How to Choose a Compact Digital Camera

Choosing a compact digital camera is quite a task due to the massive array of choices at a buyers disposal. If you are just starting off in photography, its very easy to be confused by all the specifications and numbers and terms. The first thing you should do for yourself is decide on how much you want to spend. Cameras come at all kinds of prices, and it makes it very difficult to make a decision without a limit. Aim for a budget that will allow a quality product that will last you a good 2 to 4 years before needing a brand new replacement.

Secondly, decide what you will be using your camera the most for. If your plans are for close-ups things like flowers, bugs, and so on, make sure your camera can focus very close (short focal length) and preferably has a "macro" setting. If your plans are for action and fast paced settings, make sure your camera has high shutter speeds to avoid "motion blur" and an adequate number of frames per second so that you can take multiple pictures in a short period of time. This will ensure you don't miss any pictures due to your camera snapping late.

For family pictures and landscapes you want a wide-angle lens, and if you are taking indoor shots you need a good flash. For photos outdoors, a flash can be used to fill in areas of shade or to eliminate unwanted shadows. If you want a camera that does it all, you will need to budget for a top of the line compact digital camera like a Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS.

If you do not plan to use a camera very often other than special occasions, consider purchasing a camera that is simple to use and light weight with easy navigational controls. In choosing a camera, there will inevitably be a sacrifice between functionality and your needs that you will end up making. Cameras with huge discounts can offer good value for money but heavy discounting in many stores may indicate that a newer model is going to be released soon.

Compact Digital Camera Features

The resolution of a camera is the number of pixels that is in a captured image. The more pixels in the resolution, the more detailed the picture can be.

	1.3 Megapixels is about 1280 x 960
	2 Megapixels is 1600 x1200
	3 Megapixels is 2048 x1536
	4 Megapixels is 2272 x 1704
	5 Megapixels is 2560 x1920
	and anything above that virtually has no limit

The aperture of a lens is the maximum opening of a lens. Bigger apertures gather more light, which means you need less additional light to take a quality photo. This is very crucial to taking quality photos without flash. The aperture of a lens is measured in f/numbers, and smaller numbers equate to a bigger lens opening. In other words, a lens with an minimum aperture of f/2.0 is more preferable than a lens that is f/4.0.

Many cameras with zoom will often have a range of lens apertures listed, like as f/2.5 - f/4.0. At the most wide angle setting, the lens aperture is f/2.5, and at the most telephoto setting the lens aperture is f/4.0.

The focal length of a lens determines the level of magnification of the lens. A short focal length equates to a wide-angle lens, great for landscapes and scenery. A long focal length equates to a telephoto lens, which provides for a tight photo of a distant object or person. Zoom lenses provide all of this. When a camera has a 5x zoom, the longest focal length is 5 times the shortest. Most cameras go from 35 mm to 105 mm, 35 mm being a wide angle, and 105 mm a telephoto.

Conclusion

Once you have decided on your budget and the features that you require from a compact digital camera it is time to start checking out what makes and models meet your requirements. At this point I have to admit to having a bias in favour of Canon cameras and for compact digital cameras it is very hard to beat the PowerShot range for either functionality or value for money.

If you are in the market for a no frills point-and-shoot digital camera that produces great images at an unbeatable price, you could do a lot worse than the Canon PowerShot A490/A495 or if you are looking for more feature rich camera with the ability to shoot 720p HD video in stereo sound then look no further than the Canon PowerShot S95.