Beginners Guide

So you’re thinking about entering the realm of digital photography, where you can take a picture of your kid and digitally impose mouse ears on his head (much cheaper than buying them at Disneyland). Getting to that level of expertise may require a bit of work, but here’s a guide to get you started with the basics.

Budget

Consider the amount of money you’re willing to spend on a camera. You can get a decent digital camera for about $300. You can get one with all kinds of bells and whistles for more than that of course. And there are lower-end models below that figure, but $300 will get you a solid, basic digital camera.

Keep in mind that you won’t just be buying a digital camera. This purchase should be accompanied by a purchase of memory cards (so you can actually take plenty of pictures with that lovely camera). Other drains on the wallet could include lenses, flash accessories, batteries, carrying cases, cleaning equipment, software, and prints.

Functionality

The type of digital camera you buy will largely depend on what you will use it for. If you need a camera to take photos for a newspaper, then you should probably spend at least a thousand bucks on a nice single lens reflex camera with all kinds of bells and whistles. However, if you just want to take nice pictures of some of your stuff to help sell it in an online auction, a cheaper 3 megapixel point-and-shoot camera will do the trick.

When I ask people what they want in a digital camera, most reply, “I just want to take good pictures of my kids.” They want something compact, so they can easily throw it in a diaper bag or purse. They want a camera that is easy to use so they don’t have to fuss with exposure controls when watching their kids’ soccer games. They want good enough resolution so that the pictures don’t “look digital.” Decide what is important to you and what features you want – lots of zoom, movie mode, etc. – and your search for a digital camera will be a lot easier.

Things You Must Know

I know you’re excited. But before you dish out the big bucks, you need to know a few things about digital cameras.

1. Not all digital cameras are made equal. I know it’s difficult to see a difference between two models that both have 5 megapixels, 3x optical zoom lenses, 2-inch LCD screens, and a $300 price tag. Only the manufacturer is different, you say? Indeed, but that can mean much more. Each manufacturer has its own way of assembling and programming digital cameras, making some superior to others. Perhaps one of those 5 megapixel models has a cheap image processor and produces pictures with a yellowish tint. Before you buy, make sure you’re getting a good one. Consult review web sites that test the cameras and can show the quality of the pictures.

2. Even though you just want a simple digital camera now, you may grow out of it. Although many models only have automatic exposure adjustments, some models offer a full range of modes with automatic and manual controls.

3. There’s always a tradeoff. This statement especially applies to the price, but also applies to features as well. If you want a $200 camera, you’re going to have to sacrifice a few megapixels and some key features. If you want the highest quality of images possible, you’re going to have to sacrifice some space on your memory card – which means possibly taking less pictures overall.

Must-Have Features

If you’re looking to purchase a digital camera, here are a few features you need to know about – and you probably want.

1. Zoom lens. There is a difference between optical and digital zoom. Get a camera with optical zoom or you’ll end up with pictures that “look digital.” Most compact digital cameras come with a 3x optical zoom lens, which is good enough for taking portraits or pictures of your kids in the living room without having to walk all over to get the right crop. Manufacturers may boast of their 6x total zoom (which they get from multiplying the 3x optical zoom by the 2x digital zoom), but remember that the digital zoom looks terrible.

2. Megapixels. This isn’t the end-all be-all of image quality like many manufacturers make it out to be. However, you do want at least 3 megapixels so you can get good 4 x 6-inch prints (the more megapixels, the larger you can print and still look good).

3. PictBridge compatibility. If you want to hook up your digital camera directly to your printer, make sure it is compatible. Most of the time, this requires a USB cable too. Most digital cameras come with the cable included.

4. Media. This is the "film" for your digital camera and stores all your images until you can upload them onto a computer or make prints. Most compact cameras use a Secure Digital card, which looks like a thin piece of plastic. Sony cameras use their own brand of memory card, called a MemoryStick. Olympus and some Fujifilm cameras use another small plastic chunk of memory called an xD-Picture Card. Still others use larger cards called CompactFlash. Each card reads and writes data at different speeds, but this shouldn’t make a difference unless you’re a professional sports photographer. All cards come in sizes ranging from 16 MB to 1 GB (some a little more and others a little less); the more memory you have, the more pictures you can take – and the more money you’ll have to spend.

5. Custom image presets. If you really want an easy-to-use automatic digital camera, you may want the ever-popular scene modes, also called custom image presets. These modes automatically adjust exposure controls like shutter speed and aperture for the desired setting. For example, if you’re on a sunny beach taking pictures of your family, just select the Beach mode. Most compact digital cameras include at least 5 of these scenes, but some have up to 20 programmed scenes or beyond.

6. LCD screen. This display screen is where you will select menu options and play back your photographs. You can also use the LCD like a viewfinder. LCD screens come in various sizes – 1.5 to 2.5 inches – and various qualities. You want a screen that has adjustable brightness so it’s easy to view in bright sunlight.

What Next?

Easydigitalcameras.com has reviewed and tested all the hot cameras on the market. Now that you have an idea of what you want, you should check out our unbiased reviews to see which models fit your personal style and needs. Here’s a quick list of the different features easydigitalcameras.com has to offer.

Digital Camera Ratings – Just to make things easy to view, we came up with a standardized scoring system and ranked all of the digital cameras we’ve seen. While these overall ratings won’t give you a good idea of the functionality of individual features, they will provide you with a ballpark figure of how a particular digital camera ranks among the competition. While on this page, you can check out links to full reviews, specifications (so you can check out a camera's cool features), and live pricing information for each model.

Digital Camera Review Directory – If you already have a notion as to the make and model of camera you want, head to this page and select the review.

Price Comparisons – If you’re really on the ball and ready to shop, head straight for this page. We’ve got real-time pricing from about 40 different online retailers so you can get the best deal.

Still in the dark about something? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page and Glossary.