Choosing a Digital Camera

The compact digital camera today is capable of producing excellent pictures to view on your computer and prints up to 13" x 9" size.This article will go through the features you can expect.

Zoom Lens. A lens with a focal length of 35 - 105mm is described as a 3x zoom. Most compacts have optical zooms between 3x and 7x, they often start at 35mm which is a moderate wide angle. Some manufacturers fit a wider angle such as 28mm, this can be useful for landscapes or photography in confined spaces. Ignore the digital zoom as this gives inferior results.

LCD Screen. Many cameras today don't have viewfinders so you have to use the LCD screen on the back. Viewfinders do have some advantages, in strong sunlight it can be difficult to see the LCD screen and it's easier to take action shots. One drawback is that they are not accurate often showing 85% of the image whereas screens have 100% coverage. LCDs vary in size from 2" - 3" and resolution can vary from 100k - 230k pixels, the larger the screen and higher the resolution the clearer the viewing image should be.

Scene Modes. The scene modes can be useful, many are self explanatory such as portrait, landscape, sport etc but cameras can have up to 35 available. When there is a selection of subjects the LCD will often display a brief description. The beginner will find the scene modes helpful in improving their photographs as the settings are adjusted to the subject resulting in improved results when compared to auto. Many have a program mode (P), this enables the user to adjust the combination of aperture and shutter speed. Aperture (A) shutter (S), manual (M) controls can be found on advanced models, these settings will be useful for the experienced photographer.

Flash. All compacts have built in flash units but they're not very powerful with a range of 12 - 15ft.

Extra Features. Face detection is a useful feature to have as it ensures the faces in the picture are in focus. It requires a face to be looking straight at the camera and will not recognize a face turned away.
Camera shake may be a problem when hand holding, to lessen the effect of this an image stabilization system can be built in which shifts the lens or sensor to compensate for movement.

Movies. These cameras have a movie mode which can be viewed on your computer or tv screen. The memory card will soon fill up so they are only suitable for short clips, remember that the flash cannot be used so if the lighting is poor, results may be disappointing. For occasional brief movies they are satisfactory, but for serious use they are no substitute for a camcorder.

Batteries. Lower cost models often use AA batteries and are supplied with a set of alkalines. The benefit of AAs are if you run low on power they are easily available from shops and rechargers cost around £10. Advanced compacts have their own li-ion batteries with recharger supplied but extra batteries cost £12 - £25.

At the end of this page, after the section on long zoom cameras, advice is given on how to find your camera.

Long Zoom Cameras

Zoom. These cameras have zooms in the range of 10x for example 36 - 360mm to 18x which could be 28mm - 504mm. They are larger than compacts and look like mini DSLRs. To get the equivalent coverage with a DSLR at least two or three interchangeable lenses would be required but the long zoom combines it all in one fixed lens.

EVF. They have electronic viewfinders (EVF) these are small LCDs which are viewed through an eyepiece, the quality of the viewing image is inferior when compared to the optical system of a DSLR and cannot be used easily for focusing. Sony and Canon have produced cameras without an EVF, only a LCD, not a trend to be approved.

Features. Many of the features are similar to advanced compacts with a range of modes including program, aperture, shutter, manual and scene settings. Image quality can be compromised with 18x zooms so unless such a wide range is necessary it's advisable to limit your choice to a maximum of 12x zoom.
Long zoom cameras are able to cover a wide range of subjects with extra controls which will be appreciated by the enthusiast.

After reading about compact and long zoom camera features above you should have an idea of your requirements. Cost is an important factor, there are many web sites where you can search to find camera prices. When choosing stick with one of the established manufacturers. Finally go to one of the professional camera review web sites Trusted Reviews and Steve's Digicams test compacts regularly, most sites review the long zoom cameras, their links can be found on the Camera Reviews on the Web page.