Handy hints & tips to consider when buying a digital camera

Budget
Firstly try to have a rough idea of how much you are willing to spend on your new camera. We would recommend budgeting for at least a 1GB SD memory card and perhaps also a re-chargeable battery kit with extra batteries. You may also need a memory card reader, however a USB cable will connect your camera directly to a computer for easy transfer of files for viewing and printing. A camera case will also protect your camera from dust and scratches. Watch out for some great deals on topbrandcameras.net offering free camera cases!

Intended Use
Depending on how you are planning on using the camera, a 'point and shoot' digital camera is often the most popular choice for everyday use. If you have a bigger budget and are keen on taking up photography as a hobby or for professional use, than an SLR camera (the bigger cameras that take interchangeable lenses) is recommended.

Digital cameras for everyday use such as holidays, nights out, special occasions etc. are compact in size and often small enough to fit easily into your coat pocket. These ultra compact cameras still offer stunning picture quality. For beach holidays you may wish to look for a digital camera that is splash and sand proof.

The All Important Megapixels (MP)
The number of Megapixels of a camera is often seen as the most important thing to look for. However, it is worth keeping in mind that many excellent cameras only offer 2 megapixels. Nowadays the entry level is currently 7 Megapixels and this will give you stunning prints up to A3 size. More recently we are seeing great deals on 10 and 12 megapixel cameras as technology continues to advance.

Zoooooom!
Digital cameras usually have optical zoom and digital zoom, but pay closest attention to the optical zoom when buying a camera. The zoom lens enables you to 'zoom in' and photograph the subject more closely. On a digital camera, optical zooms allow you to do this without losing any pixels or quality. The digital zoom feature extends the range of the zoom by cropping and enlarging the image. However, when doing this there is more often than not a noticeable loss of resolution.

Viewfinders and LCD screens
Digital cameras come with a LCD screen and often with a viewfinder. As LCD's are now increasing in size to 2.5 inches and more, the viewfinder is starting to be phased out from the more recent compact cameras. The LCD provides a larger viewing area when previewing shots and allows you to play back your images immediately after you've taken them. The LCD does use a lot of battery power however, so if you are looking back at your pictures do keep this in mind (it may be better to wait until you return home and can view them on your laptop for example).

Shutter Lag
Most recent digital cameras have reduced shutter lag quite significantly. What this means is that the time it used to take digital cameras to focus and calculate the exposure after you have squeezed the shutter button has now been vastly improved.

One way around this is the "the half-pressing" trick! You can usually eliminate the shutter lag by half-pressing the shutter button before the action begins. The camera will pre-focus, pre-calculate the various settings needed and then locks in those settings so long as you continue to half-press. Then, when you are ready to take your picture, you press the rest of the way down to capture the shot. This way there is no lag or delay. The only problem is that sometimes you can press the shutter fully down when performing the "half-pressing" trick, which means the picture is taken before you are ready. With digital cameras this isn't a big problem as you can delete the picture and line up the shot again... providing the moment hasn't passed!

If your camera has a shutter-lag problem the pre-focusing trick may be your best option. Another solution is that many cameras offer a continuous-focus option. This reduces shutter lag by focusing constantly as you aim the camera or as the subject moves. Note: doing this eats up your battery faster than you care to imagine!

The more expensive cameras tend to have the least shutter lag. SLR models have none at all.

Extra Juice!
Digital cameras are totally dependent on batteries. OK, so we are stating the obvious to some extent but it is a good idea to always have a spare battery charged up and ready to go. If your camera takes AA batteries you need to use NiMH rechargeable batteries. We recommened Li-Ion rechargeable batteries. Many people decide against spending the extra money on a back-up battery and yet there are so many occasions when the battery will run out just when you wish to use it most. We recommend budgeting for a second battery. They are small and lightweight and in most cases will fit snugly inside your camera bag or back pocket.

Manual Controls
The lower-priced digital cameras are usually simple, point-and-shoot models, with no manual controls. Everything is automated. This certainly has its benefits but sometimes the option to manually change settings, for night time shots for example, makes it worth spending that bit more. As the megapixels and price increase, so too does the sophistication of the camera. The higher-end cameras feature adjustable focus and exposure settings, different flash modes and lens adapters for add-on zoom and wide angle lenses. All digital cameras offer point and shoot simplicity which is more than enough for the needs of the majority of us happy snappers. Think carefully if you are likely to want to experiment with settings. If so, then look for a camera that offers more manual control.

Movie Mania
Nowadays most digital compact cameras have a movie mode allowing you to record video clips for playback on your camera, computer or TV, and mostly with sound too. You can even upload these video clips to YouTube. If this feature is important to you then be sure to check the camera's specification. SLR cameras do not feature a movie mode as these are, as we've said, aimed more towards budding amateur and professional photographers.

Extra Memory Makes Sense
Most cameras come with the bare minimum of memory (32mb for example). This only allows you to take and store only a few photos at the highest resolution so you will need to buy extra memory to make the most of your digital camera.

The size of card you need generally depends on the megapixels of your camera and how many photos you’d like to take before you have to download them onto your computer for example. The higher the megapixels the fewer photos will fit on a card.

Approximate number of photos per card using a high resolution jpeg file: