What should you look for when purchasing a digital camera? What features are best?

Answer 1

If looking for a DSLR, you'll want a professional brand, the best ones are Canon and Nikon.
Generally, for DSLR's or compact digitals, the more megapixels the better. More megapixels = better quality photos.
Pick them up and see how they feel in your hands, make sure you can hold it comfortably and can easily view both the LCD screen and thru the viewfinder. Stores like Best Buy usually keep batteries in the display models, turn them on and see how far the zoom reaches, make sure you can move thru the menu options with ease.
My first digital was a FujiFilm Finepix 3.5 mp, and it did a pretty good job and was incredibly durable, I carried it in my purse for two years with no case. I then bought a Kodak Easy Share and wasn't impressed. Right now I've upgraded to a Canon Rebel XTi, pricey, but worth it if you're really into Photography.

Answer 2

Your question is very vague, we don't know what you want to do with the camera. There is no one best camera, but the optimal choice depends on your purpose. Take a look at www.dpreview.com
You will find many in-depth reviews of digital cameras representing all categories, that might be of some help. Depending on what you need, you could consider factors like:

- price
- size and weight
- picture quality and color accuracy
- number of effective pixels
- shutter lag
- focal length range (or available lenses if you're looking at a DSLR)
- customer support etc.

Let me disagree with the below poster about optical zoom being the most important in a camera. Like I said, it is impossible to tell what is important for YOU. Teef_au probably doesn't know that generally the wider the optical zoom range of a lens, the more distortion, glare and lens flare you get. The sharpest lenses are all prime lenses, which are exactly "1X optical zoom", which means they do not zoom at all. I ONLY own prime lenses. You also get much much larger apertures on prime lenses, for less money. It's quality versus convenience. But then again, it might be that the difference in quality that might be crucial for a professional photographer is at most marginal (if at all noticeable) for a weekend hobbyist. Everything is a compromise, that's why you have to read up on the topic and decide what YOU need.

Also, with all due respect, most of the times it is not the camera that is not producing sharp and clear pictures but the photographer. The camera is a tool, and you have to use your particular tool properly. Is it impossible to write a good book with a cheap typewriter? No way. It might be harder, because the keys are sticking, but it is definitely possible to write the same book. Once you are experienced enough you can kind of turn this around and get the correct tool for your needs or preferences (ie. if you know what you need), but all cameras can produce nice pictures if you spend some time figuring out the how-to's. For beginners I generally prefer to suggest something relatively simple, otherwise they often forget that the camera is not supposed to get in the way between the photographer and the subject (although literally that's where it should be:-).

Answer 3

All of the major brands have their fans, and I have no doubt that they are all good cameras. The only camera available at the moment that I would stay away from is the Fuji S9500. I bought one and the photos are just not sharp and clear.

Take your time looking, they are getting better and cheaper as time goes by.

Optical zoom is the most important thing, get the most you can for your money.

Digital zoom is a complete waste of time, do not consider this as a factor when buying a camera. Once you have bought a camera, turn digital zoom off.

Get the most megapixels you can for your money.

As a very rough rule of thumb when comparing your final choices in camera, take the number of megapixels and multiply that by the amount of optical zoom. Buy the camera with the highest number.

Try to avoid a camera that uses two 'AA' batteries (except perhaps the Kodaks that can use the CR3 Lithium ion Battery Pack). Get a camera that either uses four, or one with its own dedicated Lithium Ion battery pack. (If you want to keep it for a long time, check the price and availability of replacement batteries. perhaps ebay?)

Answer 4

1) Price (depending on your budget)
2) Optical zoom (recomend 3 x or higher)
3) ISO Rating (up to 400 mininum, the higher the better)
4) Trusted brand ( Well know camera manufacture,e.g. nikon , canon and etc..)
5) Shape and size (depending what suits you)
6) Functions (more is always better)
7) Service agent (in case you need to claim for warranty)8) Aditional acessories (wheater the acc. is expensive a not) e.g. battery
9) Pixals (recomend 3 megapix or higher)
10) Anti Shake (is recomended)

Answer 5

hi,

there are a lot of critera actually ... and it all depends on how you want to use your camera. these are the more common criteria you may want to be aware of :

1) high photo resolution. nowadays, there are 10 megapixel cameras or better ones out there. high resolution translates to high details on your photos, but it also means that it takes up more space on your memory card (you can take less photos using a 10 megapixel setting than with a 5 megapixel setting on the same memory card), and such cameras cost more too.

2) optical zoom. cameras with high optical zooms can allow you to have a greater flexibility at taking photos without compromising on your photo quality. digital zoom is very common in cameras but they cause your photos to be very pixellated.

3) size, weight and portability. if you need to carry it around, having a bulky or heavier model is not practical, even if it is the best camera out there.

4) power consumption. newer cameras have bigger and bigger lcds with crystal clear images, but these consume very considerable power and they eat up your batteries very quickly. the only way to find out more about this is through others who have bought it or through reviews of such cameras on the web. having a fully charged battery run out in less than an hour or much less puts you in a very stressful position indeed when you need the get the shots out most ...

5) other less tangible stuff such as the aperture size (f/stop) of the lens, the maximum shutter speed, the useable ISO settings, image stabilization, etc. cameras with low f/stop values can operate relatively well even under poor lighting conditions without blurry shots. some cameras come with a large range of ISO settings but some of those high-ISO settings are unusable because the photo is so degraded by the graininess that it is hardly useful for use.

6) battery type. i am not sure but i think cameras that support AA batteries may be more user-friendly because you can easily replace your rechargeables overseas with easily obtainable AAs than their lithium equivalents.

7) ergonomic design - their look, grip and feel. pick one up, try out some controls and test some shots. some may find the camera too small for their large grips, some may find the buttons layout awkward and not convenient to use, and some may even find the camera too noisy when taking photos with continuous autofocus setting, etc.

8) your budget of course, and probably the most decisive factor.

i am not referring to digital slrs ... cos they are another category of cameras altogether, and most of them are heavier and bulkier, but are still preferred due to their high flexibility and power in terms of taking good shots in very diversified environments.

Answer 6

Ease of use.

Size of the camera - best ones (IMHO) fit in your pocket.

Compatibility with printers and computers for easy transfer.

Most megapixels you can afford and largest memory capacity. As someone advised me: "Why take pictures that are low-res and look like [garbage]?"

Answer 7

Pixxel