Features To Look For When Buying A Digital Camera

First of all we must distinguish between two types of cameras: Digital Cameras and SLR Professional cameras.

If you want a decent camera that you will use to take pictures within the family, holiday pictures or simply even taking pictures of items to list on eBay, then a digital camera is for you. It is small, compact and at just the right price range for the average man/woman.

If you are in the media however, a professional photographer or take up photography as a hobby, SLR Professional cameras are for you. These are much bigger, better in quality but far more expensive than your average digital camera on the high street.

What to look for when choosing the right camera for you:

I have just differentiated the two major types of camera, but what do you want to look out for to suit your needs. In the following text, you will be able to figure out the right type of camera for yourself.

PIXEL RESOLUTION:

Pixels are actually tiny dots on a digital image that make up the picture. Basically, the higher the number of pixels in your image, the better the quality. This is because the camera is able to fit more detail into the image since there is a higher spacial capacity for the pixels to fit into. This will also enable you to enlarge your image to higher pixel dimensions without creating a pixelated image (when the image is enlarged to a point that the pixels cannot fit into each allotted space so it becomes blurry). For people using digital cameras 4-7MP cameras would be a reasonably good size of Megapixels. However for SLR Professional cameras you'd be looking at about 10MP+. Obviously the more megapixels in a camera, the higher the cost.

LCD SCREEN:

The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen allows the photographer to view the picture he/she has taken straight away to check if the picture needs to be retaken. It also acts as a viewfinder for the photographer so they don't have to look through the actual viewfinder. For a digital camera, they vary from 1.5-2.5 inches but on a SLR Professional they usually start from 2.5 inches and the screen size increases.

OPTICAL ZOOM:

This enables the photographer to zoom in on an object without any loss of picture quality. Depending on the magnification number, you can zoom in more. For a digital camera, the optical zoom is on average 3.0-5.0 (odd cases of special digital cameras have an optical zoom of 6.0-10.0, but are in the region of £350). SLR Professional cameras go from 6.0+.

DIGITAL ZOOM:

This feature enables the photographer to zoom in on the centre of the picture removing the edges of the image (on PC). However, depending on the MP resolution of your camera, the image can become fuzzy so be careful. Digital cameras can easily vary on average from 2.0-8.0 and the same range for the SLR Professionals, except some will exceed 8.0. The higher the zoom the better the camera.

AUDIO & MOVIE CAPTURE:

This allows you to record sounds and moving images at the same time, in exactly the same way as a camcorder does. Some cameras even contain a facility that enables them to play the video footage on TV from the camera, so all can watch in a better picture quality. This comes both on digital and SLR Professional cameras.

IMAGE STABILISATION:

This feature enables the photographer to capture still images of something moving very fast, such as a cheetah. The camera is able to freeze the picture within those milliseconds of time to create a clear quality picture image. You can also use this feature in low light conditions. Both types of camera usually have this feature.

MEMORY:

Cameras either have internal memory, memory card slots or both. Different cameras have different sizes of internal memory and are able to use different types of memory cards. The types of memory cards are important because this will tell you what type of memory card is need to expand on the existing internal memory. Digital and SLR Professional cameras contain between 8-96MB of internal memory but the memory cards that you can buy to expand the memory capacity vary between 16MB-2GB(2048MB).

PRINTING:

Nowadays you can buy special printers, depending on the compatibility of your camera, to print off your pictures without connecting it to a PC. This applies both for digital and SLR Professional cameras.

Thank You for reading this article.

Hi there,

My name is Syed Abedin and I am currently a Mortgage Advisor. I own a credit card comparison website called Credit Cards UK. My site will search the market for credit cards with the best rates to suit your needs. All you need to do is to go to http://www.creditcardsuk.org.uk/ and sign up for the credit card(s) the suits you best for FREE.

I also own a website called [http://www.dial4u.co.uk/] which sells insurance plans and phones. I also have a very cheap unlocking service that will unlock your phone instantly. The phones range from Nokia and Samsung to Sony Ericsson and LG.

If you have any queries, email me at spzat8@btinternet.com

By Syed Abedin

What To Look For When Buying A Digital Camera

It seems that every month, there is a new digital camera on the market claiming to be the best digital camera. Much like cell phones, there seems to be a lot of features in today's digital cameras. So how do you know which is the best and which one is suitable for you?

