Purchasing a New Digital Camera - What to look for

Purchasing a Digital Camera

Nervous about buying a new digital camera? Don't know what to look for? Here's a quick guide to buying a new digital camera:

Major concerns

1. Price
2. Ease of Use
3. LCD Size
4. Megapixels
5. Physical Size

Minor concerns

1. Zoom - Optical zoom is most important. Digital zoom is neglible. To learn more about optical vs. digital zoom click here.
2. Picture modes or Scene settings - Scenes mean you don't have to know how to change the manual settings on your camera, the camera will do it for you based on the scene you choose
3. Memory type - If you already own a digital camera you may want to buy another digital camera that uses the same type of memory.  Otherwise memory type isn't that important. To learn more about memory click here.
4. Custom lense or external flash (buy a DSLR)

Note: Our favorite camera by far is the Nikon Coolpix S1. It covers all of the major concerns listed above very well. It can be bought for around $250, is extremely easy to use while taking excellent pictures, has a 2.5" LCD, 5 megapixels, and is only 3/4 of an inch as its widest spot. The Coolpix S5 and S6 look like the newer version of this same camera.

Price

Just because a camera costs more doesn't mean that it is a better camera. Don't let a salesperson sell you more camera than you need. You should be able to buy a good 5 megapixel camera for around $300 or less (as of May 2006). The prices on these cameras go down VERY quickily, so don't be surprised if the camera you buy today costs $50 less in a couple months.

Don't forget that you will need to buy upgraded memory with just about every camera that you purchase and this will range from $30 to $100 depending on how big of a memory card you decide to buy.

ConsumerReports.org or DPReview.com are both great places to review which is the right camera for you.
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Ease of Use

For many people, this may be the single most important factor when purchasing a camera. After all, if you don't know how to use your camera how often do you think it will make it out of the closet? Many people buy a digital camera that they don't know how to use and turn on features that they don't know how to turn off. This can result in pictures that are blurry or too dark/light.

One easy rule of thumb: Cameras with fewer buttons are probably easier to learn. You may want to avoid cameras that have both a Menu button AND a Function button. They tend to be harder to learn for rookie users.

If you can find a retail outlet that allows you to test the camera before purchasing it that would be a big help. We have found Nikon, Kodak, and Fuji to be pretty easy to use. If you are a techy-type person and don't mind reading your manual then you might consider a Canon.
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LCD Size

It is such a luxury to be able to see your pictures after you've taken them! Newer cameras are coming out with larger and larger LCD's all the time. However, larger LCD's usually mean a higher price and a shorter battery life.

If you're buying a camera for your kid you can get by with a smaller LCD (smaller means around 1.4" to 2.0"). As people get older they seem to appreciate bigger sceens (2.5" and all the way up to a whopping 3.5").
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Megapixels

Your primary concern here is to determine what you want to do with your pictures after you take them. Do you generally print all of your pictures? Will you be putting your images into slide shows on your TV, or emailing them to friends and family?

The basic rule is this: If you are going to print your pictures, get a camera with more megapixels. If you are NOT going to print them but will be using them in PowerPoint presentations or on the web, then you can get a camera with fewer megapixels.

A 3 megapixel camera will print great 8x10's and a 2 megapixel camera will print up to 5x7 inch prints. Most people never print any larger than this, but if you happen to be one of those few that do print larger than you should consider buying more than 3 megapixels. Otherwise, don't let a salesperson sell you more than you need.

So, why would somebody buy a 5 megapixel camera or even larger? A 5 megapixel camera can make prints up to 16x20. That means you can crop the picture by half and still get a good 8x10.  Many consumer-end cameras nowadays are coming out with 6 to 8 megapixels. Unless you plan on printing some really HUGE prints these could be considered overkill.

Just because a camera has more megapixels doesn't mean that it is a better camera. Again, ConsumerReports.org or DPReview.com are both great places to review which is the right camera for you. To learn more about megapixels click here.
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Size

Convenience is a great reason to buy a digital camera. The easier a camera is to carry the more likely you are to take it with you on a regular basis.

Most digital cameras are small, don't require film, and are easy to use. However, as you start adding features you often start adding size to the camera. If you buy a camera with a large optical zoom, you will probably end up with a larger sized camera. If you buy a camera with interchangeable lenses, you will probably end up with a larger sized camera. Cameras that don't have an optical zoom or cameras that use smaller batteries generally come in smaller sizes and this is a big benefit to people who like to fit their camera in their pockets. An excellent camera is the Nikon Coolpix S1. It is small enough to fit in your pocket, has 5 megapixels, and is extremelly easy to use.
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