place. Be careful not to take DC out to shoot immediately, but let it go for a while.

The hot weather in summer is also a test for our digital cameras. At high temperature, we should pay attention to turn off the camera as much as possible when we are not shooting, so as to avoid using the camera for a long time at high temperature, which will lead to the burning of internal electronic devices.

In order to save electricity, some friends turn off their phones after taking a photo, and switch the power supply very frequently. In fact, this does not save electricity, but it consumes more electricity. And it is easy to damage the machine in the long run.

6. The lens of 6.DC is exquisite. Try to avoid contact. If there is dust on the lens, don't wipe it. You should blow the dust off it with a balloon. If it is fingerprints or oil stains, it should be wiped with professional cleaning tools, and never with clothes or napkins.

7. If you go to the seaside, you should pay special attention to protecting your digital camera. The humid sea breeze and seawater there will do great harm to the lens. Therefore, it is recommended that you configure a UV mirror for your digital camera. Secondly, be careful of sand entering your DC, especially the external zoom. Try to put the camera in the camera bag and take it out when you need to shoot it; Finally, of course, be careful that DC touches the sea. If you encounter seawater, you must deal with it in time.

8. Don't shoot at the sun, it is very easy to burn the CCD and cause serious damage to the machine.

9. The LCD on the back of the camera is also easy to scratch, so be careful not to let the zipper or belt buckle on the clothes hurt it.

10. Pay attention to mildew prevention during storage, especially during the handover in spring and summer. We don't want to store DC in the camera bag for a long time. We should store DC in a dry place. It would be better if there were moistureproof box. At the same time, you can buy some silica gel desiccant (available in photographic equipment stores).