Being an Informed Consumer ~

This topic is near and dear to my heart: how to be an informed consumer when shopping for your camera gear, whether in a retail store or website. It's one of the most common subjects of the emails and phone calls I receive. There are so many pro-quality digital camera systems out there, and most salespeople won't really have a clear idea of your dental imaging needs.

There are a couple of big misconceptions about digital cameras that the consumer (& even some salespeople!) can fall prey to: First, the more expensive the camera, the better pictures it takes, and Second (usually related to this), higher mega-pixels = better pictures. Neither of these is inherently true.

So what are the things you'd find on a camera like this $7000 Canon 1Ds Mk III? It's a wonderful camera with the kinds of features needed by the professional shooter: a huge 21 mp sensor for the commercial photographer, a fast 5 frames-per-second burst rate for the sports shooter, a full-frame sensor for the outdoor scenic shooter. Crucial for them, yes, but none of which applies to your imaging needs in the opertory.

What you do need is a light-weight, simple to operate camera that will produce blazingly sharp, color-accurate images every time you shoot. Fortunately, there's a lot of great ones to choose; from Canon, the Digital Rebels: T3, T2i & T3i, ranging from around $550 to $900 for the body. From Nikon: the D3100, D5100, & D90, in the same price range.  Even though moderately priced, they still have very sophisticated sensors ranging from around 12 to 18 mega-pixels. No slouches these!

So, you can put together a complete system -- camera, macro lens, & ringflash -- for a fraction of what just a high-end pro camera body would cost. Read back on some of my earlier posts here about those components. Remember, a quality lens has much more to do with making a superb image than the number of light-gathering pixels on the sensor!
There are excellent photo retailers and reputable on-line suppliers out there; email me if you'd like to know more about some of them. Need some hands-on guidance to learn how best to use them? Let me  know ~ we'll get together!  
                                                   dhutt@dmddigitalphoto.com