Here are some factors you might want to consider before buying that latest digital camera model.

1) Megapixels

One of the most important feature of any digital camera is the megapixel. Generally speaking, the higher the megapixel, the better digital images it can take. The resolution of your digital images is based on the pixels that make up the images. One megapixel is equivalent to 1 million pixels. Most digital cameras on the market have between 3 to 5 megapixel which is more than sufficient if you are printing it on A4 size paper.

If you are printing on banner or enlarging the digital image, then you may need a higher megapixel camera.

2) Zoom

Most digital cameras nowadays have both optical and digital zoom features. Most digital cameras have an optical zoom of between 3 to 10x. Be sure to select a higher optical zoom since it is better than digital zoom.

3) LCD Size

A larger LCD size helps you to review images taken without having to squint. It is also easier to take pictures if the LCD screen is larger. Most digital cameras have a LCD of 1.5 inch. I prefer LCD screen that is at least 2 inches.

4) Memory Card

Almost all digital cameras have the ability to hold a memory card. The difference is the type of memory card used and the storage capacity of the card. Sony cameras can only use the sony memory stick while others uses the CompactFlash or SD card format.

Regardless of which type of memory card you use, be sure to get a sufficient large storage memory card. Particularly if you have a high megapixel digital camera as it can take up quite a large storage size for a single digital image. My recommendation is to get a 512 MB to 1 GB size card. It should be enough to hold at least 500 images. Prices of memory cards are dropping like crazy so the cost is negligible.

By Ricky Lim

The Secret to Buying a Digital Camera

A digital camera comes so handy nowadays. Compared to using a traditional camera that uses film, taking with you a digital camera on your nature trips, tours, special occasions and formal gatherings is more convenient and fashionable too as most digital cameras come in sleek and smart modern designs. There are also lighter and easy to use compared to your old-fashioned camera.

If you do not have one yet, buying a digital camera instead of a conventional one would be a better option. Aside from the abovementioned advantages, buying a digital camera would provide you the following benefits:

• 1. You can take as many photos as you want as digital cameras have large storing capacity.
• 2. You don't have to worry about buying film.
• 3. You can preview photos taken (provided there's a preview LCD), delete unwanted pictures and take another one till you get the desired shot.
• 4. You have many options as to the resolution, quality and size of the photos.
• 5. You can connect it to your computer and easily transfer data stored in it.
• 6. You can edit the photos in the computer before printing.
• 7. You can select the photos you want o print out as well.
• 8. You can upgrade it so you can take and save more pictures in it.
• 9. You can use it to record sound and video as well.
• 10. You may directly connect it to a printer and print out photos without the need to transfer images to your pc.

After deciding to buy a digital camera, the next thing that might be bothering you now is how to buy the right digital camera. Buying a digital camera needs some careful analysis, too. Especially if you are not too familiar with the technical aspects of a digital camera, you would have to research and carefully understand what those pieces of information that you have gathered mean. Buying a digital camera starts with actually knowing what you really want. It is only upon knowing enough that you can make a better decision of which digital camera to buy.

There are several factors you need to consider in buying a digital camera. First and foremost is the resolution of the photos (the number of pixels in a photo); next is the memory. The resolution will determine the quality of the images so if you want high-quality photos buy only high resolution digital cameras. The memory on the other hand (expressed in MB) determines how many high-resolution or low-resolution images can be stored in your camera.

Taking into account the purpose for which you are buying digital camera would help you decide on thing more clearly. If you simply want a camera you can bring along anywhere anytime to capture wonderful moments and scenic views without the intention to display those photos, you can start with a digital camera with fewer features. As you master the art of photography, you can buy a more advanced kind of digital camera.

Of course, your budget is also very important. You cannot buy something that is way beyond your means. You may choose a digital camera with fewer features however it can be upgraded in the future. This will help you save money for the mean time without sacrificing the quality of the product.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in consumer electronics. For more information regarding buying a digital camera, please drop by at http://consumer.answerwisely.com

By Dave Poon

Buying A Digital Camera? Vital Things You Must Know First!

