Cameras that use film are so old fashioned now, digital cameras have stormed onto the scene and totally dominated it, yet they can be really tricky to shop for. They are so stuffed full of technology now that it feels like you need a degree in IT to understand what the differences are between them, below are our top tips to help you find your perfect digital camera:

Stop checking the megapixels: People think that the more megapixels they have then the higher quality the image will be, but that is not true. At around 8 megapixels then the only difference will be a larger print size (which will be huge by then anyway) and so you can print a large copy or zoom in better when you are editing. So unless you do intense photo editing and you need to zoom in really really close to the picture, or you need to get prints which are the size of posters, then don’t use megapixels as the deciding factor when you are looking at cameras.

Looking at total zoom: There are two types of zoom with digital cameras, optical zoom which is actual zoom where the front of the camera moves out and helps you zoom, and then digital zoom which is just the camera zooming in using software to make the image appear bigger. Most cameras will quote you ‘total zoom’ in their specs, which is optical x digital, but that can cleverly mask a poor optical zoom if they want it to. For example, if you had a camera with a low optical zoom like 2x, then you could give it a large digital zoom like 10x and still get 20x total zoom, the same as a camera with 5x optical and 4x digital zoom. So you can see why it is important to look at the value for the optical zoom when you are considering a camera.

Not trying them out: Cameras are a personal choice, the specs for a camera can be perfect, but then you get it and it just doesn’t feel right, it is too small for your hands, the menu is awful, the buttons are hard to use etc. All these things you can only find out by actually getting your hands on one and trying it out. To do that pop into an electrical store and ask to try a display model out, usually they will be more than happy to oblige, and then you can find out what it is really like.

Those three tips should help you to avoid the big mistakes that people make when searching for a digital camera, so you can spend your money on a camera that you will actually enjoy using and will give you great pictures to enjoy for years to come!

If you want a funky camera then consider getting a pink digital camera, just remember the tips above so you pick the best one.


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