Digital camera features: Which ones do I really need?

Before you start assessing or reviewing digital cameras, you should make a list of all the features that you really need. For the next step, you should prioritize them putting the ones you want most at the top of your list. Then you could go to the electronics shop in your neighborhood and put forth your requirements to the salesperson there and try out a few models.

Here are some points to consider before you buy a digital camera:

1. Close-up pictures: Do you need to take close-up pictures that require minute details like small objects or jewelry to sell on ebay or your e-store? Although most cameras allow you to take close ups, if you are going to do it pretty often, you need to opt for a camera which gives you this feature in an easy to use style.

2. Optical zoom: Do you require a camera that allows you to click a picture from a distance? If so, then you must take a look at digital cameras that come with a higher optical zoom of over 3x rather than the regular digital zoom. Then again, you must know that most cameras which have a greater zoom feature end up getting bulkier and bigger.

3. Flash: Lighting is one of the most important features you should look for in a camera as you are going to get bad shots it you have bad lighting. And a regular digital camera is not going to give you good light. The majority of flashes built into the camera can sufficiently light up your subject just about 10 feet from your camera. And this light might not always be the right type or the best. So what you would need is some supplementary lighting. If you decide that you might want to opt for an external flash for your camera, make sure that it has a mount normally located at the top of the camera, where an external flash would fit.

4. Lens: Do you often need to take pictures of huge interiors or exteriors like constructions sites, houses or buildings? Then you might rather invest in a camera with a wide-angle lens which does not come with a regular one; it will cost you some more money but it will be worth it if you need the feature.

5. Size: Is a smaller digital camera better? Although owning a camera that fits in your pocket is like a dream come true, if you have rather large fingers and not the best of motor skills, operating a small camera can be quite exasperating. Also, a smaller and lighter digital camera will normally not provide you with a high optical zoom or a large LCD because these features utilize a lot of space. Some vendors even compromise on battery power so as to get a smaller size.

6. LCD size: The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen is the best thing in a digital camera as it allows the user to look at the picture after clicking it and decide whether he wants to retain it or get rid of it. If you are looking to get in a lot of detail, you require a good LCD which allows you to enlarge or zoom in on the picture that you are taking so that you can see whether you care capturing the detail. A small LCD with low resolution will not give you that detail you might be looking for. On the other hand, a larger LCD of about 2 inches will mean a bigger camera and thus draining the battery sooner.

7. Price: Is your purchase restricted by price? Today you can buy a branded camera of one of the good names like Sony, Nikon, Kodak, Olympus, Canon, Minolta and others with a megapixel range from 3 to 5 at a price between $300 and $500. These cameras satisfy the major chunk of digital camera buyers as they tend to give you the best in features as well as handling.

Want to buy a digital camera?

Although features may differ depending on the price and quality of the camera, you should make sure you consider the following:

Resolution of the image: The greater the number of megapixels your camera has, the greater will be the detail in your photos putting them in the high resolution category.

Optical Zoom: The higher the optical zoom of the camera, the nearer you get to the action.

Memory sticks/Flash cards: The greater capacity in MB (megabytes) your memory stick has, the greater number of photos you can store on your camera.

Every so often you find that the big names in digital cameras like Sony, Canon, Fujifilm, Olympus, Kodak, Nikon and Panasonic introduce new models in the market which have some recent improvement or additional feature that you must have. With so many makes, models, megapixel resolution and other features to select from, how do you ensure that you opt for the ideal digital camera?

For printing the pictures you click, if you are going to print the pictures yourself, ensure that you have a good printer that will give you good quality photos; also making sure you have a stock of good photographic paper with you. Depending on what result you might want, you might decide to upload your pictures to a photofinisher’s website online; some of these are Picasa, Snapfish, Kodak Easyshare Gallery and Shutterfly. Other sites which allow you to upload your pictures and share them with the general public or only with your friends and/or family, as you may choose to, include Ibibo, Bigadda, Facebook and Flickr.

What is a Megapixel?
Pixels are small dots that form a digital picture. One megapixel is equivalent to a million pixels. Digital cameras are available in a range of megapixels and theoretically, the more megapixels your camera comes with, the clearer and better your picture will be. However, if you look at it from a practical point of view, it depends on where and how you will be using these pictures. If you are just clicking pictures to place on the web, then low-resolution ones will do and they are normally 300 to 500 pixels in width. Megapixels come into the picture when you are looking to print pictures larger than the usual 4”x6”. Then you must consider a camera with more megapixels. Other reasons are it allows you to crop the picture down and lets your pictures get sharper.