The Best Digital Camera Guide

If you are looking for a digital camera and are not sure where to start I have divided cameras into different sections. Each section details what you should expect from a digital camera in the range. There are also lists of suggested digital cameras and recommendations.

Entry Level Digital Cameras

As technology has moved on even an entry level digital camera produces high quality pictures and some come with very impressive feature sets. I would define an entry level digital camera as either having no zoom lens or 2 megapixels.

To be honest you can pick up digital cameras for next to nothing, but I am not sure about the quality of these cameras. The suggested cameras in this series all come from "big name" brands and you can therefore be confident of the quality of the lens and processor.

Suggested cameras: Fuji Finepix A120, Fuji Finepix A345, Fuji Finepix A350 and Canon Powershot A400.

Standard Digital Cameras

My criteria for selecting a standard digital camera is a digital camera of at least 3 megapixels and with a 3x zoom lens. As advances continue to be made it is becoming more common to see cameras in this range offering four, five and in some cases six megapixels.

Features that you should be able to find in this range include scene modes to help you take the best possible shots in difficult lighting conditions and movies in colour and with sound of at least three minutes duration. You will find that some of the cameras also offer increasingly advanced features such as control of shutter speed and aperture size, a best shot selector and the ability to make small copies of pictures for instant use on the Internet and sending by email.

Prices can start from around $140 and as you add more megapixels the price rises to around $300.

The cameras that I like the most in this range are the Sony DSC P73 and the Sony DSC P200. The colours are spot on and whilst they are easy to use they also offer some of the more advanced features that you may wish to try if you are looking to get a little more out of your photography.

Suggested cameras: Canon Powershot A510, Canon Powershot A520, Nikon Coolpix 5200 and Nikon Coolpix 5600

Digital Cameras with Extended Zoom Lenses

These cameras are usually similar in terms of feature sets and megapixels to the standard digital cameras. The difference is that they have a greatly increased zoom capacity. In this range you will find cameras with a zoom of between 6x and 10x. These digital cameras will be of interest to you if you are looking to take pictures from a distance on a regular basis. Prices vary between $150 and $400+ depending on the number of megapixels and length of zoom.

On the whole I think Fuji excel in this range. If you are looking to get an extended zoom, but don't want to break the bank then take a good look at the Fuji Finepix S5500. It is very easy to use and for me offers great value for money.

Suggested cameras: Canon Powershot S1 IS, Fuji Finepix S3500, Fuji Finepix S5500, Fuji Finepix S7000 and Olympus C770.

Stylish Digital Cameras

You may well have heard that digital cameras are so small that they will slip into your pocket and you can take them anywhere. That generally applies to this range of digital cameras. As a rule they are similar in basic features to standard digital cameras in that they normally range from three to six megapixels and have a 3x optical zoom lens.

As with anything there is always a trade off. You are likely to find more of the advanced features associated with the standard digital cameras missing as the money goes into the design and quality of build.

The Canon IXUS range is recognised as highly popular, but perhaps the digital camera to look out for here is the Olympus MJU 500.

Suggested cameras: Minolta Dimage G600, Canon IXUS 500, Canon IXUS 40, Canon IXUS 50 Canon IXUS 700 and Olympus Mini Digital.

High Specification Compact Digital Cameras

A step up in terms of megapixels and features sets from a standard digital camera. Models in this range tend to be in the four to six megapixel range, but the size of the zoom lens remains around 3x. These cameras still retain the shape of a traditional compact camera.

Prices rises in this range and you won't get too much change from £400.

A very popular 7 megapixel model is the Canon Powershot S70.

Suggested cameras: Canon Powershot S60, Canon Powershot S70, Canon Powershot G6, and Fuji Finepix F810.

Advanced Digital Cameras

A whole new batch of high powered cameras was launched early in 2004. The feature sets available on them are akin to those you would expect to find on a traditional SLR camera. Unlike SLRs they do not offer interchangeable lenses, but they do accept lens adaptors. Breaking new barriers they offer eight megapixels and also have extended zoom capabilities. Do you really need eight megapixels? The answer is yes if you are looking to create large prints or to dramatically crop your photographs using a package such as Photoshop.

This cameras in this range offer a full set of manual controls.

The digital camera that I particularly like in this section is the Nikon Coolpix 8700. Nikon have always had an excellent reputation for high specification cameras and this model is no exception.

Suggested cameras: Nikon Coolpix 8700, Nikon Coolpix 8800, Sony Cybershot DSC F828, Canon Powershot Pro1

Digital SLRs

The biggest breakthrough in the last year for digital cameras has been the introduction of a series of Digital SLRs that cost well under £1000. For the first time Digital SLRs have become affordable for enthusiasts.

Canon lead the way in this field and the Canon EOS 300D has won a number of plaudits since its release.

Suggested cameras: Canon Eos 300D and Nikon D70

Professional Digital SLRs

At the very top of the range are the professional Digital SLRs. In terms of megapixels sometimes they offer less than the cameras mentioned in the Advanced Cameras section above, but the interchangeable lenses and the manual control that they offer the professional photographer put them in a class of their own.

Suggested cameras: Canon EOS 10D Canon EOS 20D and Canon EOS 1Ds

Site Map
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Guides

Digital Camera Related Glossary Defines Digital Photography Terms
Digital Camera related glossary explains all common functions, terms and controls.

Tips to Prolong Digital Camera Battery Life
Without doubt one of the biggest issues with digital cameras is just how fast they consume batteries. This section shows how to conserve battery life.

Transferring Digital Photographs to a Computer
The digital pictures are stored within the camera's memory and the next step is to transfer them to a computer.

Shooting Movies With Your Digital Camera
For many people being able to shoot short movie clips is an added attraction when buying a digital camera. .

Zoom Lenses for Digital Cameras
As digital cameras continue to advance even the majority of entry level models come with an optical zoom lens. How much zoom do you need?

Connecting your Digital Camera to a Television
The majority of digital cameras can be connected to a television set so you can display your images on a large screen.

Try these Digital Cameras on TigerDirect.com.

Digital Camera Resources

Digital Camera Resources
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Digital Camera Links
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Digital Camera FAQ
Frequently asked questions about digital cameras.

10 Essential Items to Consider When Purchasing a Digital Camera

How Many Megapixals do You Need?
The big question regarding megapixels is how many your camera needs to produce prints of different sizes.

Memory Cards
There are different types of memory cards. It is important to know that a digital camera will only be able to use one type of memory card.

Digital Photo Editing Software
With image manipulation software almost anything is possible! You can let your creative talents run wild.

Printing Digital Photographs
Discover your options for printing digital photo prints.

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