buy a digital camera

• choose a digital camera
• digital compact cameras
• digital SLRs
• buy SLR lenses
• buy memory cards
• buy camera bags
• buy a tripod
• buy camera accessories

• you can see the photo you have just taken on the screen on the back of the camera for instant feedback
• if you don't like that photo you can simply push a button to delete it and try again
• you can take several hundred photos on one digital film (memory card) great for holidays
• you can easily share your photos even with out a computer
• just as easy to get a print from a high street store as getting a film developed
• you can modify a picture easily from a digital camera
• a digital camera has lots of other uses than just taking snaps so read on

How many megapixels do I need ?
Megapixels are not every thing. All other features being equal, choose the digital camera with the most megapixels, but to put things into perspective to produce a high quality 7 x 5 print a 4 million pixel camera will be more than up to the task. here's a tip to help you calculate how many pixels you need.

Maximum print quality is calculated by multiplying the size of the print you want by 300 dots per inch, which is the maximum print quality for eg. 7 inches X 300 is 2100 and 5 inches X 300 is 1500 megapixels which totals 3600 megapixels or rounded to a 4 million pixel digital camera. If you only ever want to view your images on a computer screen a good quality 2 megapixel camera will be perfectly acceptable.

Now to justify the advice to buy the most megapixels. Say you have a digital photo where the subject is quite small in the centre and surrounded by un-wanted scenery, you can cut off, or crop the un-wanted scenery to "zoom in" on the subject. However you are throwing away pixels so the more you have to start with the greater flexibility you have to frame or crop your photo. This principle is how Digital Zoom works, you start with a 4 mega pixel photo and when you zoom in using the camera's digital zoom feature you throw away pixels and end up with a lower quality image of perhaps 2 megapixels. So its a feature to be treated with caution.

Quick Guide
Megapixels	Internet or Email	4x6"	5x7"	8x10"	11x14"	16x20"
1 and under	VG	No	No	No	No	No
2	VG	O.K.	No	No	No	No
3	VG	G	O.K.	No	No	No
4	Too Many	VG	G	O.K.	No	No
5	Too Many	VG	VG	G	G	O.K.
6	Too Many	VG	VG	VG	G	G
Greater than 6	Too Many	VG	VG	VG	VG	VG

Key to the table:
G = Good
VG = Very Good

Do I need a computer ?
No you do not. Yippee you cry! Once you have taken your photo's you can simply take the card out of the camera and take it to your local high street printer just like a film. Or for a relatively small outlay you can buy a photo printer to produce your own photo's at home, though this is more convenient its also more expensive. See print a photo >

However if you choose to buy a computer it would open up a world where you can share your photographs with others, introduce a lot of fun and just to view them on a screen in all their glory is wonderful. So perhaps when you have learnt how to use the camera you can take the next step and consider buying a computer.

How does a digital camera work ?
The image is captured electronically onto a light sensitive computer chip behind the camera's lens, in much the same way as conventional film. The photograph/image is stored as a file usually on a removeable memory card. The bigger the capacity of the memory card the more photo's you can take before either printing them or storing them elsewhere, see learn photography section for more information.

How many photo's can I take ?
All digital camera's let you choose the quality and size of the photo's you take, however it may seem a little silly to to buy a 10 million pixel camera, then select a lower resolution/size or anything less than the best quality. But the answer to the question is, as a rule of thumb the more megapixels your camera has the bigger the memory card you will need. So a 1GB (gigabyte) memory card would be a good start to hold several hundred photographs, and with the price of memory being cheap at the moment a 2GB card or more would be useful for holidays and trips. Check out the buy memory cards section for greater detail.

Memory Cards / digital film
By far the most popular card for most compact digital cameras is the SD format used by Canon, Panasonic, Casio, Nikon etc. Sony use their own memory stick pro and Olympus and Fuji use an XD format which are slightly more expensive. Most SLR cameras still use CF (compact flash cards) which are available up to several GB (gigabytes). Some new SLR camera's now use SD cards and some even use two cards, a compact flash and an SD card.

