Newbie brings you reviews to help you pick out a the perfect digital camera for your needs. (Reviews are listed at the bottom of this page) When trying to decide what digital camera you need, realize that you get what you pay for. The more you pay the better performance and more features. Here are the key features to consider upping the ante for:
RESOLUTION. The tough decision. You want to get a camera with the highest resolution possible. But higher resolution means higher dollars. You want roughly 300 pixels per inch (ppi) for the size prints you need. For example, if you want 5 x 7 prints, that means 1500 x 2100 or 3,150,000 or 3.15 megapixels (MP). (240 ppi isenough, but you want extra pixels for cropping/trimming the photo.) So,if you want to be on the safe side, buy 3-4MP.
But ... if you never get enlargements and will never print many photos; and what you really need is something small and cheap that you can carry around for snapshots - without worrying about it - then get 2MP. Even at that resolution, you can print at 4"x6"-5"x7", and email photos. The other advantage of lower resolution is that you can fit more pictures in memory and on your hard drive. (Each MP uses up about 500kb = 0.5 megabyte at high-quality settings.)
Of course, you could always buy a 3 to 4MP camera, and only use high resolution for selected photos - portraits of the kids, special occasions, landscapes. More pixels also lets you crop (trim) the part of the photo you want and still have enough pixels for a good print. If money, time, and hard drive space are no object, get 4-5+ MP.
CAMERA SIZE. The second critical issue is the size of the camera. For me just as in other aspects of my life, smaller is better, because I'll carry it around and get photos I otherwise won't get. You lose some optical quality, though most won't notice; some flexibility in low light; and often use of filters, external flash, etc. But a good camera in your pocket takes more pictures than a great camera in your closet!
OPTICAL ZOOM. Zoom is essential for composing good photos and making the most of your pixels (by zooming in on what you want). Try to get 3x optical zoom. Digital zoom isn't useful, it discards part of the picture to zoom in on one part. You can do that on the computer, or on the camera itself, later on.
MEMORY AND BATTERIES. No camera comes with enough memory, and not all have rechargeable batteries, so add that into the budget. Order them right away. You will want 64mb (at least) or 128mb (better) or even 256mb or 512mb(better still for high-res cameras) of memory. The various card formats vary widely in price per megabyte - CompactFlash is the best value. Get the right one for your camera, they're not interchangeable!
If your camera doesn't come with rechargeable batteries, get two sets of nickel metal hydride/NiMH rechargeables or a lithium ion battery pack (or two). (Don't get NiCad batteries!) Regular alkaline batteries are useless except in dire emergencies.Just remember that if you have any questions or comments that you would like to discuss, feel free to visit the Newbie forums, a message board where newbies can get advice and discuss the latest electronics.
Digital Camera Ratings: