Film or Digital
This debate can get quite lengthy, and I use both film and digital. But I will make this easy for you: Unless you’re buying a camera for a professional photographer, go with digital. Digital is more convenient and there are no film costs. If your dad or grad falls in love with photography, he or she may eventually want a film camera as well. At that point, you can congratulate yourself for introducing someone into the wonderful world of photography. You can also be certain that from that point forward, your dad or grad will never be shy about letting you know exactly what he or she wants when it comes to photography equipment.

Digital Features
The first thing I advise you to do is to figure out what features your gift recipient will want. Here are some important features.

Resolution
In digital photography, this is determined by how many megapixels the camera has. Megapixels do not determine the quality of the image; rather they determine the quality of the print size. The more megapixels, the bigger the enlargement can be without losing clarity. A three-megapixel camera will provide good prints up to 8 x 10. That will probably be sufficient for most dads and grads. However, getting more won’t hurt.

If your gift recipient is likely to use the photos online, you can get by with fewer megapixels.

Size
I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that small and sleek might be ideal for a recent grad. If you hope to see photos of their new life, make it convenient for them to take a camera with them. It’s a lot easier to stick a camera in a pocket or purse than it is to carry it over your shoulder or around your neck. Cameras that need camera bags tend to stay in closets or under beds unless someone has a real passion for photography.

On the other hand, if you’re getting a camera for a dad who loves taking photos of kids playing sports or family vacation photos, a larger model might work better. The features are larger and easy to find and manipulate, and larger models often offer more options. (There are only so many options you can pack into a little bundle.)

If this is the first digital camera your recipient has had and he or she hasn’t ever shown any strong interest in photography, I’d avoid buying a 35 mm digital camera with interchangeable lenses. That could be overwhelming. On the other hand, if your recipient has shown a strong interest in photography and is forever e-mailing photos to friends and family members, it could well be time to get the 35 mm/interchangeable lens camera. You’ll be a hero!

Ease of Use
You know your recipient. If he or she simply wants to point and shoot, make sure you get a camera that has all automatic settings and will make every decision all on its own. On the other hand, if your recipient likes to fiddle with things and is a techno freak, make sure you get something that give him or her the ability to make manual adjustments.

Options
Digital cameras have a variety of options. The ones I would make sure the camera has are:
• Optical zoom lens
• Ability to use rechargeable batteries
• Removable memory card (vs. strictly storing photos inside the camera)
• An ISO range of up to at least up to 400 (more if the person is likely to shoot in dim light) Note: ISO determines how light sensitive the camera is.
• A built-in flash (with a red-eye reduction feature)
• An LCD screen for viewing pictures
• A glass lens (rather than a plastic one)

Other features to consider include:
• Ability to set the camera to manual mode. This allows for much more creativity. Personally, I’d never give anyone a camera without this. It’s like giving someone a coloring book and insisting they “stay inside the lines,” vs. giving them a sketch book and inks, pastels, watercolors, etc.
• Video capability to make short movies. You aren’t going to get high quality here, but it can be fun.
• Close up mode. Nice feature that allows the user to take super close-ups of things like flower petals, stamps, bugs, etc.
• A timer. Nice to make sure the camera is steady if it’s on a tripod and useful it the photographer wants to jump into the picture.
• Ability to release shutter once and have it take a series of pictures within seconds. Great for someone who is going to be shooting sports or other action photos.

How to Choose
Do your research. Go online and do a search for Web sites that compare digital cameras. Ask someone you know with a digital camera whether or not they like theirs. Find out what they say they could live without and what they’d never give up. If they are knowledgeable, maybe they could help you decide. Go to a store and hold the cameras. What feels good?

Make a list of the most important features the person you are giving the gift to will want. Prioritize the features. Then search for cameras within your price range and match as many features as you can to a price you can afford.

Stick with brand names you trust. You can’t go wrong with a Nikon or Canon. (Personally, I have always used Nikons and wouldn’t trade them for anything.)

Look at the complete package. Some packages include memory cards, cables to hook the camera up to the computer, and rechargeable batteries. Some digital cameras have “ports” you set your camera in to recharge the batteries.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but for a grad who isn’t interested in learning all about photography, you’re well advised to consider appearance. Slick and sleek might be way more important that one with more features but that isn’t as cool looking.

Think of the ability to exchange the camera. If you buy a camera that doesn’t have a feature the recipient MUST have (and of course never mentioned to you), you will want to be able to exchange it for something the recipient will be able to use to capture the photographs he or she has in mind.

Price
Digital cameras with 3 megapixels can start as low as $100 and go to thousands for professional models. When comparing prices, make sure you take into account the entire package that comes with the camera.

Shop around. You can find some great deals on the Internet from highly reputable camera stores. Watch inserts in the Sunday paper as well. Visit some camera and electronic stores.

Although the history of digital photography isn’t very long, digital photography has already transformed how people take and view photos.

Before digital photography, most photos had been viewed as prints. Today, however, the majority of photos are edited and viewed on computers. Digital photography allows a photographer to develop his own film by using digital printing.

