Over the past few years, digital cameras have changed from a luxurious item to a common gadget that most families will need. The price has dropped, and the quality of the point-and-shoot camera has increased tremendously.

Though the device has become a commonly used gadget, it is not uncommon to see people getting confused about what to look for when buying a digital camera.

I personally believe to properly address that issue, you need to answer the following questions:
- Will you ever be printing your photo in a large format paper? (such as a 8x10 paper, or even poster-size photos)

- What type of photographer are you? Are you a 'I want to pick up a camera, press a button and shoot a photo' type of person? or are you a 'The color of the picture I have just taken is wrong, is there anything I can do to fix it' type of person? or are you the type of photographer where all advance features have to be available in the camera?

If you never need to print in large format, then a minimum of 4 or 5 megapixel camera is enough. Don't believe the sales person when he or she said that you need to have a gazillion mega pixels to shoot a nice picture. What truly makes a good quality photo is not the mega pixel but the lens quality of the camera, but that's another story.

If you are a person who don't want a complex menus in a camera, then you should buy a decent point-and-shoot camera (such as Canon Powershot SD-series).

If you want a more advanced features but don't want to deal with exchanging lenses, then you should go with, what they called, the pro-sumer camera (such as the Canon Powershot G-series, or S-series). Please note that I'm not Canon sales person, it just happened that I have been using their camera for a while.

If you really want a complete set of features, then digital SLR would be the camera that will fit your need nicely.

The following accessories may be needed when you purchase a digital camera:
- a decent sized memory card (e.g. SD card, compact flash, or memory stick). Personally I think 1GB is a minimum.
- When purchasing a memory card, choose the ones with a high transfer rate (such as the San Disk Ultra). This might not mean anything now, but you'll appreciate the smooth transition between shots (there's no pause when you have taken a picture until the next session).
- If you have plans to take picture in a place where light source might be a challenge, then you need a tripod to hold your camera steady.
- Buy a decent camera case. You have just invested a decent amount of money on your new camera, why not protect it.

Last thing that you will probably get asked when purchasing a camera in a store would be whether or not you want to purchase the extended warranty. This is really your call. I purchased my Powershot G-2 at Bestbuy few years ago, and I reluctantly purchased the replacement plan (because their sales person was annoyingly persistent in getting me to purchase it). However, couple of years later, the LCD of the camera for some reason lost its ability to turn on the back light, and I ended up getting a new camera (powershot G-5, which is 2 generation newer) for free. But as with any type of insurance, it's really up to you on how comfortable you are at owning stuff without guarantee.

Hope you will have fun researching the camera, and can make a sound decision on purchasing the camera you really need.

Learn more about this author, Darsono Sutedja.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Guide to digital camera buying?
We want to hear your view. Write now!