Digital cameras keep pressing forward, no sooner have you bought your new, state-of-the-art digital camera than you find out new improvements that have been made. It might seem like you’d be hard pressed to keep chasing these fads, and we don’t blame you, who wants to shell out for a camera that often. But the truth is that the if you buy digital cameras there are a few basics that will keep your camera useful for quite a few years to come.

Before purchasing, make sure to get some opinions. There are plenty out there and don’t get caught up in every little downside to a camera, as some things just don’t matter so much. Experiences of the experienced and those who give honest, almost neutral feedback can give you some of the best insights into what you are actually getting from your product.

First Things First

What will you buy your digital camera for? What do you know you will use it for, and what would you like to do with it, perhaps something you have not had a chance to try with your current camera, or something you have seen done that you like. Decide on a price range, and stick with it, if you want to buy digital cameras at the professional level then sure your range will need to be a little higher, but don’t set your range unnecessarily high, there is a good lesson in finding more for less. And make sure you know what you need before buying as most salespeople at big electronics stores know only as much as is indicated on the packaging.

Point and Shoot vs Digital SLR

For day to day or the vast majority of consumers, a point and shoot camera is the way to go. The range of point and shoot digital cameras is so vast that the top end will do many things that mimic what professional cameras do. At the most basic the camera does everything for you and just takes the shot, taking into account the conditions it measures. At the most advanced you will have control over shutter speed and a few other features.

Digital SLRs are for pros. These cameras allow you control over almost every aspect of taking the picture, allowing you to take a great, or if you want or aren’t accustomed to them, terrible picture. One of the best things about buying new digital SLR cameras is that it is now possible to make almost everything point and shoot as well, which can help you to learn about specific functions as you go along. The best thing about SLR cameras is that you can change lenses and take pictures with a telescopic lens or microscopic lens as well.

Other Options

Resolution has become one of the most basic guages of judging a digital camera. The higher the resolution, usually measured in mega pixels, the better the picture. This is not completely true, but does hold some merit with picture quality. Four mega pixels and up is what I would look for in a standard digital camera.

Zoom is another major feature. The usual for a consumer camera would be around 3x zoom, with a 4x digital zoom. Digital zoom fakes a zoom, by zooming in on the image it receives, this reduces the quality, often to such a degree as to find the pictures worthless. The usual zoom is fine for most people, but not all, get more only if you need it. If you need super amounts of zoom, then you need an SLR so you can change lenses.

Storage has become so cheap its not a big factor. A 1GB memory card can take about 2000 pictures at a resolution of 1600×1200 and 500 or so at much higher resolutions, there should be no lack of space.

So to summarize, choose SLR or point and shoot, look at zoom, look at resolution, look at storage, and finally, keep within your budget.

Digital camera ratings can help you to get the most for your money, and get just what you need when purchasing a digital camera. Digital camera rating help to keep you up-to-date on the latest features and products available. Digital camera rating help you to know just what the different features of a camera are, how they relate to the performance of the digital camera and how they compare to other cameras in a similar price range. It wasn’t that long ago that digital cameras were disliked because of the features they lacked, and also the quality they lacked. Only more recently have professional photographers started making the shift to digital cameras, helping to make digital camera rating more worthwhile, with the views of professionals. As professionals deal with cameras all the time they are more aware of what little details and features are most important and most needed for particular kinds of photography.

The more popular the product you are looking at, the more likely the chances of finding many reviews. These kinds of digital camera ratings tend to be rated by everyday users. These are people who have bought and used these cameras and will be able to tell you what they liked and disliked about their camera. These kinds of reviews can be biased as some people just love particular brands, putting a slight skew on things. However, look at many opinions on a camera and make up your own mind. Although someone might gripe about the pixel rating of the camera being too low, they might be comparing it to some really fancy camera, and you might not need that much resolution from your camera anyway.

