How Do I Choose a Digital Camera?
By J. Adams
A digital camera might look like a film camera but they are actually quite different. Both freeze light to make a photograph. Film do this chemically using film. Digital use a light sensitive CCD or CMOS silicon chip to convert light and digital information into pixels.

Pixels are the tiniest areas of light that your digital camera can recognize and change into information. The greater amount of pixels the more detail and higher the resolution the photograph. A low resolution color printout of tree will show that it is green but in a high resolution photograph the leaves and texture of the bark will be more sharply defined.

With digital photographs your have the ability to use software like Adobe Photoshop Deluxe and Microsoft Picture to edit photos and make corrections.

Choosing Your Camera
Important considerations when choosing a digital camera are: What do you want the camera to do? What features do you require? How much do you wish to spend on your camera?
There are professional high end that cost thousands of dollars, cheap throwaway and a huge selection of mid-level available to choose from.

Will you be photographing images for the internet and for email? Will your photos be printed? For regular print size snapshots and web photos a one to two megapixel camera will do. In fact for the web a lower megapixel would be better as higher resolution photos are slow to download.

Do you want a point-and-click camera? Are you someone who just wants to get the picture taken with the least amount of bother. Do you want a camera that does everything automatically and you simply have to press a button? Or, are you someone who would rather figure out the best settings for your camera and make the adjustments manually? It's always best to find a camera that suits your purpose, need and ability.

High or Low Resolution
High end, high resolution are good for photographs that are to be printed. The greater the number of pixels the higher the resolution. High resolution does not make sense on the web as the extra resolution does not make images appear any sharper. Also, high resolution photos are slow to download on the web.

To print your photographs you will need a good quality color printer. If photos are to be printed, high resolution does make a difference depending how large you want the picture to be. High resolution will give a large print better definition. High resolution cost more. Expect to pay more for high resolution. You also need to check that your printer can handle high resolution prints.

Lenses
Low-end digital have fixed focus lenses made of plastic. With these lenses everything is focused and you don't need to make a decision what to focus on.

Variable focused lenses are made of glass or high quality plastic. These lenses focus on whatever object you are trying to capture in a photograph.

Most mid-range digital come with auto focus and manual focus built in. Auto focus is for point-and-click photos of whatever is in the middle of the frame. Or, by turning the ring over the lens, you can manually focus the camera. These allow users to switch between auto and manual focus.

Zoom Lenses
Digital have optical zoom and digital zoom lenses. Optical zoom costs more, give a better quality picture, and works the same way as on non-digital with lens adjustments. A digital zoom comes about when the camera makes calculations to manipulates the pixels. Digital zoom gives a less sharp image. Some include both optical and digital zoom.

View Finder
The view finder is what you look through to see what you are photographing. The view finder on both digital and regular film will approximate the picture your lens is viewing. Digital will also come with an LCD display that you can use to check your photographs and decide weather or not to keep them.

Lighting
When it comes to lighting you might not want the camera to make the decision automatically for you. On an auto setting you camera might not make the best lighting choice given the location and environment. At times like this you can appreciate being able to switch between manual and automatic settings.

Digital allow you to test exposure and view a picture on LCD prior to pressing the button fully and committing to a photograph.

Flash
There will be a built in flash that comes with your digital camera. In addition, the better have a location for a flash attachment. This is a good option for producing better quality photographs.

Connecting to Your Computer
You will need a PC USB cable, or for Mac's - Firewire or Mac USB cable, to connect to your computer. You will also need a cable adapter for your camera's CF (Compact Flash) or SM (Smart Media) card .

The CF or SM cards are removable high capacity storage cards for your photos. Your camera will use one type of card or the other. Not both. Check to see which type of storage card your camera uses.

USB connections are fast and easy to set up. Older connect through a serial port. USB is faster and does not require that the computer be rebooted before it recognizes the camera.

Batteries and AC Adapters
Digital often come with rechargeable batteries. It is best to have two sets of batteries. One set to use while the other is recharging. AC adapters make it easy to plug into an electrical outlet when you are near by one.

Main Drawback of Digital Camera
The main drawback of digital is shutter lag delays when the camera delays responding after you squeeze the button. It is possible you may miss the moment when photographing moving objects due to shutter lag. Some of the newer are beginning to address the problem.

Select a camera that does what you want it to do, has features you will use and is priced in the range you want to pay. This will be the right camera for you. If your experience is limited and you do not want to take a lot of time learning how to use the camera, go with a point-and-shoot camera. Something without too many features. If you are a camera enthusiast who wants to do more with your camera or is willing to take the time to learn how to use the feature then, by all means go all out.


Nikon Coolpix S6200 (Red)
The Nikon Coolpix S6200 is not exceptional in any way, but casual snapshooters in need of a pocket-friendly 10x zoom camera should check it out.
Fujifilm FinePix XP20 (Orange)
The Fujifilm FinePix XP20 is a decent extra point-and-shoot for when you need a camera to take some abuse. But if it's going to be your one and only pocket camera, look elsewhere.
Samsung SH100
If you like all the photo apps for your smartphone camera but miss having an optical zoom, the Samsung SH100 is the point-and-shoot for you.
Nikon Coolpix S8200 (Black)
The Nikon Coolpix S8200 might not be as easy to recommend as its predecessor, the S8100, but it's still a very good compact megazoom for the money.
Nikon 1 J1 with 10-30mm and 30-110mm lenses (White)
The Nikon 1 J1 is a fine camera, but there's nothing here that screams out "buy it" over similar competitors. It's also on the expensive side for a point-and-shoot upgrader, but has drawbacks for the more advanced user.
Canon PowerShot S100 (Silver)
The Canon PowerShot S100 is a generally great little camera for advanced shooters who don't mind slowing down a bit from a dSLR.
Fujifilm FinePix F600EXR
The Fujifilm FinePix F600EXR is loaded with features, but getting the best results takes some menu digging and patience.
Fujifilm FinePix X10
There's a lot to like about the Fujifilm FinePix X10, but advanced shooters may be frustrated by the trade-offs for the best photos, especially since it's more expensive than its competitors.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 (Black)
Hobbyists and enthusiasts who want a megazoom camera with a lot of control over final results should strongly consider the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150.
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
If you're after a wide and long lens and excellent photo quality, the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS is a standout. In features, design, and performance, though, it's a bit lacking.
Canon PowerShot A800 (Red)
Considering its bargain price, you'll get excellent photos from the Canon PowerShot A800. Just don't expect anything more than that and you'll be fine.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 (silver, with 14-42mm lens)
A well-designed camera with an interface that creative photographers can customize to their liking, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 deserves serious consideration if you're looking for a modestly compact interchangeable-lens model.
Sony Alpha SLT-A77V (with 16-50mm lens)
The Sony Alpha SLT-A77V is an excellent, well-designed camera for deep-pocketed amateurs; it nevertheless has a few limitations that may make it impractical for professionals.
Olympus PEN E-PL3 (silver, with 17mm lens)
While it's not the best in any particular aspect, and you probably don't want to use it for video, the Olympus PEN E-PL3 offers an excellent balance of size, features, performance, and photo quality for the money.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47 is a very good megazoom for the money, but if you want more control over results--especially in low light--you'll want to step up to the Lumix FZ150.
Canon PowerShot Elph 510 HS (Silver)
The Canon PowerShot Elph 510 HS hits on design, features, and photo and video quality, but is slightly off target on shooting performance.



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