What should be considered when purchasing a new digital camera?

Question

I'm looking for a good digital camera but I know nothing about them. What should be considered when shopping for a camera. Does higher the pixels, mean better picts? Any advise would help.

Answer 1

Obviously, you need to look at the megapixels, but what also is very important is the ISO. It should not be less than 800. If you get a cheaper camera with a lower ISO, such as 200, then it will not be as sensitive to light and pictures in low light conditions will be too dark.

I recently bought a Canon PowerShot SD600, and I am so happy with it. It's small in size, 6 megapixels, ISO 800, 3X optical zoom and it also can take movies. Got it for $219. I highly recommend this camera.

Answer 2

You need a minimum of 3 mega pixels and preferably 5 or 6. Many cameras now come with up to 8 or 10 but I'm not convinced that the improvement is other than at the margin (and don't forget, the more mega pixels, the more storage space is taken on your computer). The answer to your direct question. the higher the pixels the better the picts is answered by 'it all depends' The 'all depends' is how big do you anticipate enlarging your pictures to? If you are content with 6x4 or 7x5 (or their digital equivalents) then 3 megapixels will be fine. If, however, you intend to blow up to poster size, then you will need to go for 8 or 10. But don't forget that a digital camera, just like a film camera, is only as good as its lens. Crap lens = crap pictures. Then you need to consider what kind of camera you want to buy, a compact, a 'bridge' or a DSLR? If you are going to start with a compact please try to get one with a proper viewfinder - this current habit of trying to compose on the LCD screen which is hardly visible in sunlight is total nonsense. Make sure that the zoom range you want is optical, not digital. Remember that the flash is only good enough for 10 feet or so. It won't work. for example, in a large sports stadium.

Answer 3

Ultimately it depends on what you are going to take pictures of and how big you want to print them.
For example, if you are going to just print 4x6 or 5x7 pictures, than a 3 or 4 megapixel camera would do fine. If you are going to blow things up to 8x10 to 16x20 then you want to look at 5 or 6 megapixels respectively. Most people need nothing more than a 6 megapixel camera.

Secondly- what are you going to take pictures of? Are you taking pictures of children- where they are always on the go? Or is it just for a group shots of friends, or candid photos of adults. The reason that I separated the 2 is that adults can stay still, they move slower. If you are taking pictures of children, then you want a faster camera. There are cameras out now that virtually have no delay from when the time you press the button and the time the camera records the picture. It usually comes on cameras that offer faster ISO settings- which now include some of the compact models for all the brands. Great for children, sports, nightime shots. How fast the camera is, is not usually an issue with adults- and can be bypassed on just about every camera buy pressing the shutter halfway down- that locks in your picture anyway.

Ease of use- Nikon holds the #1 place for that in my book! Every nikon camera uses virtually the same menu system, so that if you can throw something away on 1 camera, you can do it on another. Canon is second- the same on most models. Sony cameras are pretty easy to work with. Olympus is not easy- not exactly the same on any model.

My final suggestion is to find a local store that sells cameras. Not a big box store like best buy or target. You will learn more about the camera from people who know what they are talking about and whose job is solely camera related, not "Joe" from appliances who is covering a break for the guy who is normally in that department and has no clue about what you need to do or the accessories, warranty, or repair information. They also have no ability to bargain on price (which sometimes you can, maybe not on the camera, but on the bag or the memory card) Where I work, no one leaves the store with a camera purchase without knowing the basics of how to use it.

Repairs: I handle all the repairs for my store. The companies with the easiest repairs based on cost after warranty expires and total repair time are: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus- In that order.

Answer 4

Start with the budget. This may seem backwards, but it's not. You can find a decent camera to match any amount of money you want to spend.

Next, find a friend who will help you learn how to use the camera. This "friend" could even be the clerk in your local photo shop. By "photo shop," I mean an actual camera shop or at least a camera department where the sales staff only deals with cameras and not dishwashers, too. Buy the camera that your friend recommends so that they will be able to teach you how to use it.

After you know what you are doing and are ready for your next camera - and this will come sooner than you think - you will be in a position to make your own choice.

If you have some vague ideas about price and desired features, go to http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp and see what they select for you.

Choose the best one by deciding what you want to do, how much you want to learn, how far you want to progress and how much you want to spend.

http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/
http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/shopping_tips.shtml
http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html
http://www.popphoto.com/buyingguide/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3148/top-5-digital-cameras-for-august.html

Consumer Reports for November 2006 has ranked the Canon Powershot A620 as the best compact digital camera. It is becoming almost a legend for longevity at the top of various consumer lists. It looks like this model has been replaced by the A630, which I would expect to be just as popular. The A640 is virtually the same, but it is 10 MP instead of 8 MP (A630) or 7 MP (A620).

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a620%2Ccanon_a630%2Ccanon_a640&show=all

If you want to trim the budget a little, the Canon Powershot A430, A530 or A540, are all great choices. You will still need a decent memory card as discussed above, though.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a430%2Ccanon_a530%2Ccanon_a540&show=all

Answer 5

I'd look first for a camera that has a nice big (at least 1.75 inch) display bright enough to be seen in bright sun. All too many camera displays can only be used indoors or deep shade outside.

Next I'd look for at least 3 times OPTICAL zoom, preferably five, and which goes from a modest wide angle to quite a bit of telephoto effect. Digital zoom is okay for emergencies, but the degradion of digital zoom on picture quality makes it useful only for "oops I can't get any closer" situations.

Megapixels: if you are going to mostly be taking pixtures for Web posting (to eBay or a persoanl site), or if you are going to be making mostly 4 by 6 inch photos for scrapbooks and an occasional 8 by 10 inch for the wall, then 4 to 6 megapixels are fine. After you get the feel of digital photography from this type of camera, then you can go for pricier cameras with more megapixels.

Also, look for cameas that use use common battery sizes, like "AA" cells. Beware of cameras that use custom rechargeable battery packs available only from the manufacturer or "we sell oddball batteries" stores/sites. Chance are the custom battery life won't match the usefull life of the camera, by then the replacement battery will cost more than the cost of a better equivalent camera.

See if you can borrow/rent a camera in your price range, and make and print a few pictures with it (with the same printer to avoid quality differences due to printer variations). See if you like the results from each camera. Ever notice that display TVs in the store have different quality pictures? The same applies to cameras....

Look for a long established anme brand. You'll want support from your camera for hopefully a long time, from drivers to accessories to (hopefully not) repairs to...

Answer 6

Make sure that it has a feature to let you take pictures at night or on the dark. Most cameras do, but i happened to buy the one that dosnt have a nightvision feature. Silly

Answer 7

hey for buying a good digital camera....
first u have to inquire about the pixels of the camera......higher the pixels..better wud be the picture...ndu must also gt to knw abt the features in the camera u r planning to buy.....if the feature are more it wud be easy for u to operate the camera....then inquire abt the warranty period of that camera.....at last check out the prices of the cameras nd their features...nd buy that one whch suits to ur need nd pocket..
thats all i can tell u buddy....

Answer 8

- Image Quality
(pixels help)
- Lens
(image means nothing if your lens are bad)
- Battery Life
(low life battery is frowned upon, especially when you're about to take a photo of your kid's first steps...and...poof...they're gone!)
- User Interface
(is it easy to use? complicated? not enough options?)

Answer 9

just go to the gadget show website and see all the requirements of the regular digital kamera