What To Look For When Buying A Digital Camera?

[r0b-dog 0]

What is there too look for in term of specficatations, when in search of buying a digital camera? I knowPriceBrand what other stuff should I look for as well?

[darran 0]

Are we talking about DSLRs or Point and Shoot?I can only advice you about the latter since I haven't actually owned a DSLR but would love to in the future. When I buy a Point and Shoot camera, I always look for brands, right now at the moment only Sony, Nikon and Canon really takes my vote. But Sony is my first choice for biased reasons that I am a Sony fan. But I would advice to consider the mega pixels, the lens width and also the optical zoom because these are the specifications I always look at. The higher the mega pixels, the higher the clarity of detail and thus you can print on bigger resolutions like posters ... etc. The lens width is self explanatory and lastly the optical zoom determines how far in you can zoom on an object without compromising the quality by too much. Side tracking for a while, I own a Sony DSC T100 and I really like it, would definitely be putting it to good use when I travel come this July.

[pencke 0]

I own a Nikon CoolPix L1 digital Camera.At 6.2 Megapixels and 5x optical ZoomIt proves to be very useful.I only paid $179. USDI always use a mono-pod with it as this wayI don't forget to carry it with me and its hardto loose.I use it for pix on eBay and for Virtual pixfor real estate. I also create Screen saversand it has performed well!Optical Zoom is far better than digital zoom.My last camera had 12x Optical Zoom.The cost for digital cameras has really plummetedover the last 3 years and there are some great bargains!Take the time to research out the model you wantbefore you but it and you won't be disappointed!

[r0b-dog 0]

thanks for the tips, people

[cangor 0]

Most important thing is reviews. Because a camera can claim to do "so many megapixels" or whatever, but the image quality can still be junk. A camera with less resolution might have much higher quality at the same resolution as a camera capable of higher resolutions, but you'd never know that if you didn't ask someone or read reviews online or in consumer reports or whatever.

[chibimerrick 0]

I think everything that has been said up to now is very helpful. I will also say that the resolution and zoom tend to be very important factors in your choice, especially for quality. The resolution, in megapixels, varies on the camera, and depending on what you want to do, the better the resolution, the bigger and better quality pictures you can have. Also, the zoom, optical is much better for the quality of your images. Other things you may want to consider, depending on what you are looking for that had been looked over but can be useful to know to consider:Storage type of your pictures. What type of memory cards do thy take, are the expensive and do they come in big enough sizes?What type of batteries? Lithium, or rechargeable/AA batteries. There are pros and cons to each.The Flash modes can also be important, that is, how much you can adjust them and so on.Th frame rate has gotten much better and faster now, but some cameras are still very slow in taking pictures and/or saving them. Try to test out your potential cameras in a store before hand. I think some stores eve let you rent them, and you can test them out in your leisurely time too!So take your time if you need to, shop around, test, inform yourself on specs and definitely check out the reviews.

[Emerger 0]

These are good suggestions. Another thought is to first realistically decide how you are going to use the camera and what are you willing to pay. If you aren't going to do much printing of pictures, the megapixels are much less important. If you want a camera to carry around, shoot friends and things, a small point and shoot works best. If you want to do nature photography you will probably need an SLR with a telephoto lens. I think in general all the major brands make good cameras. Stop by a store and handle a few to see what feels good to you.

[dave2win 0]

These are the specs you should be looking for before buying a camera.1> Firstly the megapixels. Apparently the more the better. But with increasing megapixels it needs more & more memory to store the images. So with a camera of 12MP it would need something around a 4gb Memory card to store your images (It would save something around 512 pics for around 3000 X 4000 resolution at superfine quality). So don't go for that more & more megapixels cause no normal home pc monitors are more than 1600 X 1200 resolution. You just don't need it. Get one which is of something round 8-10 megpix.2> Check for Optical Zoom this time the more it the better. 8X or 10X would be great. But for a decent price you'll get 6X Zoom. Don't go for Cameras which say 24X Digital Zoom. Keep in mind Digital Zoom just increases your picture digitally that is it zooms the pixels and the end result is that the picrture is of very poor quality. Go for Cams which say the have high Optical Zoom. It is better causwe it mechanically zooms on the picture like any telezoom enabled SLR cams.3>: Last but not the least check batterty life. Go for the long life batteries . Buy it although it may have a high price cause you don't want to see the tag "Change Batteries" on the LCD when you are in midst of a good photo taking opportunity.I think these 3 points should be enough to buy a camera. Also don't forget to check if the camera has night vision if you want to photograph shots during the night. That wouyld be quite helpful.