By Jayen Woods

There are a lot of things to take into account when buying a digital camera. With new models coming out all the time, each with much better functions then before, it can really be quite difficult for non technical people to make the right decision. Sadly, people when buying a digital camera often just go out and buy the first thing they see that looks reasonably well priced with out really knowing whether the digital camera is the right one for them. I have written this article to help people know what to look for in a digital camera and what to avoid, so that they make a better decision and get more for their money.

So what are the main things you need to consider when buying a digital camera?

For most amateur digital photographers the most important element to look at is the number of mega pixels the digital camera is capable of. The more mega pixels, the higher the image quality will be. 4 to 6 mega pixels is probable fine if you are only going to be doing amateur type digital photography. You should be able to blow-up a 4 mega pixel image to A3 and still get photographic quality, but any more than that, and it would become more a question of opinion whether or not the image was truly photographic. The higher you go with mega pixels the more important the quality of lenses of the digital camera will be too, but at the low end (4 to 6 mega pixels) this is less important.

One thing you really need to watch out for here is the fact that a lot of digital camera companies will try and deceive you! It is imperative that you read the small print so to speak. On a lot of digital cameras they will have printed on them in big letters how many mega pixels the digital camera is capable of, say one says it's 6 mega pixels, but in the small print underneath there could be a line that says something like; 5 mega pixels enhanced to 6 using software! You need to check this before buying a digital camera, because what this basically means is that the digital camera is only really 5 mega pixels and the camera's software is going to try and enhance the image quality to 6 mage pixels. Try is the key word here since this will never be as good as a true 6 mega pixel camera.

Another thing to consider when buying a digital camera is how much zoom the camera has. How much zoom you need will depend more on your usage of the digital camera, if you are just going to take quick snaps here and there it might not be a big issue, but of cause the less zoom you have the more limited you will be with what you can do. Again just like with the digital camera's mega pixels, you must read the small print. There is optical zoom and digital zoom, optical zoom will use lenses to zoom in, where as digital zoom will just make the image bigger and this will make the quality of the image go down. Personally I don't really see any point of digital zoom on a digital camera, since you can easily blow-up an image with your digital photography editing software on your computer, where you will have far more control and a much better idea of just how much image quality you are losing by doing so. When taking photos or video for that matter, I always try and keep my options open.

One thing people often overlook when buying a digital camera is the units power supply! I can tell you from experience that there's nothing more annoying than running out of battery when you're out and about taking photos. Most of the lower end cameras will take AA or AAA rechargeable batteries, this is fine, but you must get several sets or rechargeable batteries for the camera. Always have at least one set spare with you when out taking photos, if you are planning on going on holiday you might want to have more. The good thing is AA and AAA rechargeable batteries aren't very expensive these days. Other cameras will use their own type of battery pack. These days, these packs are normally Lithium batteries which are a lot more expensive. They do give more power and last longer, but I would still recommend getting at least one spare battery for the digital camera. So when comparing prices you also need to add the price of the batteries to the digital camera's price.

If you're buying a digital camera for amateur use only, then the topics covered here will help you make a better buying decision, but if you are buying a higher end camera, as hinted in the article you will need to look at other things as well, such as the quality of the lenses etc. The best way to go from here is to read up on reviews of digital cameras to see how each one compares to its competition, do your research well, and you will be rewarded with a digital camera that suits your needs for years to come.

Digital Camera Information - What to Look For When Buying a Digital Camera

By Debra Proctor

There are many things to consider when purchasing a digital camera; camera compatibility with other digitals that you own, size, ease of use, manual options, battery types, shutter lag time. Having the correct digital camera information will help you make you purchasing decision. One thing to keep in mind is will it be compatible with your other cameras. If you keep your cameras compatible, you will be able to share memory cards and batteries among your cameras or with other family members. As you know, the cost of these accessories can add up. To make sure your new digital camera is compatible with your other digital cameras; try to stay within the same brand. Camera brand lines are often similar, so if everyone in your family stays with the same brand, you can often share your digital camera accessories.

Digital cameras are no longer a novelty. Now that the novelty has worn off, you have many more options for shooting, saving, and printing your photographs. You can have as much or as little control over your pictures and getting them printed as you choose.

