Digital stars
Do so many megapixels really matter? John Wade looks at some older digital cameras that could well be worth your time
With today’s cameras offering more megapixels with every new model, is it still viable to use an older camera of 5MP or even less? The answer is yes, provided that you accept some drawbacks. Shutter lag is one, as is speed and accuracy of autofocus. Images might exhibit some chromatic aberration (though you probably won’t notice it), in-camera processing times are slow, power zooms sluggish, storage capacity low, and old batteries tend not to hold a charge for long.
But the upside? A 5MP le will still yield an A4 size image at 300dpi and, with a little interpolation, easily give larger sizes. Even images from 2MP cameras are handy for web pages or blogs where low resolution is actually an advantage. And another big reason for considering an older digital camera: one costing anything up to £800 fteen or so years ago can be found today for under £20.
Digital arrived when lm cameras were at the top of their technological game. So digital cameras hit the ground running with features like quality lenses, multiple exposure modes and, for its day, high-tech autofocus. Be aware though that older digital cameras have a tendency to simply stop working. If you are interested in a particular model, search for it on eBay to see how many are being offered ‘for spares or repair’ – eBay talk for broken. Expect such cameras to be unreliable.
Two accessories worth investment are a universal battery charger for second-hand cameras that come with batteries but without
chargers, and a multi-card reader that accepts SD and Compact Flash cards. Many older digital cameras use SD cards, although higher than 2GB capacities can prove unsuitable for some. Compact Flash cards are still available, though won’t hold as much information as you are used to. Cameras that require only Smart Media cards, CD storage or even oppy discs are best avoided.