Guide to buying a Digital Camera

With so many cameras flooding the market every now and then, each of them boasting about their new features or compact size, picking up the right one for you can be quite exhausting. Affordability and camera features, both influence your decision in getting yourself the digital camera suited to your needs.

First and foremost, you need to decide whether you want a simple compact digital camera or a digital SLR. The former might be smaller, lighter and yes, more affordable, but the latter has taken photography to an entirely new level, enabling novice users to take shots like a professional. In addition to this, SLRs produce better image quality and allow you to change lenses and add a wide range of accessories.

A “point and shoot camera” may satisfy many, but if you are one of those who like to take control of every function in the camera to obtain the best result, then you must opt for a semi-professional or a professional DSLR. Capturing your favourite football player in action is a lot easier with a DSLR. But to get the best pictures, you will need a camera with smaller sensor formats.

High ISO performance cameras, preferably with built in image stabilization and live view mode give you the finest picture quality. Many cameras offer different ISO settings that can be configured according to the convenience of the consumer. However, such features will add to the price of your camera.

Camera size and weight will affect your usage. If you travel a lot, you might want to opt for a light weight and compact DSLR. To ensure optimum performance in damp, humid or dusty environments, pick the cameras with weatherproof sealing and a built in dust removal system. Again, these extra features come with an increment in the price tag.

Presently, DSLRs come with handy features such as face and smile detection and anti shake or image stabilization. These features are very common among the top brands such as Nikon or Sony.

If you like fast action shooting, then aim for cameras with higher shutter speeds and frame rates. The Sony Cyber Shot DSC-H50 offers shutter speeds up to 1/4000 of a second and its auto focus feature does not let you loose your object that easy. The Nikon D90 allows its users to shoot videos at 24 frames per second. While the DSC-H50 has an edge over the D90, providing video shooting at 30 frames per second.

Next, if you like to perfect every minute little detail of your creativity, then you have a wide variety of cameras that let you change contrast, noise removal, brightness, colour saturation, white balance, colour filters and ISO settings. Select the camera that allows you to use different types of lenses, so that you can capture the tiniest or the farthest object you encounter.

The colour screen at the back of the camera for previews and other settings is available in different sizes. A 2.5 or 3.0 inch LCD screen is common nowadays, with some manufacturers offering high resolution screens for premium picture quality. However, such improvements are available in a pricier range. It is also necessary that you check the button layout on your camera. Be sure that you will be comfortable with the arrangement, and check if the buttons are hard to press, especially the shutter key, as this is a problem with many cameras in the market.

A final advice would be to search for cameras online, which suit both your budget and needs. Cheaper cameras tend to have basic features only and might not give you the freedom to change the default settings as per your wish. It might be helpful to go through reviews and forums before picking any of the system and making your final purchase.

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