The Festival season is near, Diwali, Eid, Christmas, ETC are Coming and that means many of you will buy new gadgets to get into festival spirit, But unsure of what to watch out for in the gadget that you're splurging on ? So we decided to make a list of TOP 50 Mistakes that Consumers regret most, So Read it, Rate it And Go Shopping !This Part Contains About Camera And Laptops, Please Click here for part II : Most Common Mistakes While Buying Mobiles And Tablets .
While Buying A Camera :
1 : Focus On Sensor Size :
Most salesman will try to sell you a camera by saying " Sir, This Camera Has More Megapixels, Which means better photos quality", What you gotta do is Pick up that camera, And smash it on the salesman forehead. It is a common myth that extra megapixels can give you better photos, And to some extent they can, But Whats important is Sensor Size !
2 : Check The Aperture Range :
Aperture Range is as important as the starting aperture itself. Most of the times, the salesman will show a 200$ Camera and say it has an aperture of f/2.8, Obviously you'll get excited, enough to buy that camera at that time, But Don't do that, An f/2.8 will soon change to a black hole like f/4.8 (or if you are cursed, worse) And you're better to sketch the scene that photographing it at this aperture. Go for a camera which has a smaller aperture range, preferably f/1.8 - 2.8.
3 : Li-ion Vs AA Batteries :
We all love Li-Ion Batteries, And they are pretty great because they are tiny, lightweight and easy to use. But if you are a die hard photographer, And you spent much off your time outside, I would strongly prefer you to go with AA Batteries, If there is one thing that is the bane of a photographer, that is running out of battery at wrong time, And AA Battery prevent that. The topside of using AA Cells is you get them pretty cheap, easily available on any shop, Changeable And Ready To Use. Only bad thing is that your camera looks a little fat with AA Batteries Inserted !
4 : Don't Get Carried By Focus Points :
If more focus points meant better focusing, we might never miss a shot in. What really matters is the area covered by those focus points and 45 Focus Points in the middle of viewfinder means nothing against 11 Scattered Points. Also the number of cross-type points matter since they're the ones that do most of the hard work.
5 : WiFi, GPS On Camera. What The Fu*k ?
The features attracts many novice photographers, But experts know that the duty of a camera is to click PICTURES, Not Geo-tag and WiFi Capabilities. If somebody asked me, if would strongly advise them not to but a camera with all these features, Cuz all they do is drain your battery faster than a parched camel drinking at an Oasis. Its not like you can't upload your images when you get home and onto a computer. An hour of delay is far better than Reduced battery life.
6 : Avoid Entry-Level DSLR As Much As You Can :
One of the most asked question of Camera Forums is : I'm An Novice Photographer, Should I Buy An Entry Level DSLR ? Well News Flash Buddy : Entry Level DSLR Is not necessarily the best for beginners. We'll advise you to wait for a few months, increase your skills and buy a Semi-Pro Camera. Trust me, You'll Love it !
7 : All In One DSLR Lens :
Many Time, we end up buying a DSLR and then don't want to deal with the hassle of changing the lenses. Self Defeating purpose aside, The whole idea of "All In One' Lens comes to grinding halt when you take into account several factors. They Have terrible aperture ranges, horribly distort your images at all but a few focal length and no better than what you would have got on a bridge camera, Stay away for AIO Lens !
8 : The X-Factor :
The most common understanding in the minds of customer and some salesman's is the X Zoom Factor. The thing you want to understand is the X Factor is not an indicator of actual magnification but an indicator of magnification that the lens is capable of from its base magnification.
9 : Expensive Lens = Better Images :
Just because you shelled out 1000-1300 USD (70,000-80,000 INR) On a lens doesn't mean its the most awesome lens in the world. While buying a lens, it is advised to read lot of reviews, take advise from some experts and taking a trial of chosen lens before purchasing. If you are a newbie, or a semi-pro, looking for a lens, I would advise you to go with Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Lens. At 100 USD ( 7000 INR ) It is a rock solid lens that give competition to lenses triple its price tag !
