A Buyer's Guide for Digital Compact Cameras


By Paul Gallen

These days anyone can take great pictures with simple point and click digital cameras. These compact cameras have many of the features of professional cameras in a smaller case, whilst being easier to use. Read on for a quick breakdown.

The sheer range of choice can make finding the perfect point and shoot compact camera a real chore. Here is an overview of the important points that should help ease the process of choosing among the many digital cameras and digital camera accessories.

Point and Shoot

Point and shoot is a label used to distinguish casual cameras from professional ones. A compact casual camera works for most people. It is the most useful because you can carry it in your pocket and have it available for those unexpected camera-worthy moments.

Durable & Weather-proof

Consider how you are going to use your camera and purchase accordingly. Most cameras can withstand the force of us sitting on them, but if you are the outdoors type, you might need something more resilient.

Zoom Lens

Most entry-level digital cameras include a 3x optical zoom, and that is plenty for most people. Many cameras boast zoom levels as high as 12x and features like ‘Digital Zoom’, but these are not worth it unless you know you will use them. 

Portability

There are lots of features out there like ‘Super Zoom’. There are even cameras that let you watch video on the LCD off a digital TV recorder. Keep in mind that all of these features add weight. If portability is a concern, and it will be for most people, opt for only the features you will use in order to keep weight to a minimum.

Resolution

Entry-level point-and-shoot camera offer 5/6MP sensors, which is plenty for 6x4 prints, and will even stretch as far as A4. However, keep in mind that the quality of the internal processor will contribute more to overall picture quality than pixel count will.

LCD Size

LCD technology is becoming less expensive. Even inexpensive cameras are boasting 63.5mm screens that rival screens on cheap LCD TVs in terms of quality. Note that while pixel count determines on-screen detail, it has no bearing on the quality of the image.

Viewfinder

Since most people compose shots through the LCD screen, most compact point-and-shoot cameras no longer offer viewfinder functionality. Some of the big name models do, but you will have to pay a bit more to get it.

ISO Range

ISO range is an under publicised value that fluctuates anywhere from 500 to 10,000 depending on the camera. Keep in mind that the higher that value the noisier the image. However, image stabilisation offsets that to a degree.

Image Stabilisation

Images stabilisation comes in three basic flavours: ISO-based, optical, and sensor-based. The optical image stabilisation helps by moving elements in the lens to compensate for camera-shake. The sensor-based stabilisation manipulates the camera’s sensor. The less-preferred ISO-based stabilisation adjusts ISO to compensate but doing so gives the user less control over image noise.

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