Optical aberrations aside, short focal-length, or “wide-angle,” lenses do not distort close subjects, and long focal-length, or telephoto, lenses do not compress subject features.  What really causes these familiar effects discussed so often in popular texts is a change of perspective:  a change in the camera’s physical position relative to your subject.

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Entry-level DSLRs are usually sold packaged with a lens and cost between $400 and $600.  High-end DSLRs retail for $1500 and up (and are often sold without a lens).

DSLRs and mirrorless and compacts—oh, my!  Don't worry, in this article we will help you find your way to a better understanding of the three different types of cameras available on the market today. We'll give you a brief explanation of each type of digital camera, as well as pros and cons to each kind. Soon you'll feel like a real wizard when it comes to cameras...

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Mirrorless cameras vary greatly in price, from as little as $350 to as much as $2000, depending on the brand, model, and whether or not a lens is included.

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Compact cameras are declining in popularity, since many people use the cameras in their smartphones instead.  This is something to consider—if you buy a compact camera, will it be redundant if you already use your smartphone to photograph while on-the-go?

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Compact cameras are our final category, and they are just that—small and compact! They may also be called “point-and-shoot” cameras.  Be warned—there are a million compact camera choices, and it can be difficult to distinguish which will offer you the quality you desire.

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When you move in close to a subject, it becomes very large in relation to its background.  So, that over-large nose you get with a wide-angle-lens portrait is because you’ve probably moved in very close to the subject in order to fill the frame, and the nose, being closest to the lens, is now very large in relation to the ears.  This is a matter of your proximity to the subject and has nothing to do with the lens itself.

A newer type of digital camera that is continually growing in popularity is the mirrorless system. A mirrorless camera usually gives you all the same capabilities and features as a DSLR, but in a slightly smaller package.They are very quiet—there is no loud “click-click!” when you snap a photo. This makes them popular with street photographers, who want to remain silent and invisible to their subjects in order to capture candid scenes.

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This is probably the digital camera you picture in your head when you think of a digital camera. Overall, they are extremely versatile and perform well in almost all situations.

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Hopefully you're feeling a little more informed about the types of digital cameras.  Now, all you'll have to do is learn to operate your new camera with a “click!” here at PhotoUno!

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If you need more information, check out our article: 5 Tips on Buying a Digital Camera. Also, here are some good store recommendations to buy camera and more : B&H and Adorama.

There is a large variety of compact cameras, price-wise.  However, most fall within the range of $200 to $500.  If you value small size and affordability above all else, and don't mind potentially losing some control of your settings, this may be the right choice for you.

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What about zoom lenses as opposed to fixed focal-length lenses?   Do they help make your choice easier?  Well, yes and no.  Assuming the optics are up to snuff, a zoom can provide a great deal of convenience – it’s a zillion focal-lengths in one piece of hardware.  But that convenience can lead to overly casual, rather than critical, vision.  Imagine a photographer out for a walk.  He (or she) comes across a detail or a scene that interests him. Camera goes up to eye, hand zooms lens to frame the subject, auto-focus and metering do their jobs, shutter goes click, and it’s on down the path.  Would the image have been more powerful if our photographer had moved in close to some boulder in the foreground, making it monolithic in relation to the background?  Maybe.  Or maybe backing up a bit might have let some tree branches frame the scene.

It comes as quite a surprise to a lot of the photographers I work with that the only thing that changes when you use a different focal-length lens is the cropping of your image!

The point in all this is that to maximize the impact of a visual statement it is important to give thought to the image structure first.  Is the composition better closer in?  Farther back? Up, down left or right?

When you look at a distant scene through a long focal-length, or telephoto, lens elements in the scene may appear compressed, almost right on top of each other.  Once again, this has nothing to do with the lens, but is simply a matter of the tight framing on the subject.  If you put the camera down and frame the scene just as tightly with your hands, the elements of the scene will appear as “compressed” as they did through the lens.

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Once you pick your camera position, then choose the focal length that gives the cropping you want.  If your first guess is too tight, use a shorter lens, if it’s too loose, use a longer lens. If you don’t have a lens that is quite right, use one slightly shorter than you would like and crop. That’s the lens to use!