You need to decide how you will most often be using your new digital camera. If you want a camera that you can keep with you at all times, point and shoot and still get great looking photos of family events, you will need to choose a compact or subcompact digital camera.

If you want to expand your photography skills, choose a advanced compact or a super-zoom digital camera. These cameras are more advanced than the compact and subcompact, they offer more options in manual settings, perform better in challenging lighting situations, and have lenses that have a greater range of zoom for those nature or sporting event photos.

When you are ready to get to take a giant step forward in your artistic photography skills, the SLR digital camera will be the camera for you. It is more of a professional camera, it is higher in quality, you can change lenses, and it has manual controls that you can override the "point and shoot" setting with allowing you to get creative with your photography.

Be sure to check the battery life and the type of batteries that your new digital camera will use. All digital cameras run off of either battery packs, which can be quite expensive, or AA batteries. This option is up to you. In the compact and subcompact digital cameras, the typical battery life averages out to be around 150 to 400 pictures. The advanced compact and super-zoom

cameras can take between 120 to 300 pictures and the SLRs average more than 250 pictures.

One of the most common complaints about digital cameras is the lag time from when you push the button to take the picture and when the picture actually snaps. If this lag time is great, you can completely miss the shot you wanted. Compact and subcompact digital cameras have a shutter lag time of 2 to 3 seconds. The advanced compact and super-zoom cameras average a shutter lag time of 1 to 3 seconds and the SLR has a shutter lag time that is barely noticeable being only a fraction of a second.

When making the decision to buy that new digital camera, remember to consider the compatibility of it with your other digital cameras, size, ease of use, manual options, battery types, and shutter lag time. By consciously considering the right digital camera information you will make the right purchase to fit your photography needs.

Confused about which digital camera to buy? digital camera For more digital camera information, go to http://www.toprateddigitalcameras.info

Buying a Digital Camera? Understand the Basics and Find the Best Equipment For Your Needs

By Dave Saunders

It seems like everyone has a digital camera these days and digital cameras have revived the art of photography as a hobby. As digital camera manufacturers improve equipment in quality and price, more people are embracing the benefits of digital photography and putting their film cameras on the shelf. If you're looking to make the move to a digital understanding the basics of a digital camera can help guide you through understanding how the differences and similarities with film cameras can provide you with a digital camera that fits your needs.

My first digital camera has a 640 by 480 pixel resolution and saved images to floppy disks. It was a little clunky, but it worked well and I was happy with the results. Today, the quality of that camera would barely qualify as a web cam for some people. The technology curve continues to move along for digital cameras but today most digital cameras should be able to provide you with a simple "point and click" experience and provide enough resolution to print 4 by 6 inch prints that you'll be happy to archive in a scrapbook.

The resolution of most digital cameras is measured today in "mega pixels." This is a measure of the number of dots which are available to digitally describe the image as a computer file. A digital camera with a 3.1 mega pixel resolution is usually enough to produce pictures that look like a film print on a 4 by 6 print. Moving up to a digital camera with a 5.1 mega pixel resolution will provide a sharper image at the same print size. Can everyone tell the difference? No they can't. When shopping for a camera, don't be mesmerized by claims that you must have the very highest resolution to be happy with your digital pictures. Look at samples and select the camera that meets your price range and quality desires.

Generally, digital cameras with a resolution lower than 1 mega pixel are good for images you plan on emailing to people, or posting on the web, but the resolution is not high enough for quality prints. If you plan on making film-style prints of your pictures, you should make your minimum 3.1 mega pixels.

The next issue with digital cameras is how it gets the electricity it needs to function. Many cameras today use rechargeable batteries but some still use AA size batteries. If you plan on taking lots of pictures, a camera that uses disposable batteries can become a very expensive camera, but if the camera has a rechargeable battery with a short life between charges, you might find yourself without power when a great photo opportunity presents itself or you may be stuck buying an extra, and often expensive, rechargeable battery which is custom designed to only fit that specific camera. When you have made you short list of digital cameras meeting your quality requirements, be sure to compare battery life statistics from the manufacturer.

