What's the most important thing I should be looking for when shopping for a digitail camera?

Question

and is there any brand better than the other?

What's the best Megapixels number?

Answer 1

The number of megapixels - if you're planning on printing out phtoto you want a minimum of 7.

Also, you want it to have a large memory (so it can take more photos at any given time) or it should be able to have an additional memory card attached for the same reason if it doesn't on it's own have a large memory.

Answer 2

Megapixels are important but don't go overboard. No need to buy more than a 5 or 6 MP camera. There ARE cameras out there where one can make an excellent 8X10 enlargement with a 4 megapixel camera. Next is zoom. How much optical zoom do you want. Most cameras range from 3X optical zoom to 12X. Usually the more zoom the more you pay. One thing that can be annoying is next shot delay. SOME cameras can take as long as 5 to 6 seconds in between shots while others only 1 second. Take the initiative and go to local library look at Nov'06 Consumer Reports. You'll also find some cameras eat up batteries quicker than others. Don't forget there's a memory card to buy which could cost $20 to $60 above the cost of the camera. Brands to consider are Sony, Nikon, Canon and Fugi. Hope I helped a little.

Answer 3

Brands are all "relative." I have only purchased Canon cameras, and each one I've bought still works. I've heard bad things about cameras made by computer companies (HP, Gateway), but only good things about cameras made by REAL camera companies (Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Olympus). These companies, especially Canon and Nikon, have customer service that is tailored to professional users, so if you have a problem, you KNOW it will get fixed.

What's important?

For mexapixels, if you'll use it for email and for looking at photos on your computer, it doesn't matter. Otherwise, if you want to print as large as 8x10 photos, 4 mp is more than adequate. I print photos as large as 30x50 from an 8 megapixel camera, and those only start to show a little bit of softness. Also, keep your megapixels to a minimum for what you want to use the camera for, since the more you have, the faster the flash memory in your computer runs out.

Battery: DON'T buy a camera that takes AA batteries! Digital cameras are "power hogs" and will run through AA batteries, making it very uneconomical to stop at Wal-Mart every time your camera dies. Lithium-Ion rechargeable batteries are more economical in the long run (buy one spare--one usually comes with the camera), and can also be fitted into a smaller camera size.

Camera size:

If you're a basic photographer, it's best to have as large a screen on the back as possible (2.5 or 3 inches) to make it easier to frame a picture. It's also great to have a thin camera, thin enough to stick in your pocket. Large cameras don't get used and stay at home. Small cameras get taken everywhere!

Zoom lens:

For basic use, this isn't really necessary. At most, as long as you won't be shooting wildlife, a 3x optical zoom is all you really need.

Ease of Use:

This does NOT mean minimizing the number of buttons on the back of a camera. If a button has 3 or 4 uses, it gets confusing when each of those uses applies for that specific button. Cameras that have a fully automatic mode are great for beginners, but READ YOUR MANUAL (and bring it along on trips in the car) so you know what to do when you're trying to get a picture of Big Ben at night in London (turn off the flash and increase the ISO). Also, go to Best Buy, Circuit City, Staples, or your local camera store and ask to hold the model you're looking at. If you feel like you're going to place a big thumbprint on the lens within the first 5 minutes of ownership, it's time to look for a different camera. It should feel comfortable, like it's not that easy to slip out of your hands, and all the buttons should be easily reachable.

Accessories:

Flash memory--the more the better, especially for extended trips.

A protective, durable case--increases the longevity of your camera.

Answer 4

For a simple camera I recommend the Kodak Easy Share C633 which has 3x Zoom and 6.1 mega-pixels .I paid like only $88 ... It allows u video, pictures and printing features with all the software. I did buy an inexpensive rechargeable battery unit for $9 or $10 too for the 2AA batteries that come with it. We bought a small SD card for about $20 which holds around 440 pictures I think that is what my kids say. Anyways it was simple, easy and gives great pictures. And it satisfied both HS & College students.

Go to your local retailer and feel the camera's, see where the buttons are at. Price compare, easy of use., get as many megapixels & zoom as you can afford. U don't want anything less than 4.0 megapixels and 3X zoom. The zoom allows u to go in closer from a far, cleaner/clearer picture.

