Digital Cameras Buyers Guide

There is a virtual array of digital cameras on the market to choose from and making a good choice is not an easy task. If you have expectations of what you are looking for in a digital camera before you buy one; it will make the decision process go much smoother. You certainly won’t lack for a selection to choose from.

Realistic Expectations

No digital camera is perfect; they all come with their own individual nuances. A couple of minor problem areas are the focus of most complaints about digital cameras.

Shutter lag problems – the delay in time once the shutter button is pressed until the picture is actually taken. Many cameras do this.

Built in Flash – Convenient to balance low lighting problems but have a limited range, low output power and drain the battery.

Size

Consider a size that suits your needs best. Digital cameras come in three sizes: compact, standard and professional.

Compact – Small camera that literally fits in your pocket. Stylishly designed with a moderate feature set. It’s great to have a compact camera with you to take advantage of photo opportunities but they are more expensive than standard cameras with the same features.

Standard – Standard digital cameras bear a similarity in appearance and features to 35mm cameras. Reasonably compact, they are larger than the compact size and will not fit in your pocket. They are however lightweight and comfortable to handle.

Professional – Professional cameras are Single Lens Reflex cameras (SLR) and come with all the bells and whistles. Feature rich, it is a larger sized camera that comes with interchangeable lenses, flashes and other accessories. Mostly serious amateur photographers, because of the flexibility that they offer use these. They are a much larger and heavier camera than other models.

Digital Video Format/Movie Mode

Movie modes are becoming a feature that is added to many digital cameras. It is not meant to replace the camcorder because there is limited shoot time and it only produces low-resolution video clips.

MegaPixels

The difference in the number of megapixels that a digital camera has means the difference in the quality of images produced.

2-3 megapixels produces good quality

3-4 megapixels produces better quality

4+ megapixels produces superior quality

Good quality images can be used for websites and email, better quality is best used for 8x10 prints and superior quality offers professional looking prints. The higher the megapixels, the better the quality of the images.

LCD Viewfinders

LCD displays are liquid crystal displays that allow you to view the picture before it is taken. You can see the shot perfectly and wait until you have everything set correctly before taking the picture. Saved images can then be viewed and deleted if you don’t like the picture you took.

Optical Zoom & Digital Zoom

Optical and digital zoom is fast becoming a feature of digital cameras. Each produces very different levels of quality photos.

Optical zoom – Does not compromise picture quality. If image quality is a concern, optical zoom will best suit your needs.

Digital zoom – Because digital zoom uses internal software to zoom in on areas, it causes the photo quality to be noticeably less than you would expect. It simply lowers the quality of the photo.

Computer Connectivity

One of the best things about digital cameras is their ability to download your pictures to your computer for printing or sharing with family and friends. Once downloaded you have the ability with a good photo editing software to edit, enhance or touch up your photos. The good part is that all digital cameras come with software to download your pictures and they only require a USB connection to do it. Since all computers have at least one USB connection built in; the process couldn’t be easier. While there are still some digital cameras on the market that use a serial cable for connection, make sure that the one you purchase comes with a USB cable.

Battery -Power

All digital cameras come with limited battery life. Unfortunately, the more you use the LCD display, the faster your battery will run down. Some digital cameras come with rechargeable batteries and a recharger, but many do not. It may be a good idea to invest in rechargeables and a recharger if your digital camera doesn’t come with them. They may cost between $30-$100 for batteries and charger but it is well worth it in the long run.

Memory

Digital cameras come with built in memory called “internal memory.” Memory cards on the other hand are called “external memory” and allow additional memory to store larger numbers of pictures on the camera.  The best part of memory, both internal and external, is that it is reusable. It can be erased and used many times over. The problem with basic digital cameras is the limited amount of memory that comes with them. You either have to download your pictures when the memory of the camera has reached its limitation in order to take more photos.  The good news is that most digital cameras come with a removable memory card that is at least 16MB (megabytes) This gives the ability to take additional photos beyond what is stored in the camera. Higher megabytes memory cards can be purchased that allow hundreds of pictures to be stores on them .The higher the megabyte, the more storage available.

Pricing

Digital cameras cost anywhere from £28.82 for a basic camera with little features and limited memory to more than £2,305.75 for a full-featured camera that offers superior resolution and an array of features. Lower megapixel cameras are the least expensive, while higher megapixels cameras, although more expensive produce the highest quality pictures. Different price points are set for various sets of features. The higher the price, the more features available in the camera. For example, interchangeable lenses with a digital camera come with a price tag of about £1,152.87. A £28.82 digital camera will not offer the same features and quality of prints, as a £300 camera will.