This digital camera guide explains in simple terms which digital camera may be the best to buy.

Layman's Digital Camera Review

If one already knows about how a digital camera works read the rest of my web site instead as you get bored reading this article.

Photography using a digital camera is rapidly becoming the favoured method for taking pictures instead of 35mm film. This is because the quality of digital camera photography has now become good enough to replace the infinite tone quality of the traditional 35mm image.

This is since the digital camera went beyond 3.3 megapixels. It’s currently at some 12.8 megapixels and rising. Going digital makes photograph editing and manipulation so much more convenient, easier, and time saving. I hope to point you in the right direction so you can choose a digital camera that’s right for you.

What are Pixels in a Digital Camera?

The higher the number of pixels, the better the resolution. The higher the resolution, the larger and higher quality prints you can make. Higher quality photos take up more space on your media card, but they will produce the best prints.

If a point and shoot digital camera is needed there is no real need to go for anything over 3.3 megapixels. We are talking about an affordable solution here.

Good quality photographs can produced from as little as 2 megapixels, which would be more than adequate for printing 6 x 4 or even 10 x 8.

If working with photographs on your computer then 3 - 4 megapixels should be more than adequate. I say this, as images may need to be cropped and the size increased before printing them or using them elsewhere in other projects.

If long distance shots are to be taken then get a camera with as many pixels as the budget allows, at least 8 megapixels and also get a tripod. The digital camera will need to be kept as steady as a rock whith long shots so that a stable, clear image is aquired, therefore, using a tripod will achieve this. The images will inevitably be cropped and magnified, so top quality images will be requied.

Digital Camera MegaPixel Settings

Low Medium High (LMH)

A digital camera will have megapixel settings and may be described as Low. Medium or High (LMH). If the digital camera is a 3.3 megapixel then this would translate as 1.0Mp (low), 2.1Mp (medium) and 3.3Mp (high). Use medium for normal shooting and use High for long shots. The lowest setting is only good for web pictures and e-mail. Never use the lowest setting if you intend to print the pictures.

SuperFine Fine Normal (SFN)

On some digital cameras there are settings called Superfine, Fine and Normal. This is not the same as the LMH settings previously described. The Superfine, Fine and Normal settings relate to the compression used on the images not the megapixel setting. A Canon digital camera uses these settings. The megapixel setting is done seperately. When you use these SFN settings some detail is lost in the image, probably only noticable in large prints. Fine or normal should be adequate for point and click photos.

Zoom Lenses?

No need for really big zoom lenses unless you’re a professional. Be aware that every digital camera will state optical zoom and digital zoom. Optical zoom is better than digital, look for the largest optical zoom in the price budget. A digital compact camera is typically 3x optical zoom.

Almost every compact digital camera will come with a decent medium range zoom. An SLR type digital camera, like the one pictured above, may have the better zoom capability and a lens changing facility but they are usually more expensive than the compact types. If an inexpensive SLR type it is found it is usually at a trade off with other features. So check the camera specifications carefully.

Digital Camera Power Source

A digital camera requires a lot of battery power, especially when using the LCD screen on the back. With a digital camera, rechargeable batteries are a must. Some come standard with rechargeable batteries, while others do not. Either way, make sure that there are at least two sets of rechargeable batteries available on your shooting trips. There are several different rechargeable batteries on the market.

• NiMH - an abbreviation for nickel metal hydride - will perform the best, allowing you to recharge the batteries at any time while still holding their capacity. Lithium ion batteries also hold their capacity fairly well.
• NiCad - an abbreviation for nickel cadmium - are more temperamental, creating a "memory effect" if not charged properly. NiCad batteries will lose their capacity over time, so if given the choice, choose NiMH or lithium ion batteries.
• Lithium batteries are product specific and very expensive. In an emergency you can always run to the nearest shop and buy a set of AA pencells if you run out of power, with Lithium you can’t.

So power source may be a big consideration when looking for a perfect digital camera, especially when you're down de beach taking your shots, no not the vodka shots, the David Bailey shots.

Other simple digital camera features that may be useful

Movie Mode, with Audio. Look for the highest frame size at the highest fps (frames Per Second). 640 x 480 at 30 fps is the highest available at the moment. Make sure it has an Audio facility. Silent movies are long gone.

Self-Timer, usually between 2 and 10 seconds. Press the button wait x seconds then the camera shoots. I guess this to suit people with long and short running legs!

Flash Modes. Look for a camera that has a red eye reduction facility. There are some real fancy flash modes on the more expensive cameras with not a long overcoat is sight!

Continuous Shooting Mode sometimes called Movie mode. This is a facility to shoot several pictures one after another with one button press. Very useful for action shots. The processing time of the camera affects this. If you want this feature check the specification very carefully and make sure this is not confused with real Movie Mode as described earlier.

There are many other features listed in the actual camera specifications that are not covered here. This is a basic guide to what I think is important when buying a digital camera if you are relatively new to digital photography like me, sure, I know something about megapixels and image manipulation and restoration, but put me behind a camera and I turn into Mr Pissed (Point It-Shoot it-and-EDit it)

Digital Camera Information Sources

dpreview.com - An excellent site for in-depth camera reviews. (I like this site best)

pixmania.com - This is a good site to look at the latest digital cameras and prices.

Digital Camera Recommendation

So after all this said, which digital camera would I recommend? In my humble opinion Nikon and Canon are the best availble to us newbies at prices we can afford.

I would personally recommend a Canon Powershot range of digital camera and the models to look out for are:

• Canon Powershot A420 4 Mp
• Canon Powershot A460 5 Mp
• Canon Powershot A540 6 Mp
• Canon Powershot A550 7 Mp
• Canon Powershot A630 8 Mp
• Canon Powershot A640 10 Mp

These canon powershot models offer all the features previously discussed and at a price that we all can afford. You know what they say, "If Anyone Can Canon Can" and I believe it. I have never taken a bad picture with any canon digital camera I have used.

I have used Fujitsu, Panasonic and other unkown makes and none of then performed better than the canon powershot range. A good all round entry level digital camera.

Good luck with your choice of Digital Camera !