3 of 5

Write now Article Tools

With the plethora of camera choices currently available, choosing the right camera for your teenager can be an intimidating task. I can offer you a few guidelines, as well as specific recommendations, to aid in choosing a digital camera for your teen.

The almighty mega pixel seems to commandeer the market today. More is better right? This is not necessarily true. The mega pixel rating is simply the number of pixels the camera will record on a single photograph. A seven mega pixel camera will record seven million distinct points of light. An eight mega pixel records eight million points of light. This may seem like a big deal, but I assure you the mega pixel rating of today's cameras will easily allow printing of pictures up to 8.5 x 11" with very little graininess to the photo.

I believe the most important feature to look for in a point and shoot digital camera is the optical zoom. The optical zoom is the measure of how the glass in the lens can be changed to provide a magnified image. Do NOT confuse this with digital zoom. I would say the standard is about 3x. This is a rating which is definitely better as the number increases. An optical zoom of 4x has far better capability of zooming in on a distant object as compared to a camera with optical zoom 3x.

I say the digital zoom is not important because it is just the camera's image processor magnifying the image digitally. This same effect can be achieved by zooming in on the image on a computer. The digital zoom tends to produce an unnecessary amount of noise in the photographs.

Another aspect to consider is the screen size on the camera. Many teenagers prefer to show images to their friends straight from their cameras. Once again, a bigger number is better. A bigger screen allows for seeing images with more detail. Although this is not important for image or camera quality, I can assure you your teenager will appreciate it.

The preset image modes and color modes are important when selecting an appropriate camera. I think it is safe to assume your teenager will want to experiment with black and white photographs. Sepia recording is also a feature to look for. Image modes such as portrait, landscape, and low light are convenient for the situation in which your teen will want to take pictures.

Memory is important with all digital cameras. More memory directly equates to more pictures. Look for a camera that accepts some sort of memory card, as these are very convenient and allow for easy expansion.

One last thing to look for is a video capture mode. Many point and shoot cameras are capable of recording short videos. Teenagers love videos. They especially love videos they record, even if they are not of the highest quality.

I promised a specific recommendation, so here it is: Canon PowerShot A-series. The canon A-series cameras make an excellent choice for not just teenagers, but anybody interested in a point and shoot camera. I personally have a PowerShot A550. I have had this camera since my high school days, so I can certainly recommend it as an excellent camera. It has the 4x optical zoom, which is above average for point and shoot cameras. It has all the scene modes I've described, plus I believe there is one or two more. The screen size shows pictures well, but I believe there are PowerShots with larger screens. The pictures are stored on SD cards which are available at low prices. There is a video record mode which I have used on several occasions. This has been an all around great camera, and I would recommend it highly.

Learn more about this author, Ryan P.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Best digital cameras for teens?
We want to hear your view. Write now!