Advice On Buying Digital Camera

You want to buy a digital camera? It's easy if you don't think about features, but if you need something specific, you should search particular characteristics. In this short guide you'll get an info what cameras are capable of.

Megapixels (Resolution)
When we discuss about megapixels, the more the better. Recommended minimum of 4, but 6 or more is great.

Optical vs Digital Zoom
You have probably detected that almost all digital cameras have a specification for digital and optical zoom. Pay the most attention to the optical zoom. The optical zoom magnifies (zooms in) using glass. The digital zoom essentially reduces away the boundary of the image to make the figure appear nearer, causing you to lose resolution or to get an interpolated resolution (falsified - i.e. the camera adds pixels). Neither of which assist image quality. And at last, be sure you get adequate (optical) zoom. A 2x zoom isn't enough good for you. A 4x is the intermediate you will get in most digital cameras will probably be good enough for most uses.

Connections
How does the camera plug in to your computer? If you have a USB port (almost all have it, nowadays) in your computer, you will like a camera that can connect via USB as opposed to a slow serial connection.

Storage
What does the camera use to store images on? If it uses a flash card, make sure you look at purchasing additional cards when you get your camera. A typical 512 meg memory card that comes with a 5 megapixel camera holds 50 or 60 pictures at the camera's best quality.

Here's a couple of more matters to look out for buying your digital camera.

Picture Formats
Once you are trying to determine on which digital camera to get, check and see how many picture formats it supports. You need something that can make both uncompressed, raw, (typically TIFF) and compressed (typically JPEG) pictures. I ussually use the high quality JPEG setting on my camera for most of photos. TIFFs are just too big and the difference in quality is not determinable by mere humans. You also want to be capable to film at a lower resolution than the camera's maximum. That way, whenever you are running low on memory, you can compress a few more shots on your memory card.

Flash Distance
Talking of flashes, be sure you check the distance the built in flash is good for. You don't want a camera with a weak flash that only goes a few feet (well, unless you are able to get an external flash for it.

Battery Type
This might not sound crucial, but it is. Anybody who has a digital camera can tell you they consume batteries the way a sumo wrestler eats at a buffet. Be sure the camera can run on regular (or rechargeable) "AA" or "AAA" type batteries. You do not want a camera that consumes through expensive lithium batteries every 10 shots or so. One thing to retrieve about digital cameras, they do eat through batteries. I recommend getting some Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable for it.

Conclusions
Choosing a digital camera is not easy. There's a large selection out there and only you are able to find out which characteristics you want.

For example, if you shoot wildlife pics, a low 3x zoom probably isn't good enough (unless you are able to attach auxiliary lenses to it). If you photograph lots of close-ups, be sure the camera has some kind of macro capacity. If you shoot big group photos inside, an external flash may be necessary.

My advice is to prepare a listing of things you prefer to do with the camera then go to someplace that can assist you to make a good purchase decision.

And for the end, purchase the BEST camera you can possibly afford. Or wait till the price drops on one type of characteristics you want.

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