As with film cameras, most digital cameras have automatic settings that adjust to provide a "point and shoot" experience. Some cameras also have manual settings which mimic advanced film camera settings such as aperture and exposure. Digital cameras often have additional features which allow for special effects and even picture taking in very low light settings. These features may or may not be important to you in a digital camera. How often did you load black and white film in your film camera? Chances are these nice-to-have features are not a high priority for most digital camera owners.

Most of the digital cameras feature an LCD view screen. This lets you shoot the image perfectly and then to check it. and is probably one of the most appreciated features of a digital camera over a film camera. The LCD does use up electricity though and by turning your camera off when you are not shooting pictures will preserve battery life.

Most digital cameras use a removable memory card on which pictures are stored. If you have a computer with a built-in reader of a memory card, checking to see if the digital camera uses a compatible type of memory card can make it much easier for you to transfer images to your PC and reduce the expensive of a separate memory card reader. If your digital camera comes with a data transfer cable, keep in mind that the memory card readers are usually much faster and provide greater flexibility. It's best to keep the data transfer cable in the box.

Overall, most digital camera manufacturers have done an excellent job in making the transition from film cameras to digital cameras a painless one. By knowing some small details about the minor differences, you should have no problem finding a digital camera that you will enjoy and use frequently.

Dave Saunders is a certified nutritional educator and lifelong technologist. He lives in the Washington, DC area with his wife, Irene and writes about his many passions. While pursuing his own enjoyments in broadly experiencing life, Dave Saunders specializes in creating bridges between technical matters and practical application through his writings and lectures to help others create context and see new discoveries and technologies in more a practical light. You can find out more about digital cameras and digital photography [http://www.aboutdigitalcameras.com/digital-cameras] at [http://www.aboutdigitalcameras.com]

Tips For Buying a Digital Camera

By Pat Lyne

Family and friends can be pretty far flung these days, so how do you keep in touch? Snail mail and phoning are good options, but it's fun to be able to share pictures. With the advent of digital cameras, it's easy to post pictures on a blog or website, or send pictures via email.

Of course, film cameras will work, as you can scan and convert pictures to digital files, but the easiest way to send pictures quickly and cheaply is to use a digital camera.

How To Find What's Best For YOU When Buying A Digital Camera

There are all kinds of digital cameras available these days, so the trick is to find the one that suits your needs and budget. If you are buying your first digital camera, the lingo and technology are a bit different than for film cameras, so before shopping take time to learn a little and figure out what you'd like to buy.

First, what kind of photographer are you? Do you like total control over the picture taking process, or would you rather just aim the camera and push the shutter button? Then it's also helpful to decide what you want to do with your pictures. Do you just want to put them online or send them via email, or do you want to be able to print them, and if so, how large do you want your prints?

If photography isn't your passion, and you just want to have pictures to share, buying a simple point-and-shoot digital camera is probably best. It has automatic settings, so all you have to do is aim the camera, press the shutter and viola! Instant picture!

However, if you prefer more control over the picture taking process, try buying a mid-range digital camera. There is a wide range in both price and features. For the more serious hobby photographer, there are "prosumer" cameras midway between point-and-shoot cameras and digital SLR cameras. They offer better lens quality and usually more features than a point-and-shoot, though those little cameras can come pretty loaded these days!

Digital SLR cameras are top of the line and more expensive. These work more like traditional cameras, having a body with detachable lens. This gives you more options with being able to change lens, but it's also much more expensive. Just one lens can cost as much as a point-and-shoot digital camera! There's also usually a steeper learning curve to figure out how to use all the options on a digital SLR camera.

However, if you're buying your first digital camera, intermediate, "prosumer" and digital SLR cameras probably aren't the best choice. All the settings and features can be a little overwhelming for the beginner, and your expensive camera may end up collecting dust somewhere. Try a low to midrange camera first and get a feel for digital cameras and what features are most important to you. Then when you're ready to move up and buy a Digital SLR, you'll have a better idea of what to look for before you lay out your hard earned cash!

What To Look For When You're Ready To Buy A Digital Camera

You can buy digital cameras in all sorts of places these days, from fancy department stores to discount stores, photography/camera shops and many stores online. While you can sometimes find great deals on-line, if this is your first digital camera, go to shops and look at different cameras if at all possible. It helps to pick it up and get the feel of the camera in your hand to see if it's comfortable and the controls are easy to use, and you can check out what features it has and how they work.

