Does anyone know if there is a big difference between expensive and cheap digital cameras?

Answer 1

The big difference that even amateurs will notice is in the picture's resolution. When you look for a digital camera, find out how many megapixels it has: the more megapixels, the higher resolution the picture will be. Really low-end cameras will be around 1-3 megapixels, while the extremely high-end ones will have around 10. For the most part, if you don't blow the pictures up too much, you won't be able to tell that much of a difference between 5 and 10 megapixels.

Answer 2

OK, resolution is kind of a big myth. Anything above 5-8MP is really pushing it for the average photog as that will present an image that would satisfy the general 4x6, 5x7 printing that most do even with a bit of cropping and is even good enough for the 8x10's that might be occasionally printed. As I said resolution is not really all it is cut up to be due to the fact that the physical size of the sensors that they are using has not increased, so when you jam 10-12MP on a sensor the potential for the pixels to generate interference is very high (this is the noise or grainy look that shows up on some pics). Low light image capture IS a big thing with this latest generation of high-end cameras (think indoor birthday parties/ churches), as is some sort of mechanical image stabilisation (optical or sensor based). These are important as they make your camera a far more useful tool that can generate much more satisfying results (especially where a flash is inappropriate). Those features along with the quality of the lens would be the first things that I would look for in a higher end camera. Of course, there are lower priced gems, and ergonomics also have a place in the buying decision so do not be swayed by price or pixel counts, Also, remember this - The most valuable camera is the one you are using. Waiting around for the perfect camera keeps you from having a camera and enjoying photography!

Answer 3

The cheap ones will not give you the resolution that the more expensive ones will give you. Resolution may not matter to you if you are only interested in snapshots that you will never enlarge. So a cheap digital will be fine for that. The expensive ones will produce a higher resolution which means if you want to enlarge your photos to 8X10 or larger it will still look very sharp. Photos from cheaper cameras will start looking pixelated (grainy or blocky) when they are enlarged.

These days, even the "cheap" cameras do a very good job. As the answerer has mentioned above, the more megapixels you buy the sharper your pictures will be. 3 to 5 megapixels is good. But 5 to 10 megapixels will really look great.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Yes. Whether you can tell that difference or make use of it is another matter altogether.

I see people every day who are satisfied with photos (some taken with the more expensive digicams) that I would delete without a thought. A cheap digicam, however, no matter who is using it, cannot give you as good of an image as a mid or upper range digicam, not because of pixels, but due to the lens and capture. Also the cheap ones suffer from shutter lag more than better ones.

Answer 5

First and foremost it's the quality of the lens. A $35- camera does not compare with a $200- camera. Brand recognition is another. Stay with quality brands such as Sony, Fuji, Nikon, Canon etc.

Answer 6

Resolution (clarity) and optical zoom (covering distance) are the parameters which make the digital cameras cheap and expensive....

Also, the optic technology also matters.

for instance, high resolution (10MPixel) and more optical zoom (X12 or above) is quite expensive.

Answer 7

also the prosumer type cameras have many more option. the ability to change lens and shoot in raw format. custom white balance set by you instead of the camera..manual control. thats why the cheaper cams are called point n shoot. no creative control.

Answer 8

you get what you pay for