How to Choose a Digital Camera

Digital cameras cost more out of the box than regular cameras, but offer the convenience of immediate viewing, multiple image storage, computer connectivity - and there's no film to develop.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Digital Camera Memory Cards
• Digital Cameras

1. Buy the camera with the highest resolution you can afford, at least 2 to 3 megapixels (2 million to 3 million pixels), if possible.

2. Look for a 100 percent glass lens as opposed to a plastic one.

3. Buy a camera with as much RAM as you can afford. More RAM means the camera can store more pictures, so you won't need to download or erase them as often.

4. Expect zoom to be the feature you will use most. Compare optical, as opposed to digital, zoom capabilities.

5. Compare flash modes, if any.

6. Investigate viewfinders: Look for an optical (through-the-lens) viewfinder as well as an LCD display.

7. Consider autofocus and macro features, shutter-release lag times, and bundled software.

8. Compare additional features you might want: interchangeable lenses, steady-shot, burst mode, auto exposure, automatic white balance, voice memo, variable shutter speeds, manual focus and self-timer.

9. Compare removable media of various types (if you need more storage space for your photos).

10. Investigate batteries, chargers and battery-saving features.

11. Look for additional features you might need, such as USB or IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connectivity (to connect the camera to the appropriate port on your computer), a battery-time-remaining indicator, an AC adapter or video-out connections for outputting to a television.

Tips & Warnings

• If you will only output pictures to a computer monitor (for viewing, Web page use or e-mail), an inexpensive digital camera with a 640-by-480 pixel resolution will provide very satisfactory results.
• If you plan to print photographs on a good (at least 720 dots per inch) color printer, look for a high-resolution camera.
• Beware of high-resolution cameras with low prices. The specified resolution may only apply to software interpolation rather than true optical resolution.
• If you do buy a low-priced camera, make sure it has a charge-coupled device (CCD).
• To compensate for low profit margins and high return rates, some retailers and Internet vendors have restrictive return policies that may include "restocking" fees. Check these out before you buy.

[theperfectfit]

on 12/30/2008 Excellent article and comments from the readers. One suggestion that I have is to take a look on QVC.com and HSN.com. With their return policy of 30 days, I was able to try three different models so that I could take my pick. You don't know a camera until you use it.
Five Stars. Happy New Year!

on 11/22/2005 Get a camera that uses AA batteries. You can get a gross of rechargable batteries and a charger for not much money. You will have plenty of power to last all day (or even all weekend). If you get one with a proprietary rechargable battery and it dies on you, you're out of business until you can find a place to recharge. With AA's, you can carry plenty on hand and never run out of power while you're shooting.

on 11/22/2005 Don't, I repeat, DON'T buy a camera that is powered by normal batteries (such as AA). You'll spend a fortune on batteries. These batteries are used very quickly and you'd find yourself having to get more, or recharge your batteries often. The best digital camera batteries are Ion Lithium which charge in the camera or using a separate charger. Some Digital Still Cameras use the same batteries as Video Cameras, which might be handy if you want to swap between them!

Buy a camera that enables you to use external memory (such as Compact Flash cards). This way, you can buy extra memory cards should you need more memory (e.g. more photos). There are a few cameras that only use "onboard" memory (also known as RAM). Once the digital camera bug sets in, you'll find yourself wanting more space and you will need to buy another camera. Make sure you price the different memory cards. Some memory is more pricey than others so compare them all first. Also, other devices such as MP3 players use memory cards, so it might be handy for you to use the same one for both so then you can swap in between them.

The last and most important tip: read as many reviews online and offline as you can on sites such as http://www.dpreview.com/ (I highly recommend it - this is how I decided on my camera!).

Last but not least, have fun with your digital camera! :)

on 11/22/2005 Nobody has mentioned digital cameras that use a regular floppy disk for storage. These are great for people who are late comers to the digital era and aren't really into learning any 'new tricks'. Just take your pictures, pop the floppy into your disk drive and there you go! Instant pictures. Nothing difficult, nothing to hook into your ports, wires to mess with, etc. It's a definite plus!

on 11/22/2005 If you are going to shoot pictures indoor or at night time, noise reduction seems to be a crucial feature as which need more exposure time, here comes with unexpected noises (tiny white spots scattered throughout the picture which make the picture seem foggy ).