None of these formats are interchangeable so if you already have a digital camera and you are replacing it, you may want a new model that uses the same type of card. But if this is your first purchase you will need to buy a new card for your new camera.

In most cameras one card format has no particular advantage over another but it is worth trusting your photos to a leading brand such as
check out - Fuji - Lexar - Kingston - Scandisk

You can buy several sizes / capacities for eg. a 512K card will hold about 300 ish high quality photos from a 7 megapixel camera, so this is a popular choice. For really high megapixel cameras consider a 1GB or 2GB card particularly if you travel a lot or record movie.

How do I print my photos ?
we really do have the best of both worlds with digital cameras. They display images on a screen to both preview the photo before taking it and delete it if its not good enough afterward, costing you nothing.

You will be pleased to know that getting prints from your digital camera is no more difficult than getting prints from a film camera. Simply remove your memory card from your camera and take it to your high street processor to get prints in the same way you would a roll of film. All without a computer. PTO for more
Many high street printers have a kiosk, allowing you to crop and make changes to your photos before printing them, and if you need help first time round just ask an assistant. Alway ask for a copy of your photos on a CD or DVD. Apart from your prints this will be the only copy of your photos when you delete or reformat your camera's memory card to fill it with new photos. See print a photo for more information >

Zoom lenses ?
Most cameras have a "standard" zoom lens this means they can magnify the subject of your photo 3 times.

To explain the numbers 28mm is a useful wide angle lens and 300mm is a useful telephoto lens, and to have a one for all 28 x 300mm lens is a 10 X zoom. You will not see a 10 X lens on a small camera, you will need to look at Prosumer or SLR models which have interchangeable lenes.
Most small cameras have a zoom range of around 38mm to 112mm which is ok. The Panasonic and Canon range do offer some models with a zoom starting at 28mm and Olympus do offer models with a 5 X's zoom. So what type of photo will you take ?

The photo taken on the right was taken with a zoom setting of 86mm which shows the train and the surrounding scenery as if taken by perhaps a pocket or compact digital camera.
This photo was taken with a zoom setting of 200mm and demonstrates how a telephoto lens can magnify the subject. Some larger compacts, most prosumers and all SLR digital camera's offer this facility.

Program Modes & Facilities ?
I would suggest not buying a digital camera with numerous facilites you will never use, it will only make it more complicated to use and may put you off using it.
However clever, modern cameras are, they sometimes need help with scenes which are un-usually dark or light, or where the subject is moving or is too close to the camera. So scene modes done well help, the non technical snaper take a better photo.

(P) Program - is an automatic mode that on some cameras still allows some adjustment.
(PA) Automatic - or perhaps a green symbol is fully automatic leaving everything to the camera.
(AP) Aperture Priority - is where the user sets the aperture and the camera sets the shutter speed for the correct exposure. The aperture controls what is sharp in your photo from just in front of you to objects far away in the distance.
(SP) Shutter priority - is where the user sets the shutter speed and the camera sets the correct aperture. Useful if shooting a fast moving subject.
(M) Manual - gives control over the shutter speed and aperture and is for those who understand how to use these features.

Many cameras give pictorial scene modes where you see a symbol of a runner for shutter priority or mountain peeks for aperture priority & a flower for macro or very close shots down to just 2cm. Pictures like the system used by casio are a great way to choose the best scene mode.

LCD screens and Optical viewfinders ?
Many people find using an LCD screen to frame a photo in direct sunshine, a bit like trying to watch your TV in the back garden on a bright summers day - difficult. Every camera should have an optical view finder as well as an LCD screen, not only so you can you use it on bright days but you will take sharper photos as you form a tripod with your arms and forehead when framing your shot. To use your LCD screen to frame a photo the camera is held at arms length, not the ideal way to keep the camera still enough to capture a sharp photo.

Stabilzers and Anti Shake Devices
I think these devices have been incorporated into small cameras to compensate for not having an optical viewfinder. They can help so are worth considering if choosing between models.

Batteries
Rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries do not suffer from the memory problems so you can top them up before going out for the day. They may take several hundred photos on a single charge. The disadvantage is that unless you have a spare and the battery dies you can not use your camera.
Some cameras still use AA alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH batteries and this would not put me off buying at all. Generally cheaper compacts or some of the prosumer models have the room to still use AA's which are available almost everywhere should you run out of power.

