How To Choose A Digital Camera

With all the dizzying array of digital cameras available, it's confusing for the beginning photographer to know which type of camera to start with and what models are best. To begin with, you need to consider how serious of a photographer would you like to be. Do quality photographs matter to you or do you just want to get the hang of it? What's your budget like? Will you be traveling considerably while using the camera? Once you have established your purpose, you are able to narrow your focus.

Essentially, you will discover three types of digital cameras. Point and shoot compact digital cameras, high end digital single lens reflex cameras and hybrid cameras that are a mixture of compact digital cameras and DSLRs.

For that everyday average photographer that takes photos of friends, family and pets and not so concerned with quality, you have the point and shoot. They're pretty inexpensive and good for anybody who is only starting out. They're compact and lightweight weight, so you can fit them in a purse or pocket and carry them all over the place. The image quality isn't so great so if you're much more serious or wish to become more serious, you'll be disappointed. The compacts have limited ISO, which means you can't get good photos in low light like a DSLR can.

For the serious photographer, there is a digital single lens reflex camera. They range entirely from amateur quality to professional quality. The digital single lens reflex camera is equipped with a single reflex mirror which allows one to look at the view through a view finder. When you take the shot, the mirror moves aside so the image can be taken. The mirror makes these cameras much bulkier and harder to lug around. The image sensor is quite a bit bigger than a compact making the quality of the photo much better. There's also interchangeable lenses so you can get every focal point. Compacts have a very limited focal range. Learning how to use a DSLR can be quite daunting for any beginner. It may be best to learn photographic techniques first with a compact.

Hybrid cameras are fairly new and offer the best of all possible worlds. They don't use a single reflex mirror, so they are less bulky, and are built with larger image sensors for great quality photos. They also have interchangeable lenses that can be changed with a regular DSLR camera. The hybrid cameras are usually priced very reasonably. They're perfect for the mid market photographer, who doesn't want to invest in high-end equipment yet, but wants better photos than your average point and shoot.

Remember, high megapixels do not necessarily mean higher quality photos. The biggest factor in image quality for digital cameras would be the size of the image sensor. The quality of the lens also weighs in heavily, along with experience and knowledge of the photographer.

By: Paul K Stevens

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Paul Stevens is author/publisher of an online buyer's guide to Hybrid Cameras