Yet, while digital cameras have taken the photography world by storm, film cameras have their advantages.

The History of Digital Photography
While most people may believe the history of digital photography goes back only ten or fifteen years, digital photography had been around for years before the first digital cameras were available to the public.

The history of digital cameras began as early as the 1980s, when digital photography replaced traditional film in astronomy. Digital cameras capture light better than film plates.

Since their introduction, commercial digital cameras have largely replaced manual cameras, as photographers can more easily upload, edit and email their pictures.

Digital photography printing allows photographers to create high quality prints in their own homes. As the history of digital photography progresses, expect to see even more options and features added to digital cameras.

Digital Photography Tips
Generally, digital photography tips aren’t different from film camera tips. The rules of basic photography composition and lighting remain the same. However, some tips can improve your digital photographs:

• Be Fearless : If you’ve got a large memory card, you can take multiple photos, review them instantly through the LCD screen and delete the shots you don’t want. This saves time and money that traditional film development demands. This unique feature of digital photography has made amateur photographers less concerned with how many shots they take. Because they have the freedom to take more photos, they have a better chance of catching that perfect shot.
• Read the Manual : While this advice is hardly unique to digital cameras, it remains one of the most important digital photography tips. Your camera may include macro features, various lighting settings, video camera capabilities and more. You’ll get the most use out of your camera’s features if you read the manual and learn how to use them.
• Experiment : A digital camera’s LCD screen lets people quickly review photos, allowing photographers to experiment with their camera’s settings. Would that photo look best as a landscape or an action shot? What happens if the lighting is set to overcast on a clear day? By experimenting with digital camera settings, people are discovering how to get unusual effects in their photos. If an experiment doesn’t work, delete the flawed photo.
• Use Your Self-Timer: One of the most under-used features in every digital camera is the self-timer. The self-timer delays the firing of the shutter after the button is pushed. There’s really nothing like getting everyone, including the photographer, in the shot. Plus, then you don’t run the risk of handing over your beloved camera to a stranger who may or may not get the shot you want and may or may not run off, camera in hand! Just line up the shot you want, activate the self-timer and hop in the picture. Usually you’ll have up to ten second to do so. Your memories will be all the better for it.
• Warm Up Your Tones: Often, professional photographers do not like to take photos in the sunlight. But you can overcome the issues that come along with that by changing a featire on your digital camera. If you adjust your white balance setting from “auto” to “cloudy,” you’ll automatically increase the balance of reds and yellows and the result will be warmer pictures.
• Head Outdoors: It may sound crazy, but feel free to use your flash for outdoor photos. Wedding photographers have been doing it for years! In your “flash on” or “fill flash” mode, the camera will expose the background first, and then add just enough light to expose your subject. Both the foreground and the background will be equally exposed and your photos will look like a pro took them. But remember, flashes often have a range of only about ten feet.
• Use a Tripod: In the past, tripods have been bulky, annoying and difficult to use. But those days are over. There are a few brands out there now that fold up and fit nicely in a pocket or purse. So you can get that professional quality without having to drag along a load of equipment.

When to Avoid Digital Photography
The history of digital photography has been so successful that you might wonder why anyone would still use film. Yet, traditional film has advantages over digital photography in particular circumstances.

Many photojournalists prefer to use traditional film. Although a digital camera lets a photographer quickly edit his photos, photojournalists build their reputations on the accuracy of their photographs. While some photojournalists use digital cameras, others prefer to use film so they can prove an image has not been altered.

For similar reasons, film is more admissible in court than digital photography, as there is less chance that someone has tampered with photographic evidence. While the camera may not lie, a software-editing program can!

Another issue with digital cameras is that they are more sensitive to cold and dampness than film cameras. As a result, film remains the choice of photographers working where bitter cold or wet conditions could damage a digital camera.

Some photographers simply prefer to use film, maintaining that digital photographs lack the detail and “feel” of film. In some ways, these arguments correspond to the “CD vs. vinyl” debate that began with the introduction of compact discs.

Digital Photography Versus Film
So which is better, digital photography or film? Compare the advantages of each:

Digital Photography Advantages

• Digital cameras are usually smaller than film cameras.
• Digital cameras can embed metadata into the image file (time, date, camera settings, etc.).
• Digital image files can be backed up and copied.
• Digital images can be altered with editing software for specific effects.
• Digital photography enables you to experiment without concern for time or the cost of developing flawed pictures.
• Digital printing can be done from a home computer with either a standard or digital printer.
• LCD screens on digital cameras allow for instant picture review and deletion.
• Many digital cameras have AV-out capabilities for television viewing.
• Photographers can print certain pictures and not others.
• Some digital cameras allow you to lock files to avoid accidental deletion.

Advantages of Film Cameras

• Film cameras are less expensive than digital cameras of the same quality.
• Film cameras are more durable in outdoor environments and adverse conditions.
• Film cameras can work without batteries.
• Film is harder to manipulate than digital images, ensuring the integrity of the original images.
• Some film types (infrared film, for example) have no digital counterpart.

Although digital cameras probably won’t completely replace film, their versatility and unique features make them an excellent choice for the amateur photographer.