Choosing a digital camera

Step 1: decide how you're going to use the camera
Step 2: choose megapixels and zoom
Step 3: pick the best size camera for your lifestyle
Step 4: get the complete package

Digital cameras offer amazing convenience for everyday fun and advanced photography. One of the coolest benefits is the ability to view a picture an instant after you take it. If someone blinked or it’s blurry, just press a button to delete it and save the expense of printing it. Photos can also be edited, stored on a computer, printed at home and emailed to friends and family. You know it’s time to go digital, but how do you choose a camera? We can help.

Step 1: decide how you're going to use the camera 

Want a simple way to catch every important moment?
A point-and-shoot camera will do the job. These go-anywhere cameras get great shots in the automatic mode, so you can just concentrate on the moment. They are small enough to fit in a purse or pocket.

Want the flexibility to experiment and grow?
Look for a point-and-shoot camera that offers manual controls. These cameras offer the best of both worlds—countless options for creative exploration and the simplicity and handling of an automatic mode.

Want the perfect shot yourself?
Check out a digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera. SLRs offer full manual controls as well as an automatic mode. Plus, you can switch lenses to get great shots using a telephoto or wide-angle lens. These cameras give you all the control and versatility of a classic SLR with the benefits of digital.

Step 2: choose megapixels and zoom 

Digital cameras use little dots of color to make a picture, and the more little dots of color that comprise the picture, the better it looks. The number of dots is measured in megapixels.

How many megapixels do you need? Again, it depends on how you’re going to use your camera. If you want to…

• Email pictures or print photos: Look in the 3 to 4 megapixel range. Snapshots can be printed at home, through an online service or at the local drugstore. They will look terrific up to 8” x 10”.

• Enlarge photos: Go for at least 5 to 6 megapixels. At this range you can make professional-quality enlargements (up to 11” x 17”) for work presentations and simple enlargements for decorating. Plus, portions of your images can be blown up while still maintaining complete clarity.

• Capture the world with your camera: Check out 7-megapixel and higher models. You can do pretty much anything when you’ve got this much resolution to work with. Let your creative impulses go wild, because from extreme enlargements to extreme cropping, you’ll get great results.

Zoom

Digital cameras feature two types of zoom: digital and optical. Optical zoom is the more useful and important of the two because it’s gets you closer to your subject without sacrificing quality. Digital zoom will get you closer to a subject, but at the expense of clarity and detail. Fortunately, digital zoom doesn’t kick in until you’ve expanded beyond the range of the camera’s optical zoom. One neat use of digital zoom is when viewing a picture on the LCD after taking it. You can highlight an area of the photo you’ve taken and zoom in on it.

How much optical zoom you need depends on what type of photos you like to take.

• If you primarily take family snapshots, look for a smaller zoom—1x to 4x. You’ll find this zoom on pocket-sized cameras.

• If you’re a soccer mom or dad and want a close shot of your star player from the stands, check out 5x zoom and higher.

• If you’re taking intense nature shots from across the mountain, look for 10x or 12x optical zoom. Expect zooms this large to come in bigger, and more expensive, cameras. 

Step 3: pick the best size camera for your lifestyle 

Gone are the days when bigger was better. Great digital cameras come small enough to fit in your shirt pocket, big enough to make you look professional, and every size in between.

• If you like hi-tech gadgets, are on the go a lot or need to carry a lot of other stuff (diaper bags, sippee cups and soccer balls), look for a smaller camera.

• If you like a camera that's got some weight behind it, choose a mid-size or larger camera.

• If you're looking at SLRs or cameras with large optical zooms, expect a bigger camera—it takes a larger body to support the necessary lenses. 

Step 4: get the complete package 

Once you've picked your camera, you'll need the goods that will make it great.

Memory card: Look for 256MB of memory for up to 4 megapixels, 512MB for 5-6 megapixels and 1GB for 7+ megapixels. Find out more about memory cards and sizes.

Printing materials: One of the best parts of digital photography is that you can print pictures at home. A photo printer allows you to hook up your camera directly to the printer and print 4” x 6” photos at the touch of a buttton—no PC needed. And don’t forget the photo paper and ink.

Batteries: Digital cameras use a lot of power, so get rechargeable batteries. Even if your camera comes with a rechargeable battery, get an extra so you're not waiting around for the battery to charge.

Case: Once you've spent the money, you don't want to have your camera scratched or dented. Plus, cases are a great way to keep all your batteries, cards and extras together.