Many Factors to Digital Camera Ratings

There is a slow filtering that happens with new technologies like digital cameras. As a new technology hits the market it first makes an appearance on super-expensive cameras, there is much oohing and aahing about the camera, but then the hype dies down a little. Then these features slowly make their way down through the range, until they eventually become a part of every product out there. Digital camera ratings often take into account the very latest fads, and how some cameras don’t have certain features. To get the best value for money, hold onto your cash and wait as long as possible, because there is a good chance it will come down in price. On the other hand, there are some features which you might not need at all. Not everyone needs to ability to add little hearts and stars to their pictures while it is still on their camera, but some people love it, pick and choose as necessary.

Here are some of the most basic of digital camera ratings that you should look at.

Pixel rating: The higher the better, but not always proportionately. There were earlier cameras with high rating that still produced rubbish shots. For home use, 3 megapixels will do, but its good to check how many picture options the camera has, so you can choose an appropriate rating according to what you’re taking pictures of.

Zoom: If you only do shots of your friends, then no zoom will do, this is standard for cellphone cameras. If you want to zoom in really far, you’ll need professional lenses.

Viewing screen: Bigger screens eat more battery, they’re nice for showing your friends, but don’t offer and picture quality benefits.

That should be it for getting your first camera.

Waterproof digital cameras pick up where normal digital cameras left off. The most popular option for many of us, even if we have a digital camera, is to buy a waterproof disposable camera when we want to take shots out at sea, or just about anywhere where we think our digital camera might come to harm. A waterproof digital camera is a great option because it not only allows you to take pictures just about anywhere, without fear of destroying the camera, but still allow you to take all those everyday shots you would before. Taking action shots of kayakers, fishermen and white water rafting will be as easy as pie.

The Sealife DC500 - For Divers

Thirty feet of water is a usual figure for most waterproof digital cameras, but the Sealife DC500 pushes the envelope, being able to be taken down to a depth of two hundred feet, if you dare. The camera itself features two main shooting options for underwater shots. The first is a basic mode which just has a slight shutter lag. The second mode is the more powerful. This so-called shark mode takes a picture as normal, but remembers the settings of the last shot, so that any subsequent shots will be taken much quicker, so you don’t miss that all-important moment.

There are the range of standard features too. There is a built-in flash, as well as a 3x optical zoom and a 4x digital zoom. There are a few choices of lenses that will help to expand this basic range. Auto-focus and a 2-inch LCD display allow no-fuss point and shoot capabilities, while still being able to verify that your pictures are alright. Picture quality is 5.0 megapixels, which is enough for just about anybody.

The Waterproof Digital Camera Warrior

The Olympus Stylus 770SW is a super-tough waterproof digital camera, but it’s not just waterproof, it is also crush-proof and freeze-proof. Amongst the range of tough camera, this one certainly has a good portfolio and will be able to handle much of what you try to throw at it.

Standard picture resolution is higher than that of the DC500, supporting up to 7.1 megapixels, and having a slightly bigger LCD display, at 2.5 inches. The Stylus is waterproof to thirty feet, shockproof up to five feet and can withstand up to two hundred and twenty pounds of crushing force. The package is rounded off with a monstrous thirty different shooting modes as well as sound recording and video recording capabilities.

Budget Waterproof Camera

The last in our lineup is the Pentax Option W20. The Pentax is the most mellow of our three competitors. It is not designed to go diving, even though it is rated at up to five feet. It is certainly up to the task of watersports and other activities that would scare a normal digital camera to death. 7.0 megapixel picture quality and an LCD display and standard shooting options make this a great buy for an active family who want to capture those moments by the sea and the fun escape of a white water adventure.

There are other waterproof digital cameras out there, but these three give a good outline of just what is available and the kind of range you can expect to see. Which one you get will depend on your budget and just how much you plan to use and abuse your camera. Do a bit of homework before getting your waterproof digital camera and you will be surprised at how much more you know than the sales guy at the store.