Tips on buying digital camera

Planning to buy a digital camera? Make sure that you don’t choose a model that really doesn’t suit your purpose. Take down of some pointers on making the right buying decision.

PRICE Factor: The prices are depending on the features. Some are low end cameras offer complete manual control for amateur photographers. Some would prefer to the point and click; the lowest end model will be more fit if you are not into photography. If you take photography seriously, prefer to have options to tweak every setting that may affect the image.

CCD/CMOS: Two types of image sensors used in digital camera. Charge-coupled device (CCD) is widely used in professional, medical and scientific applications where high-quality image data are required. CMOS sensors are very portable and require considerably lesser battery power – which common application in web cams and phone cams. CCD sensor is better image quality and CMOS lenses are cheaper to manufacturer and it is easier to apply than CCD. The only difference is the image quality.

MEGA PIXEL: Higher mega pixel count is not the measurement of the quality of image. The quality is determined by the image sensor; mega pixel count signifies how big the image would be. Though, mega pixel count doesn’t relate to image quality as you have noticed the more professional features in the camera have higher mega pixel but they are more expensive.

Here are the guidelines of megapixel count would be suitable for a particular sized print.

3MP 5 x 7 inches to 8 X 10 inches

4MP 8 x 10 inches to 8.5 X 11 inches

5MP 8.5 x 11 inches to 9 X 12 inches

6MP 9 x 12 inches to 11 X 14 inches

8MP 14 x 17 inches to 16 X 20 inches

FEATURE: Always check the features of the digital camera. Some have additional features that you want to examine. Basic features of the digital camera such as the king of flash options, red eye flash, self timer, black and white mode, sepia modes and the optical zoom level. Also, the video shooting capability of the camera and be sure that the digital camera you are buying records video with or without sound.

BUNDLED GOODIES: Importantly, consider a seller who bundles a memory card and make sure that along with drivers for your computer. There’s some bundled software included for sorting, cataloging, and minor image manipulations.

DURABILITY AND WARRANTY: When it comes to electronics, there are always bad things happen. Make sure that you purchased with durability and warranty. There’s always one year warranty when purchasing camera that covers manufacturing defects. Warranties are valid worldwide and this adds to the safety and value.