10 : HD, Full HD, Ultra HD, Super-Saiyan HD
From every store to store, you can see a lot of camera with a banner above saying HD Supported or something like that, When asked What is the different between HD, Full HD And Ultra HD, Most of the tim we got some BS From the Salesman, So whenever you have any doubts, Google Up the camera specs and don't believe a word coming out from salesman mouth !
While Purchasing A New Laptop Or PC :
11 : Touch Screen Laptops Are A Mixed Bag :
Touch Screen Laptops are fun, but not all the touchscreens are the same in terms of quality, uniformity and response. I Have often seen some laptops with inconsistent touch response and a whole bag of other issues ; All because of the cheap digitizer. Also having a touchscreen laptop means taking care of it and preventing rugged places. So if you are planning to buy a touchscreen PC, better think twice buddy !
12 : Calling It An Ultra-Book Doesn't Mean Its An Ultrabook :
Vendors are playing shady tricks of innocent consumers by taking liberties by launching heavy, Big-ass Laptops under the ultra-book umbrella. For Something to qualify as an ultrabook, it should weight less than 1.7 KG's, should be running an ULV Processor (yes its by Intel), more importantly, the laptop should be slim, I Mean Really Slim !
13 : Don't Get Touched By Touch-pad's Size :
The size of a touchpad doesn't mean it is a good touchpad. There are many kind of touch-pad's available on a variety of laptops, But before buying a laptop, Make sure it have a good quality, responsive and if you want multi-touch pad. Also see if the driver for the touchpad is getting a regular update and available easily !
14 : SSD VS HDD ?
In a choice between 1 TB Hard-Disk or 128 GB SSD, We'd suggest you go with the SSD Option. SSD Have a clear advantage over HDD, I mean you don't have enough space on your laptop to insert your favorite porn, But SSD gives a boost to your computer performance. Besides if you want space, buy an external HDD. Its Kind-a Cheap now-a-days !
15 : Slim Laptop : Too Hot For You ?
The Thin And Slim laptops that looks very appealing by the way, can be too hot for you, I mean literally too Hot For Your Lap. Often to trim down thickness, the laptops have a crappy (or none) cooling systems fitted in them. The End result would be scald legs and annoying fan noise, So before buying a laptop, Run An HD Movie On It, Pick It Up And see if the heat is getting out of the laptop properly !
15 : Upgrade, Upgrade,Upgrade :
While Buying a Laptop, it is necessary to look for any expansion slot or empty RAM slot or An extra HDD Bay, It would be useful at a later date.
16 : Gaming Machine Needs A Lot More Than Good GPU :
Just Because you have a Hi-Fi GPU, Doesn't mean you can run High end Games on it. For uninterrupted gaming, A Laptop Should Be Properly vented (CPU FAN), Should Have an good native resolution and An SSD, else you game will run slower than a Indian Passenger Train.
17 : Got OS ?
Many Companies will give you DOS or Linux Installed on laptop, And if you are willing to pay an extra cost, Windows 8. But Before you Invest your money in any OS (specially Windows 8), please take your time to try it out, Many people who are familiar with old navigation and interface tend to hate Windows 8, So think twice before choosing any OS.
18 : A Screen You'll Love To See :
This tip is specially for power users, who spend more than 4 hours on their laptops, Pick a Screen That is Non-Reflective, Anti-Glare And has good brightness. Many screen like glossy screen suffer from glare o you should choose matte screen, which has good visibility, So you can work outside in the sun without any problem !
19 : The Right Resolution :
Picking the right resolution for your laptop is a tricky business, A lower resolution means less load on GPU and Better Battery Life, But the trade-off is a blurry display, For screens less than 14", 1280x800 Is more than enough.
Part II : 50 Mistakes To Avoid When Purchasing Mobile And Tablets :
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