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Digital cameras buying guide

digital-point-and-shoot

Whether it’s a perfect sunset over that alpine lake or an action shot of your troop drenching the Scoutmaster with a bucket of icy river water, capturing the moment lets your memories live on in vibrant color.

Not so long ago, you had to carry lots of film and have plenty of cash to get your pictures developed. But things have changed. Just plug the digital camera into your computer. It’s like your own home photo lab.

“Digital makes photography easier and cheaper than ever before,” says professional adventure photographer Corey Rich. “Your ability to grow as a photographer is much greater now because you can see the photos instantly and there’s no limit to how many you can shoot.”

Sounds simple enough. First, though, you need a camera. Digital technology is changing so quickly these days it can be tough to keep it all straight. So we asked Rich to give us tips on how to shop for a new digital camera. Here’s what you need to know.

SIZE MATTERS

“The idea behind making great pictures is having the camera with you all the time,” Rich says. “If a camera is big and cumbersome, more often than not it’ll get left behind.”

Stick with pocket-size cameras, also known as point-and-shoots. Look for a camera that’s compact but still packed with plenty of features and a quality lens.

BE IMAGE CONSCIOUS

Digital images are made up of millions of tiny dots or pixels. In general, the more megapixels, the better the image quality. So that’s one common way to compare digital cameras. If you’re looking for quality prints from your images — especially those larger than 8 inches by 10 inches — avoid cameras with just 1 to 3 megapixels.

“Bottom line: you shouldn’t even consider a camera with less than 4 megapixels,” Rich says.

ZOOM ZOOM

If you plan on taking photos of wildlife, consider getting a camera with an adjustable zoom lens. Look for one with a minimum optical zoom of 3x. Some cameras boast of having “digital zooms,” but that just means the camera can crop the image down — not actually zoom in closer to the subject. For shooting close-ups, make sure your camera also has a macro focus mode.

DON’T LAG

One of the most frustrating problems with some digital cameras is a thing called lagtime, or the amount of time the camera takes to shoot the picture once you’ve pressed the button. It might not seem like a big deal, but even a second of lagtime is a big bummer when shooting action shots.

“If you’re really out there trying to capture moments, you don’t want lag time,” Rich says.

Pick a camera with a burst mode that lets you shoot multiple pictures in a row.

MAKE IT EASY ON ME

“Look for the most automated camera you can find,” Rich says. “It just makes your life easier.”

There’s nothing glorious about fiddling with manual controls, and fortunately many cameras let you choose from preprogrammed functions that will provide quality photos from most any environment or situation.

DURABILITY IS THE DEAL

If you plan to bring your camera on outings, look for one that is dust- and shock-resistant — maybe even waterproof if you’re around water a lot. If the camera says it’s weatherproof it should be able to handle rainstorms but not underwater photography. Also, some cameras can be paired with protective sleeves or cases for added durability.

“Most point-and-shoots are really designed to handle abuse,” he says.

WHAT IT COSTS

Prices continue to drop on digital cameras, so you should be able to find a quality one for less than $200. Look for better deals online but stay away from used cameras, like some you will find on eBay.

Digital cameras store images on memory cards (also known as flashcards). Your camera will probably come with one, but you’ll want to buy at least one or two extras so you can shoot lots of photos without always having to delete or download shots to empty your card. Rich recommends sticking with name-brand cards such as those made by Lexar and stick with flashcards with one gigabyte of memory or less.

“Don’t get lured into buying gigantic flash cards,” Rich warns. “It’s better to buy two. That way if one card breaks or gets wet, your pictures on the other card will be safe.”

56 Comments on Digital cameras buying guide

  1. The Power shot D10 is great, good burst mode to capture fast stuff. 12.1 megapicles. lost of diffrent modes to use and program if you bother to learn how to use it, only X3 optical zoom though.
    GREAT CAMERA

  2. LewCaptLWS17 // July 9, 2010 at 10:42 am // Reply

    I’m looking for a cheap helmet cam. any ideas?

  3. Trail blazer // June 23, 2010 at 5:43 pm // Reply

    I got a Cannon Power shot A550, and it works great!

  4. if you want a good camera get a cannon power shot

  5. olympus

  6. yes, having your own digital camera would be cool, but I just use the disposable kind. So that way, I never have to worry about dropping my camera into the water or dropping it. They are also much cheaper!

  7. Try the Sony cybershoT dscw-190. I would also buy a pocket tripod which can be had for 1.75 on amazon!

  8. yeah, i agree with a.j. and it WOULD ge a hole lot easyer to put the pics up there. and yes i know i spelled easyer wrong!!!!

  9. I like your buying guide for digital cameras.
    Could you please put pictrures of digital cameras
    on the digital camera buying guide.

  10. I am looking for a camera that is shock-proof and water-proof and really durable. Also, it must have lots of storage.

