by M L Ross

Created on: April 17, 2010

Choosing Your First Digital Camera

The latest in digital technology has made the choice of owning a digital camera both easy and complicated.  Easy in that you can pick up just about any model and not be worried about making a bad choice, and complicated because the available options are so numerous that it seems like data overload when you go shopping.  Together, we’ll attempt to narrow down the choices so that any one of several options will suit your needs.

Digital cameras come in two basic types.  Point and shoot models are the more compact type while single lens reflex (SLR) cameras are the more complicated type usually associated with advanced amateur or professional photographers.  SLR’s also have the ability to accept a variety of different lenses while point and shoot are limited to the one lens. As we are looking at buying your first digital camera, let's stick with the point and shoot variety.

Even in this group, features range from the fully automatic to fully manual.  The full auto mode, which sets the f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO value automatically based on light conditions, is the easiest for the beginner.  Even budget cameras nowadays come with not only the full auto mode but also a variety of user modes that allow the photographer to set aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and other variables to control the creativity of shots.

Lenses, while fixed for the camera, range in various zoom capabilities from two or three times normal up to ten times normal view. Don't be wooed by the amazing magnification claims for “digital zoom”.  It's the “optical zoom” that's important because it’s an indication of the quality of the lens.  The higher the optical zoom, the more elements the lens has which improves the overall quality of the lens.

Another important camera feature is its megapixel rating.  Megapixels refer to the amount of detail captured in the picture and how large a quality enlargement can be.  Even in today’s entry level cameras, megapixel ratings of 4-5 are common which translate into very good 8 x 10 inch prints. Don’t spend money for a 15 megapixel camera unless you're looking to print a lot of 32 x 40 posters.

As mentioned earlier, all cameras of this type come with the fully automatic mode for quick and easy picture taking.  Most also have what are called “creative” modes that allow the photographer

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