Are you buying first digital camera? How do you know which model will suit your needs? To make things worse, digital cameras do not come cheap. Choosing a bad camera will easily cost you a few hundred dollars.
Let's explore some tips on choosing digital cameras. Hopefully, it will help you choose the camera that's just right for you.
1. Set your budget. The first question you have to answer is what is camera going to be used for? This question help you determine how much money you want to spend for digital camera. Setting a budget, will help you avoid cameras that you could never afford. You can easily target which models are affordable for you.
2. Choose camera that have the best features for your needs. What you will usually be photographing. Is it family pictures? Shooting landscapes? Shooting event or action? Look for camera that have the best feature for your needs. For instance, if you typically shoot sports and action, find a camera that can shoot at high speeds.
3. Consider what your photo printing needs are. For simply needs like 4x6 photos with family or casual use, a 2 megapixel model is perfectly fine. If you plan to make larger prints, you will need more megapixels.
4. Consider what your experience level? If you are a beginner, look for models that seem easy to use. Find a camera that is as automated for things like flash, aperture, and so on. If you are more experienced, you will want a camera that gives the user more control.
5. How do you plan to store your images? If you have a computer with very little memory available and no CD burner, I don't recommend getting that hot, cool 7-megapixel camera even if your budget allows it. The images will be too large to store. If you do have a way to convert images to CDs or have a huge hard drive, go for it.
6. Do you already have devices that use a type of memory card? If your digital camcorder and PDA all use the Secure Digital memory card, this can be a major deciding factor when buying a digital camera. Why spend so much money on multiple styles of the memory card if you can just use the same card with all those gadgets?
7. Will you be shooting a lot of close-ups, or frequently taking photos from a distance? Find a camera with a powerful optical zoom, certainly at least 3x.
8. Choose about two or three of the above features, and determine what's most important. This helps you quickly confined to a few models that are a good fit.
9. Do some research online to compare the handful of models that you've narrowed the field down. Many sites offer digital camera to search through features, or offer next to each other. Know all the specifications and details before you even hit the stores.
10. Once you are two or three models you like, go to the store and treat the cameras (even if you plan to buy online). Do not forget to go to a store to work with models, so you can play with the functions and quality of the LCD screen. Pay attention to how it feels in your hands. Odds are, there will not be a memory card that allows you to take a picture, but still pretend to see if it's comfortable.
11. Now that you go to a model, look for the best price. Look at the Sunday sales ads for electronics stores, websites and sales of digital cameras. You could even save hundreds by shopping for the best price. Of course, especially when it comes to the Web, cheapest is not always good. Do some homework on the seller as well.
12. Decide if you want to purchase an optional warranty on the camera. Look at the vendor's site, because the factory warranty may be sufficient.
13. Ask friends and family what digital cameras they have, and what they like or don't like about theirs. This is one of the best ways to get real feedback on a model.
Tips When buying
- Choose a model with a good LCD screen, even if you do not think you need one. At the store, examine the screen in the light and make sure you can see images quality. Almost every camera has an LCD screen, so you should not pay more to get it. But it is a good idea to make sure that the large, easy to see and shows good detail.
- Determine what type of batteries the camera uses.
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