But what exactly are you looking for?

A pixel makes your picture....
One of the first things to check out when buying a digital camera is the MEGAPIXELS. A pixel is a single dot in a graphics image. A megapixel is equivalent to one million pixels. A 1-megapixel camera would produce an image roughly 1200 pixels wide by 900 pixels high, a 3 megapixel would be 2048 x 1536 megapixels, and so on. Higher megapixels mean better resolution, but aren't the whole picture. The main thing to keep in mind is the more megapixels, the bigger image you can print.

Approximate Megapixels vs. Print Size

-2 Megapixels prints well up to 4x6 inches
-3 Megapixels prints well up to 5x7 inches
-4 Megapixels prints well up to 6x8 inches
-6 Megapixels prints well up to 7x10 inches
-8 Megapixels prints well up to 10x14 inches
-12 Megapixels prints well up to 16x24 inches

For email, websites and printing snapshots, a 3 to 5-megapixel camera is a good choice. If you want to make high quality 8x10 prints or larger, you need more megapixels. Higher megapixels also allow you to crop down to a smaller portion of the picture while still retaining sharpness in prints.

One other thing to keep in mind when considering megapixels and resolution, be sure you are getting optical resolution. This is the actual number of megapixels the camera records. Some cameras offer interpolated resolution to get bigger pictures from the same number of megapixels by using software algorithms to determine what color pixels to add, so the picture becomes bigger at the expense of clarity.

Opt for optical...
Digital cameras have two kinds of zoom, optical and digital. In this case, focus on the optical zoom. It's the one that actually uses the lens' optics to bring the subject closer. The higher the number, the further away you can "pull in" your subject. The digital zoom merely takes the original information and makes it bigger, and once again, clarity is sacrificed. Most serious photographers turn off digital zoom. Stick to optical!

For Your Viewing Pleasure...
Digital cameras commonly use an LCD screen instead of a viewfinder to focus on your subject, though some come equipped with both. Check the size of the screen when buying a digital camera to be sure you can comfortably see your subject. It's also really handy to have a flip screen that allows you to hold your camera low or high, and still be able to see what's on the screen.

Fun features...
Many digital cameras offer settings for such things as burst shooting mode, which is handy if you want to take pictures of moving subjects. The camera shoots a series of pictures without pause, then writes the files to memory. Other features allow for manually changing settings, special effects, short digital movie files, using an external flash, and much more. Look over several different cameras, decide what features you just have to have, and which are on the "nice to have but not vital" list. No one camera will do everything well.

Get the Picture...
You've got to get the pictures out of the camera to share them. Usually the files are downloaded to your computer through a USB port, so make sure your computer has one. Also, keep in mind when choosing a camera, the more megapixels, the bigger the files. You've got to store those files somewhere, so how much memory is available on your computer? Does it have a CD burner?

However, you can still buy a digital camera even if you don't have a computer. Many photo labs, even in places like Walmart or Kmart, have machines with the capability of making prints and/or photo CD's from memory cards, and will make a disk of the files, sort of like digital negatives. There's also the option of buying a photo printer with a docking station for your camera. Just plug the camera into the docking station, and bypass the need for a computer to print.

Cash After Camera

When buying your digital camera, keep some cash in reserve, because there are two more important purchases you need to make.

1. Memory - The digital camera's equivalent of film, the amount of memory determines how many pictures you can take. Different cameras use different types of memory, so the first step is to find out what your camera uses. The most popular types are: Secure Digital (SD), CompactFlash (CF), SmartMedia (SM), Memory Stick (MS), MultiMediaCard (MMC), and xD-Picture Card (xD).

Cameras are usually packaged with a small MB-sized card. A second card of 64 MB is good, but of course the more MB and the more cards, the more pictures you can take before having to download and erase the images. The different cards are NOT interchangeable, so be sure to buy the right kind for your camera!

2. Battery - There's nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of snapping pictures and the battery dies. Get extras. It's worth the expense to have a second battery charged and waiting should the one in your camera lose power. The rechargeable ones are more expensive, but the ability to use them over and over makes them worth the initial outlay of cash.