[CrashCore 0]

I don't really know, but that's what the sales representatives at the stores are there for. All I have to say is: digital cameras rock, and I don't know how we went without them before their time. I mean, if I couldn't look at the pictures right after I took them, I would go crazy. I remember when I used disposable cameras and I would take all the pictures right away and got them developed RIGHT AWAY. I was always really impatient to see them, and now I'm spoiled.

[rvalkass 5]

I don't really know, but that's what the sales representatives at the stores are there for.

No offense to the sales staff, but they often don't have total knowledge of the product; they've read the brochure and advertising material, and thats it. For most people, thats fine. They can tell you the basic features, the price and things like that, but when you get into detail, they tend to get a bit lost. Many are also on commission for each sale, so take what they say with a pinch of salt.

[Brittney 0]

as most people have said definintly you need to find a good brand, also the mega pixels is an important thing to look for when looking for a camera. It all matters on what style of camera you want and the price range ur looking for. The most i can tell you is to go to the store you like shopping at and look at their selection and find the perfect camera for you, then go to other places, look online, look everyone and find statistics on the camera, different prices and everything.

[gauntfly 0]

There are to types of digital cameras. It's the DSLR and PNS or point and shoot cameras.If you want ease and postability choose point and shoots. These cameras are very user-friendly. As the name says, just point and shoot. mostly are also light and fits on your pocket.If you want to have more control on your cameras then you should choose DSLRs. You will have more control on every aspect of exposure like shutter speed, aperture, iso sensitivity etc. You can also change lenses from wide angle, standard zooms, to long range zooms (paparazzi want these). But the downside is it's heavy, bulky. But if you want to have to have pictures which are sharper per pixel, then you would want to have DSLRs.

[Variablez 0]

You should also look for things like if it comes with a memory card you can store data on, and if it does, it should be at least 3 or 2 GB as this will store about 200-400 photos depending on the location light and shadow. Also you should look for the megapixels, the bigger the mega pixel, the clearer your images will look. Also you should look for vibrant colour, sound to replay stuff like clips, long lasting battery and also a camera lense cover so your lense doesnt get scratched.Regards,Variablez

[rpgsearcherz 5]

Usually when I look at digital cameras I pay attention to the features. Not features in terms of what it can do with pictures before being copied, but the following:PriceMegapixel rating(more or less tells how much detail will be provided - bigger MP = more details but also takes up more room)BATTERY LIFE!(This is one of the most important things. If your battery won't last more than an hour, it may not be worth getting, especially if you do a lot of traveling. Built in batteries seem to be the best in this area)Ease of transferring(I've found some cameras that will let you use external cards, but some of them will only allow a direct transfer through a cable. The cards are much, much easier to deal with)Size(The size of the camera means a lot to me as well. If it is a huge one, it may not be easy to carry around or store in my pocket.)Hope some of this helps give some ideas of things to look for. As always there are more things people look for, or even less than me, so it's just a guideline.

[surbjit 0]

Before you buy a camera always look for reviews i.e go to google and type in a camera make and model and type in reviews and a whole list will come up. I do this for many other things such as computers, gaming consoles and games e.t.cI look for the Brand, price, battery life and mega pixel in a camera. I look for the brand because i like to have a well known make of a camera that i will know will be reliable in the future if my camera breaks down and needs repairing.I always look for a good price as i want the camera to be good for the price i am paying for it i dont want it to be too cheap or too expensive.Battery life is important, especially for occassions such as weddings and parties, so that you get enough battery life to take your pictures.Also the mega-pixel matters alot too because you would want a camera with a really good quality of photography than a really bad one.EDIT: I forgot to mention that the size matters too as i dont want a really big camera that i will need two hands to hold.

Edited October 27, 2008 by surbjit (see edit history)