    • I recently got a Pentax W90, Pentax was one of the first brands to make water proof cameras and it has a good 5x zoom plus a cool microscope mode. I recently took it on a month long sea kayaking expedition in Alaska and it handed it great. Also invest in a 10 $ floating wrist strap and lenmar is a good extra battery brand (11$ on Amazon)

  11. i have a fujifilm a900 and it is a great camera all you need to get after you buy it is a memory card rechargeable battery’s and a case if your planning to use it in water you have to buy a waterproof case.

  12. Yamaha dude // May 31, 2009 at 2:48 pm // Reply

    Davey Jones,
    yes there is.
    For example Fujifilm Finepix J10 and J12

  13. i have a Kodak easy share (9 megapixels) it’s awesome

  14. i got a kodak once and it stincks i got a sony and i love it. It snaps so muck faster than the kodak (a whole 99 seconds)

  15. Davey Jones // March 20, 2009 at 9:59 am // Reply

    I have a Olympus camera and it can’t zoom in when its in video mode. Is there any camera that can???

  16. Go Longhorns! // March 20, 2009 at 9:57 am // Reply

    Stay away from cameras that you can win form a machine.

  17. Texas Scout // March 11, 2009 at 8:03 pm // Reply

    oops! I ment to say L4

  18. Texas Scout // March 11, 2009 at 8:01 pm // Reply

    j-man is right, Kodak Easy Share is a great cam, but so is the Sony Cyber-Shot.

  19. tyrell1111 // March 3, 2009 at 9:52 pm // Reply

    they make ones that clip on your belt loop!!! only for like $70

  20. I got the Kodak Easy share and I LOVE it it takes great Panoramics ! I plan on taking it to our troops trip to the Smokey Mountains this spring!

  21. I’m going to buy a camera soon, so this helps a LOT! I only have $150 to spend, so now I know what to buy!

  22. I Got One For 08 christmas and it is awsome

  23. Epic Patrol Leader // February 2, 2009 at 3:44 pm // Reply

    For my birthday i got a GFM from mijer. 100 bucks and worth it !!!!
    Its lightweight, small and easy to pack

  24. sdboyscout,

    My father has a Canon PowerShot A650 (he got it in Japan)

  25. camraguy the sony sibershot is a better camra than the conon powershot

  26. Hockeyking 14 is right (I have one of the Finepix cameras from Fujifilm)

  27. FldaGatrfreak // December 20, 2008 at 6:41 pm // Reply

    Nikkons rock

  28. Yeah I’m the one that wants to make videos and this helps with what kind to get.

  29. I got a sony camera i don’t know what model it was 200 bucks but its awesome and its from four years ago its so compact compared to today’s its got 8 mega pixels and dropped it a good amount of times it only takes the regular memory stick not the pro but i have an adapter so i’m covered

  30. i got a FUJIFILM FINEPIX and is great and cheap

  31. The Canon PowerShot A610 is great!

  32. I have a Nikon L11 its only worth $100 but to me it worth $1,000,000,000,000.

  33. Pictureperfect // August 13, 2008 at 8:18 am // Reply

    I have a Kodak EasyShare and it’s worth over $200 to me, but I bought it at Wal-Mart for only $100 with the memory card and I’ve had it for about 2 1/2 years now. But where can I get a cheap camera stand at?

  34. philmont 09 75 // August 5, 2008 at 5:56 pm // Reply

    I have the olypus fe-340 it great for hiking it ways close to nothing, great battery life, very small, i got it to bring to philmont and camping trips i suggest it look into it.

  35. im ganna us my phone i will have to get a memory card its ok for taking pics of fish

  36. I have a Kodak Easy Share and it is a good camera.

  37. Is their any camcorders because I am looking for a cheap good quality camcorder.

  38. I bought a Canon PowerShot A710 and I really like it.

  39. How much is the Olympus????

  40. I realy like the olympus ultra zoom but it cost way to much. Do you have any other ones like that one but cheaper?

  41. I want the canon powershot!

  42. Brown Bison // August 1, 2007 at 11:52 am // Reply

    You know nice things don’t just get handed to you. If you want a good digital camera you’re going to have to pay at least $200 and probably more, so get over it! Also to camera guy I’m going to have to say that from my limited experience with these features I would go with the Cannon Powershot because I’ve always found that zoom power and water proofing are more useful than megapixels and video modes. That’s just my opinion though.

  43. i’m gonna have to save a lot

  44. Way Too Expensive!!!!!!!

  45. cameraguy // July 8, 2007 at 7:16 am // Reply

    which do u think is a better deal the sony cybershot or the cannon power shot

    they cost the same and im not sure which one is better

  46. That wrist camera looks really cool. Good piece of technollogy!

  47. any cheaper waterproof ones????????

  48. Invisible Dragon // May 5, 2007 at 8:46 am // Reply

    I want the Sony Cyber-shot

  49. cameras can be $100-$200

  50. to expensive!!!!!!!!

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