Thursday, November 22, 2012

Buying a Digital Camera - What to Look For When Choosing a New Camera

If you're looking to buy a new point-and-shoot digital camera, then this article is aimed at you. In this article I am going to first look at the main features of most digital cameras, then the additional features you might want to look out for, and then I will take a quick look at the main camera brands on the market today.
Main Features of a Digital Camera
Of course, each camera has its own unique set of features, but there are some fundamental features that a modern digital camera cannot possibly be without, such as:
  • LCD Screen: Enables you to see your photos after you have shot them.
  • Various Automatic Modes: Makes it easy to quickly take photographs using roughly the correct exposure settings for the particular situation.
  • Optical Zoom: Allows you to get in closer to your object of focus.
  • Image Stabilisation: Many cameras these days have this feature, which really helps to produce sharper images in difficult conditions.
Additional Features of a Digital Camera
As well as the main features listed above, here are some extra features that you may want to look out for:
  • Intelligent Automation: In addition to the various automatic modes described in the previous section, some cameras now have the ability to actually automatically select the appropriate scene setting for you.
  • Smart Portrait System: This is a feature of some Nikon cameras, which detects faces and can even automatically take a photo whenever a person smiles.
  • Automatic Panorama Mode: Some cameras are able to automatically take multiple photos and then stitch them together to create an ultra-wide photo.
  • Facial Retouching: Some higher end cameras have the ability to make certain edits within the camera, such as smoothing the skin or removing blemishes.
  • Built-in GPS: Easily find locations to shoot and record your location for each shot.
The Main Brands and their ProductRanges
  • Canon: $89-$900. Top camera brand, with a very large range of products (nearly 400 of them) to suit all budgets and requirements.
  • Olympus: $73-$1,049. As with Canon, another top digital camera brand with a wide range of products available (more than 350 of them).
  • Sony: $80-$700. As with Olympus, there are over 350 products available here for a wide range of budgets and requirements.
  • Nikon: $75-700. Again, as with Sony, over 350 digital cameras spread across a large price range.
  • Kodak: $60-$450. Over 300 digital cameras, covering everything from simple slim point-and-shoots up to more sophisticated fully featured cameras with full-size lenses.
  • Panasonic: $89-$586. Similar to Kodak, a large number of cameras covering a wide range.
  • Fuji: $80-$1,000. Also a good brand with a large number of different cameras.
  • Samsung: $80-$850. Again, another good brand that will be sure to have a camera to suit your needs and/or budget.
  • Pentax: $75-$400. A good range of cameras to suit most photographic requirements.
  • Casio: $80-350. A good range of cameras at some very reasonable prices, even for the ones with larger lenses and more features.
  • Vivitar: $20-$120. A good range of low budget compact cameras. Great if you're really low on cash.
  • General Electric: $60-$195. Not a huge range (about 70), these cameras are mostly of the compact type.
  • Polaroid: $24-180. As with General Electric, not a very big range, and of the compact type. If you're low on cash though, there are some extremely low budget ones here.

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