Digital Cameras

Looking for a digital camera?  Let us help you.  While this is not a comprehensive list of features, it should help you learn a little more about some of the most common things to look for in a digital camera.  For more information on digital cameras, check out:

Choosing a Digital Camera or do a search on Google for "digital cameras"

Before you buy, you should ask yourself, "What do I want to use my digital camera for?"

If you want to print out your pictures then you should look at the higher resolution cameras.  A 2.1 MP camera provides very good quality 4x6 and 5x7 prints, but you will notice some digital artifacting as you increase the image size.  If you want to take 8x10 prints then you should be looking at 4.0 & 5.0 mega pixel cameras.

For those that just want to e-mail friends and family or publish photos to a website, a 1.0 MP camera will suffice.  A 1.0 MP camera will take images in a lower resolution, which means the file size will be smaller and therefore more web friendly.  Web friendly pictures are optimized for e-mailing and publishing to web sites.

Keep in mind that most high resolution cameras can generally take photos in a variety of sizes (low resolution, medium resolution or high resolution), and there are many software packages that can reduce a high resolution image to a more "web friendly" size.

Prices range from less than $50.00 for a 1 mega pixel camera to over $2,000.00 or more for some higher-end models.

Resolution

The higher the number, the better the image quality and the bigger the file size.  If you intend to print out your pictures, higher is better.  Digital cameras range from less than 1 mega pixel to 5 mega pixels and up.  Lower resolution cameras are susceptible to "digital artifacting" or "pixelation" when you try to enlarge the photo.

Enlargement of a higher resolution image

Enlargement of a higher resolution image

Enlargement of a lower resolution image

Enlargement of a lower resolution image

Note: the level of digital artifacting has been exaggerated in this example. 

Zoom

Most cameras that offer a zoom feature will specify two types: Optical Zoom and Digital Zoom.  Optical zoom uses the lens optics to zoom in on the subject, creating a very sharp picture.  Digital zooms just "enlarge" the subject and tend to cause digital artifacting, pixelation or "jaggies" as seen in the above example.

Memory

Lower-end cameras will typically have "built-in" memory that is not expandable.  Once the memory is full, you'll need to download the images to a PC in order to take more photos.

Higher-end cameras will offer some sort of removable media that stores your images.  You could buy 2 or 3 memory cards and keep re-using them over & over.

Some of the various types of removable / re-usable media are:

Depending on the size of the media (16 MB, 32 MB, 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB, even up to 1 GB!!!), you could store dozens, hundreds or even thousands of images.

LCD Display

Many of the digital cameras come equipped with a small built-in LCD screen that allows you to preview the picture after you taken it.  If you don't like it, delete it and shoot again.

LCD Display

File Format

Some cameras offer a number of different file formats such as  JPG or TIFF, and some will even allow you to take short movies with sound!

Be sure that the camera you choose will allow you to store images in the format you want.

Ports

Once you've taken the pictures, it's time to download them to your computer.  Make sure that your computer supports the method offered by your camera.

Other Important Features

Image Editing Software

Most cameras come equipped with some sort of image editing software to remove red-eye, crop images or digitally remove the blemish from your face.

Computer & Printer

Be prepared to answer what type of computer and printer you have.

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