Video or Movie
Most compact type digital cameras will capture short movie clips playable on a TV or computer screen. (leads provided) Movie files need lots of space so consider this when buying a memroy card. Beware some cheaper models don't record sound !

Lenses and Accessories
There are accessory wide angle or short telephoto lenses available for many types of compact camera's ( check out Canon G series eg G9). These will allow you to extend the range of the available zoom, though they do further limit the quality of the photo under certain circumstances.
check out - harma or manufacturers web site

Lenses for SLR's
There are a vast range of lenses available for most SLR's from fisheye (very wide angle) through to telephoto mirror lenses. There are also converter lenses which fit between the camera body and the lens and multiply the focal range of the lens by perhaps 1.4X or even 2X.
Most entry level SLR's are available as a "kit" which means they come with either a standard lens 28mm to 80mm and sometimes also with an "80mm to 200mm. (you will have to carry 2 lenses with you everywhere)

I decided to buy just a camera body and then a (18mmx200mm) 28mm to 300mm lens in 35mm terms which stays on the camera 98% of the time and is a great all round lens and lightens the load over the shoulder. Look out for a range including a vibration reducing system for those long telephoto shots.
Whilst manufacturers own lenses can offer ultimate quality there are other respected manufacturers who build cheaper great quality lenses
check out - Sigma - Tamron - Tokina

Filters
There are filters available for many lenses which fulfil a variety of functions. They are generally fixed to the lens by a screw thread. Widely used skylight filters protect the front element of an expensive lens. Another very popular filter is a circular polarizer which reduces glare from water and capturing more detail in reflective surfaces. These filters make skies bluer, clouds more clearly defined and landscapes appear lush. There are graduated filters to balance the exposure between bright skies and the landscape and a fantastic range of effects.
Check out - Lee filters - Hoya - Cokin

Battery chargers
If you buy a camera with a lithium battery it will almost certainly have a charger in the box. If your new camera uses AA alkaline or rechargeables it almost certainly won't come with a battery charger. There are a number of chargers available many with batteries included, however, some chargers are much faster than others and it may be worth investing in a 15min to 30minute device which if you want to use you camera at short notice you won't have long to wait.
check out - Ansmann - Uniross

Under water
Olympus in particular make a range of compacts which are weather proof and Pentax have a model which if water proof to a depth of about a meter. However there is a company which make waterproof cases for several different camera models so if this is a facility that you want check out the cases first to see a list of supported cameras.
check out - sealife - aqua-pix

Storage devices
If you are likely to take lots of photographs and security and space may become an issue, a portable hard drive storage device may be useful. They are available in a variety of sizes for eg. 30GB to around 80GB. There are some multimedia devices such as the ipod which can store photographs, play music and vidio files so if you travels a one for all device may be worth consideration.
check out - Jobo - Epson - Innoplus - databank

Tripods
If you like the idea of taking photographs of sunrises and sunsets a tripod or other means of support is essential. Also placing a camera on a tripod slows down the photo taking process letting you consider the vista and enjoy the moment you are about to capture. You do not need to spend fortunes to get a reasonable tripod for occassional use, but the bigger and heavier the camera and the more flexibility in available adjustment will drive up the price to over a £100 for leading brands.
Note: Make sure your new camera has a tripod mounting
check out - Velbron - Manfrotto - Gitzo - Weifeng

Flash Guns
Most compact cameras have a built in flash, but beware they have a very limited range of just a few feet. If you are likely to need more power look for a camera with a "hotshoe" for an external flash which may mean looking at an SLR camera though some specialist compacts can take an external flash gun.
check out - Sigma - Metz

ISO
Many compacts have ISO capability between 100 and 400, however the latest cameras are advertised with ISO capabilities of 100 to 1600 stating that they take great photos in low light. This is however a little mis-leading, as even at ISO 400 most compacts as a result of using small CCD chip's introduce a lot of "digital noise" which makes prints look very grainy and lacking in detail.

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