As you get more skilled and knowlegable you'll upgrade. Camera's change like underwear... so find a couple brands and do research on internet. I want to say the Easy Share model just came out with a better one C7?? model which is the latest and the greatest. Most of the brands are very good, it's features & price and wheither u can operate with ease.

Some come with printing docks which my daughters printer/scanner/fax has the capablilties of printing pictures. But I also saw an HP tiny picture printer for about $65 which prints to all three or so media clips. So anyone's media can be shared with you.

Honestly, my kids don't print as much as share,email and swap pictures with friends over the NET.

Answer 5

I would say the megapixel ratings, followed by external memory/capacity, and then features.

For the average user who will just take pictures for their computer and/or printing without heavy editing, 5 megapixels is plenty. Anything after that and you are starting to waste money. If you want to do a lot of editing of your pictures (Cropping, zooming etc.) a larger megapixel rating will allow you to zoom into very small/far objects without loosing too much resolution (although 5 megapixels can do this just fine).

External memory is another factor if you want to transfer your pictures quickly to your computer or share them with family/friends. It also alleviates the pressure to find a camera with a large internal memory. I have a 6.1 megapixel camera, with a 1GB memory card I can take approximately 880 pictures at full resolution.

Brands are mostly a matter of personal preference as each brand will have different desirable features.

Answer 6

first you must make your mind about few things.
like which you prefer the look, the size , resolution,....
if you prefer the look & the size so u must buy a small one with a re-chargeable battery coz the one with disposable battery are bigger in size , but also u can buy an extra battery (& u keep it charged) for emergency, it will cost around 40$.

but if you are more into the photos quality, so u must choose one 7or + mega pixels & 3+ OPTICAL zoom(not only high digital zoom).

and as a plus choose one that have un-limited video & underwater option & u can buy it underwater cover which is not that expensive.

about the memory , don't buy one without a memory card , the build in memory is not a good option.
u will find most cameras with 16, 32 or even 64 megabyte memory card.
but to take a high resolution , big size photos & movies, u must buy an extra memory card 512 MB or 1 gega or even 2 gega (if you are a addict to photos like myself)

every kind of cameras have + & - different then the others.

i personally prefer the cannon , have lot of + with unobvious -
specially the PowerShot SD--- series.

also the cannon website give u the option of comparing b/w 2 or 3 cameras options

there are website where u can find the cameras review, where people describe their experience with the cameras they bought.
it's very helpful to read these reviews.

Answer 7

Brand- i'd say Sony is the best and most well-known and trusted brand. That's just my opinion
Megapixel- the higher, the better and of course more expensive
Memory- the bigger, the better. Make sure you can insert a memory stick for extra space and that you can connect it to your computer.
Size- up to you where do you plan to use it. If for personal use, not too small but not too big either.
Maybe extra features like effects in color or distortions. Make sure when you're buying, try using it yourself and play with the features a little, or ask for help about the good features of each camera that you might like. They're the one's who can help you the best.

Answer 8

Kodac and Ricoh are good brands. But make sure to get a camera with a high megapixel

Answer 9

basically, megapixels dosent matter until you print pics. if you even have a two megapixal cam, its good enough to view on screen. although if you want prints of good quality, go for three, 4.2,5.2, 6 and above. but since you may just use it to take casuall pictures of nature, family ... three is good enough. secondly, if you want a "GOOD" camera, go for the best brands such as sony, canon or nikon. they will, satissfy any consumer. what you really need to look into is the lens quality( best are carl zeiss, schnider kreusnach... ) which will decide the 'quality' of light. thirdly, the lcd screen,go for a large one... around 2 inches to 2.5. then look for a user friendly camera.

lastly if all above do not meet your requirements and you wanna go professional, mail me at [e-mail].

Shubhojit.

Answer 10

It depends really on what you will be photographing, but I will say that for general photography not wanting to have anything larger than an 11x14 enlargement I think that one with either 5 or 6 mega-pixel is what you need; as far as brands go the top three in my opinion, I have one of each Kodak, Sony, Hewlett-Packard I take lots of photos very serious about it.