How To Choose A Digital Camera

Tips on Choosing the Right Digital Camera for You

If you haven’t got a digital camera yet, chances are you’re thinking about getting one. They're popular, they're fun, it's great to get pictures! So the big question usually is, which one? There are all kinds of models available these days. Perhaps you'd like a Nikon digital camera, or one of the other brands. With so many to choose from, it can be a bit bewildering trying to pick which one to buy.

Of course, the first choice is whether to buy a point and shoot camera or a digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex). If this is your first digital camera, the SLR might be a little much. There’s a lot to learn to fully utilize one. A compact camera is probably a better choice the first time around. It’s not as expensive, and later if you decide you want the get the digital SLR, you’ll know more about cameras and what you want in one.

Also, even if you do buy a digital SLR at some point, many people enjoy having a smaller camera to tote around everywhere. The bigger, bulkier cameras may take top notch pictures, but they are also harder to carry wherever you go. So your compact camera will likely still be useful!

And for a beginner, a point and shoot is great just because it is so easy. You can use the automatic settings, and do just what it says… point and shoot!

What Do I Want This Camera For?

That may sound silly at first. You want to take pictures! But what sort of pictures will you usually take? Are you interested in a lot of indoor photography, landscape or wildlife photography, sports or other fast action photography? No one camera will do absolutely everything well.

Although point and shoot cameras are mostly automatic, most DO have some options like scene selection. This changes the cameras preset controls to ones that are more compatible for taking that particular kind of picture.

For instance, many cameras have a “beach” or “water” selection that compensates for the bright reflections caused by the sun shining on water. Twilight, portrait, landscape… there are all kinds of options available and there is probably one to suit your needs.

As another example, shouild you decide you want to do a lot of indoor photography, make sure the camera has a decent flash and does well in low light situations. If you want to get good sports pictures, see if there is a “sports” setting or a “burst mode” that allows you to take a series of pictures one right after the other.

Think about how you’re going to use the camera, and if there is one thing that is really important, be sure to choose a camera that can do that particular thing well!

Other Options

Deciding on a point and shoot vs. a digital SLR may be the biggest decision, but there are many other things to consider.

• Megapixels – This isn’t quite the issue it used to be. Compact cameras generally come with plenty of resolution these days to allow for good prints. If you are planning on making lots of enlargements, THEN you might need to choose a camera with the higher megapixels.
• Optical Zoom – Don’t expect a compact camera to have a huge optical zoom. There is only so much room in a camera body, and since these are smaller cameras and the lens usually retracts into the camera, that limits the size. Good optics take up space and are expensive. (If you don’t believe me, check out the prices on just the lens alone for a digital SLR. They very often cost more than the camera body!)
• Digital Zoom -- Oh, and let’s be clear on one other zoom issue. Ignore big claims for digital zoom. All that happens with digital zoom is the camera enlarges the size of the picture the optical zoom captured. Imagine taking a snapshot sized picture and blowing it up to poster size. The digital zoom quality is NEVER as good as optical zoom.
• Storage Capacity – A lot of cameras have some internal memory, but that’s just a stopgap measure. You need to check out what kind of media the camera uses. Some have a proprietary type, like most of Sony’s cameras. Others use any off the shelf memory card of the right type.

The Camera Isn’t Your Final Purchase

Speaking of those storage cards, when you buy the camera you need to get at least one memory card. Most people will encourage you to buy the biggest one you can find. That sounds good, but it’s the old “putting all your eggs in one basket” problem. It may not happen often, but sectors or entire memory cards can go bad. If that happens, you’ve lost ALL your pictures and you’ll be crying in your beer! (Don’t ask me how I know this… )

It might be a little more expensive, but buying a couple of smaller sized memory cards has advantages. If one card goes bad, at least you’ve still got the pictures on the other. Some pictures of the family vacation are better than NO pictures, right?

Batteries are the other essential purchase for your new camera. Some cameras use a proprietary battery, some use AA or whatever off the shelf size battery. First point is to spend a little more up front and get rechargeable batteries. They’re a good buy in the long run. You can often buy a set of rechargeable batteries with the charger included.

Second point is to spend a little extra and buy two sets of batteries. It’s a bummer to have dead camera batteries and have to wait for them to recharge before you can use the camera again.

Memory cards and batteries are the “must haves” for your new camera. There are other options such as camera cases, but they are just that… options.

My last bit of advice? Don’t get overly anxious about picking a camera. Whatever you get there is likely going to be some things you love about it, and maybe something you’re not so thrilled about. Instead of worrying about getting the perfect camera, just take action and choose one, then get out there and enjoy taking pictures!