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Battery Life This has got to be one of the most overlooked features in digital cameras. I know many people who go
for the latest and greatest digital cameras which are short in the battery life
department. If you want to take good photos, your camera needs to powered for
extended periods of time. I've found that cost and battery life don't go
together - many cheap cameras have good battery life, while some high-end models
drain your battery really fast. Make sure you choose a camera that has good
battery life. Number of Megapixels The megapixel rating of a digital camera
determines how much fine detail you can capture in your shots. Typically, the number of megapixels can range around from 2 megapixels to 8 megapixels. How do you decide
how many megapixels you need? As a rule of thumb, if you're only interested in taking
small snapshots to send via email or for posting on the Web, you won't need more
than 2 megapixels. If you want large print outs of your gorgeous photographs,
then you'll probably want to get 5 megapixel cameras
and above. You may want to
refer to this guide for more
information. Zoom Lens You'll definitely want a camera with decent
optical zoom. Now the keyword here is optical zoom (as opposed to digital
zoom). Optical zoom physically moves the camera lenses to zoom in on a subject.
Digital zoom, however, digitally averages and magnifies the image within the
camera's microchip - resulting in poor picture quality. Many manufacturers' advertisements talk about digital zoom instead of optical zoom -
so do be careful when choosing. I'd recommend getting at least 3x optical zoom
in any camera you buy. Exposure Control The ability to control exposure settings such
as shutter speed and lens opening is critical to professional
photographers. Cheaper digital cameras only allow you to shoot photos in
automatic mode - just press the shutter release and voila, your picture is
taken. More advanced users prefer to tweak the shutter speed and aperture to
capture fast moving objects or blur the image background. Choose a camera with
good exposure control if you foresee yourself taking on photography as a
serious hobby. User Controls If you are getting a point-and-shoot camera,
make sure you find one that's easy to use. User controls to set resolution,
macro mode, flash and exposure should be within easy reach. Of course, if you're
a serious photography buff who wants to take the time to tweak all sorts of
manual settings, then this many not be so critical. I prefer to try out the
camera first in the store - play with the controls and get comfortable with
them. Only then will you know whether it's comfortable enough for you. Conclusion Well, I do hope this article has helped you understand what factors to consider when buying a digital camera. A general piece of advice I can give is - if you're a total newbie, don't go for the latest digital SLR. It may be tempting to get that Nikon D70 right from the start, but I'd reckon its much better to start off with a cheaper camera first. Learn, experiment and build up your digital photography skills. Once you're more skilled, then proceed to upgrade to a better camera. Good luck and happy shopping!
If you want to improve your digital photography skills, you may want to take a look at Digital Photography Success. This e-book package includes excellent step-by-step instructions on how to take pictures of beautiful landscapes, people, nature, fireworks, night scenes, etc. Learn how to shoot professional photos - just like those you see in glossy magazine covers. Related ArticlesYou may also wish to read the following related articles:
Determine how many megapixels
you really need © 2006 Basic-Digital-Photography.com
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