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What New Digital Camera Should I Buy

State of the DSLR market: Nikon vs. Canon vs. Sony/Minolta vs. Olympus vs. Panasonic/Leica vs. Pentax vs. Samsung vs. Sigma vs. Fujifilm digital SLR cameras, as of January 2009When buying a new digital Camera, the options can be is not expected. There are so many cameras out there it is difficult to say, what is better. But there are two very important things you should keep in mind.

First of all, a home digital cameras or cameras for first-time isn't designed for business or professional used. Home digital cameras often do not have enough optical resources or the right business applications. If you have a camera for first-time, you should purchase a second one that is appropriately designed for advanced users. A 2 - 3 MP camera isn't going to give you acceptable sized prints for hanging on your wall - unless you'll be satisfied with 4x6. You'll want at least 6 to 8mp to successfully make large prints and even then you'll want to use the highest resolution your camera allows.

Secondly, regardless of the type of camera you buy - digicam or DSLR - you'll still need to spend some time to READ AND STUDY the Owner's Manual for it. IMO 90% of the problems people have with their cameras is due to Operator Error - they simply do not know how to use the camera. A few hours with the Owner's Manual will save many many hours of frustration and/or disappointment.

I suggest you visit a professional camera store and seek the advice of a trained salesperson. Then buy your camera from that salesperson. Some camera stores even offer an hour or two of hands-on instruction with your purchase. You also can to get that on-line from at BestBuy or Circuit City or Nstuf or other online shops.

Now here are some tips to get you started.
What gives a camera its picture quality?

The short answer is that it is mostly the skill of the photographer that produces high quality pictures. The lens and camera are very important, but the ability to set the scene, adjust the cameras settings, and hold the camera very still or use a tripod with auto or remote shutter actuation when required is what gets the great pictures.

Many of the new cameras come with different parameters:

Megapixel resolution for photo-quality.

More is better? Not always. Without a doubt, higher-resolution digital cameras from the same manufacture with the same optics will produce sharper, cleaner pictures - most new brand name consumer  digital cameras sold now are high-resolution, and most people are not using their full capabilities as is!

Optical zoom.

Optical zoom is nice, but do not be fooled - More and more camera manufacturers are choosing to label their digital cameras with the total (optical + digital) zoom.

Camera Size and weight

These parameters are very important - after all you plan to take your camera somewhere, and you do not want to carry a brick in your pocket.

Finally, if you are not sure about what new digital camera you need for you, this is the time to speak with a consultant. Good luck on your search and I hope you find the camera that is right for you.

 

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Noleen

Thanks for all the great comments.

Justin

I'm taking Noleen's advices. My cousin and I really don't know anything about buying a good digital camera. She wants a waterproof digital camera one that has a rechargeable battery.  Also, she want one that can take pictures fast.

yeah..canon very very good camera about 8.0 pixles and it's about 199, comes in pink grey black and blue, but my cousin ....

also ...Olympus very good! 10.0 pixle less delay out standing zoom...LIKE HD picture.. but price- very big..

Anyway, thank you Noleen!

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  • Joe
  • January 24, 2009
This was really helpful. Thank you! Ok, if you go to your local market they usually have a good selection there for reasonable prices! You'll be able to see and try out all the cameras before making your decision which is always nice. My favorite brand is Canon, and I got my 9mp 10x optical zoom at Nstuf for $240, and saw recently the price dropped to $206! Olympus is also a well liked, reliable brand. The main things to look for is your mega-pixels (more is better), I wouldn't get under 7, and optical zoom (3 is avg. more is better). The rest will depend on what your doing with the camera, if your taking action shoots, you'll want to make sure the lag time is very low so you can capture right when you want. If you want to take it everywhere you'll want a compact camera that can fit easily into a purse or pocket. There are also many colors to choose from if you want, selection has never been better, and prices have never been so low, have fun picking out and using your new camera!
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  • Felix
  • January 23, 2009
Useful post. Thanks!
Andrew

If an digital camera is what you want. Before buying an Digital camera I would suggest reading about some different models.

My suggestion is that you go with Canon or Nikon. Both brands are well-known for their cameras and have a great selection of lenses. Also, it's quite easy to get used lenses for these brands.

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Noleen
Noleen
Hello I'm a young lady trying to make it in life.. and...
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