That's The Total Package!

There you have the basics for choosing a digital camera. Decide what kind of pictures you are likely to take, what size prints you want to make, how much zoom, and are there any extras you can't live without? Look for the camera that most closely matches your list in your price range, buy a bigger memory card and an extra battery set, and you're good to go!

Have fun sharing those pictures with friends and family!

Buying a Digital Camera? Avoid a Mistake With 7 Insider Tips

By Robert Bezman

So, you're ready to buy a digital camera, huh? Maybe it's your first, maybe it's your fourth. It can still be an overwhelming and confusing venture. With so many digital cameras on the market today ranging in price from under $100 to over $7,000, it may feel like there are TOO MANY CHOICES!

Many people begin the buying process by investigating all the features and functions of 10 - 20 cameras in "their price range," however that is determined. Some people find that process too frustrating and buy the first digital camera that "looks" right.

Personally, I'm an analyzer. As a professional photographer, when I start analyzing digital cameras, it's like unleashing a sumo wrestler at an all-you-can-eat buffet... there's no stopping me.

But, for the typical consumer, knowing the digital camera's features and functions alone just doesn't cut it. People want to know WHAT THE FEATURE DOES FOR ME!

Whether you go the feature/function route or not, there are 7 insider tips that can help save you money and avoid buying the wrong digital camera for your purposes.

Tip #1: How to Get the Best Prices on Digital Cameras

Wherever you are in the investigation/buying process, eventually you get to this step. If you want to buy a digital camera, the best prices are on the internet. Whether you've purchased anything on the internet or not, there are certain INTERNET BUYING STRATEGIES that will save you money, time, and aggravation.

* When purchasing ANYTHING through the internet, only consider the ENTIRE cost of the "digital camera + tax + shipping," NOT just the price of the digital camera. This is the only way to compare "apples to apples."
* Once you find the best ENTIRE cost, do not immediately buy it from that vendor! There are key INTERNET questions to answer:
* Is the digital camera in stock? There is often a mysterious correlation between the cheapest digital camera prices and cameras being OUT OF STOCK. You don't want to order your digital camera and then have it sit on backorder for 3 months, do you?
* Does your Nikon (Minolta, Canon, etc.) come with a USA warranty or is it what's called "grey goods?" You want to verify it's a USA warranty, unless you don't mind having to service it internationally. If it's grey goods, you WILL NOT be able to service it in the US.
* When ordering your digital baby, beware of costly add-on accessories that may be needed eventually, but are suggested during this "special order promotion time" at 200% of the normal price.

Tip #2: Professional or Prosumer... Which is Right For You?

Let's begin by clarifying our terms. A professional digital camera is a digital SLR, while a prosumer is basically everything else. In that context, as of the end of 2005, digital SLRs could be purchased for $600 - $8,000 (Canon and Nikon, at least). The key points to consider are:

1. If you plan on shooting night photos or other pictures in low-light situations, many prosumer digital cameras take good quality photographs at ISO 100 or 200. However, to take good pictures in lower light at ISO 400 or 800 will typically require a digital SLR. Otherwise, digital "noise" will probably have too large an impact on picture quality.
2. If you plan on taking flash photographs at distances greater than 10-12 feet from your subject, an external flash unit needs to be used. And the only way an external flash unit can be used with your digital camera is to attach it to your camera's hot shoe. Every professional digital camera has a hot shoe. Many prosumers also do, but NOT ALL OF THEM.
3. Salespeople often try to sway consumers away from professional digital cameras into prosumer models, saying that the digital SLRs have so many complicated features that they are difficult to use. That is only half correct. Digital SLRs are typically designed to allow consumers to take pictures easily using the more automatic settings OR to use the advanced features when they are comfortable doing so.

Tip #3: What Exactly IS an Affordable Digital Camera?

"Affordable" digital cameras have a tendency of making your budget happy, but disappointing the photographer in you.

1. Don't overlook the ergonomics of the camera. Are the controls easy? Comfortable? How many buttons or levers need to be simultaneously set before getting the result you want?
2. If you're upgrading from a less expensive digital camera, don't assume that spending more or having more features will automatically make you happy. Always test out the camera. An affordable digital camera isn't affordable if you wind up not using it!
3. The new digital camera is more than likely to operate differently than your older model. Does the new camera have controls that are counter-intuitive? Things like that can frustrate a person enough to not use their digital camera. Better to find out details like these before rather than after the purchase.

