How to choose the right digital camera

Choosing a digital camera chart

Buying a digital camera can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. There are so many models from which to select, from ultra compact to Digital Single Reflex Cameras and all sorts of sizes, shapes and models in between.

This at-a-glance chart can help make it easier for you to determine what type of camera, which features matter to you and how much you can expect to pay. We also offer suggested accessories base on your shooting style.

Prices are approximate and many times a camera can be bought at a discount. For ideas and customer reviews, visit the Featured Camera section in our Amazon shop.

	BEGINNER	INTERMEDIATE	ADVANCED
Your Style	Snapshooter - don’t want to fuss a lot	Enjoy taking and tweaking photos	Passionate about photography
Camera	Point-and-shoot	Compact	SLR-like or DSLR
Camera cost	Under $200	$250 - $400	$450 - thousands
Features	+/- 5 megapixels 3X optical zoom Automatic exposure Scene modes PictBridge compatible Optional camera dock to transfer, save & print photos at a touch of a button. Charges the camera batteries.	6+ megapixels 4X optical zoom or higher Semi-automatic controls Scene modes Adjustable settings such as ISO, white balance, exposure compensation Face-recognition	10+ megapixels JPEG, TIFF, RAW Zoom width & length to meet shooting style Semi-automatic and full manual control Variety of metering and focus modes including manual focus Flash compensation Save custom settings Hot shoe
Pros & Cons	Lightweight, compact Easier to use Do best in bright light but may do poorly in low light Noise at high ISO	Advanced features Have some of the performance of dSLRs May produce noise at high ISO.	High quality lens Little or no noise shooting at high ISO Accept a variety of accessories and converter or interchangeable lens Bulky to carry
Extras	512MB+ memory card Memory card reader Lithium or rechargeable batteries Camera case	One GB+ memory card Memory card reader Extra batteries; Battery charger, if not included Mid-sized camera bag	High capacity, high speed memory cards Memory card reader Extra batteries; Battery charger External flash Lenses or converter lens kits Filters Tripod Portable backup drive Large camera bag
Photo editing software	Program that came with your camera Free photo editing & organizing program such as Picasa.	Photoshop Elements or PaintShop Pro Photo Impact	Photoshop CS Fireworks GIMP (free)
Printing & sharing	PictBridge compatible printer or dedicated 4×6″ photo printer Photo hosting such as Picasa Web Albums	Photo quality printer Photo hosting such as Flickr	Photo printer that takes five or more ink cartridges; for large prints, consider a wide format printer Photo hosting such as Pbase

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Buying a digital camera, Buying checklist

On 1 June 2009 at 6:23 am Anmit said:

What about HD video recording as an option with digital cameras, is it a must have? What is the impact on video recording quality with Standard movie recording vs HD movie recording features?
Cheers

On 1 June 2009 at 8:10 am Gail Bjork said:

I personally don’t think HD video recording is a “must have,” however many like this feature. Here is some information about HD video recording on DSLRs. One of the biggest drawbacks currently is that you must focus manually, on DSLRs and most compact digital cameras. Some superzooms, such those made by Canon, focus automatically during video recording. Most will let you zoom with the digital zoom, but the quality may be significantly reduced. If you’re not in a rush for a digicam with HD video, you may want to wait another generation for the technology to mature.