Tip #4: Don't be Tricked by Digital and Optical Zoom. Only One Matters.

Here's the bottom line: Optical Zoom is the only thing that's important. Although some salespeople might argue with this, when buying a digital camera, my suggestion is to COMPLETELY IGNORE ALL DIGITAL ZOOM FIGURES. Digital zoom has absolutely no impact on being able to take a photograph of a distant subject by zooming in on it.

The main reason salespeople like to include optical zoom in the equation is because advertising loves to give you the digital camera's "zoom factor." Multiply a 3X Digital Zoom by a 5X Optical Zoom, and you have a 15X Zoom factor... a completely worthless and MISLEADING number!!

Tip #5: Is the Discount Digital Camera a Good or Bad Idea?

The most important consideration when considering a discount digital camera (or any other electronic device, for that matter) is to ask yourself: "WHAT IS MY GOAL?"
Many consumers start by first falling in love with a digital camera and then become pleased or disappointed with its capabilities (usually after they buy it).

I'm proposing something outlandishly radical... go through the process the OPPOSITE WAY. First, ask yourself some basic questions:

1. What do I plan to do with the digital camera (and don't say "take pictures")? What are you most interested in - the occasional family snapshot, landscapes, macro work, heavy flash use, all of the above?
2. How much use will it get? (Twice a year, or once a week?)
3. What is most important to me: picture quality, camera size, camera weight, durability, telephotos/wide angle lens, etc.?

Based on your responses to these questions, a discount digital camera can be your best choice or a complete waste of money.

A "no-name" discount digital camera can be a logical choice, based on what your photographic goals are. But don't think a $49.95 Brand X camera is going to cost you $49.95! You also have to add in the cost for at least some accessories, such as memory, batteries, bag, and lens protector.

Tip #6: When are Small Digital Cameras the Perfect Choice?

Despite impressions to the contrary, small digital cameras (also referred to as compact digital cameras) are quite popular. They're easy to carry, usually loaded with features, and take respectable photographs.

We need to remember that SMALL DOESN'T MEAN UNDERPOWERED. Some advantages of going tiny are: less bulky, easier to transport, less conspicuous (less likely to "walk off"), and they often compare favorably with larger cameras in the feature and price categories.

Some of the pitfalls of going small include: possible trouble physically operating some of the camera's controls, less likely to support an external flash, and the physical size can limit some of the available features, such as image manipulation.

Tip #7: Megapixels - What's Fact; What's Fiction?

Megapixels is one of the most talked about (and misunderstood) terms in the world of digital cameras. Let's sort through some facts and misperceptions, so you can make a more informed buying decision.

Taking better digital photography involves more than just having a camera with a bunch of megapixels, although you wouldn't know that listening to digital camera salespeople.

Megapixels is just one factor in creating better digital photography. And, you can't look at it alone. You should consider other digital camera features.

How fast or slow the camera's shutter speed can be set is key. Using a tripod, being able to manually set the white-balance control, and having pre-programmed modes to aid in tricky lighting situations are all important factors in achieving better digital photography.

Don't get the idea that megapixels are bad, or irrelevant. This is NOT TRUE. There is one specific area where more megapixels will create better digital photography results. If everything else is the same, more megapixels will provide GREATER FLEXIBILITY TO CROP A PHOTOGRAPH and still wind up with a sharp clear photo. And, cropping photographs can make a world of difference. Cropping is the eraser on your digital pencil.

Conclusion

People can make buying a digital camera a snap decision or a life-long project. Because there are so many models, brands, and features; it can get pretty confusing. You will never know ALL THE FACTS to make the "best decision." But, by using these 7 tips, you will know what really matters to YOU.

For the unabridged tips, go to http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/digital-cameras.html. Robert Bezman is a professional photographer and owner of Custom Photographic Expressions. Robert has created http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com to help beginning and intermediate photographers create better photographs. Robert is offering a free newsletter and eBook that can be obtained by visiting http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/photography-newsletter.html