Compact Digital Cameras

“Compact Digital Cameras can take excellent photographs if used correctly.  Find out how to make the right decision on which camera will best suit your needs and budget”

What are “compact digital cameras"?

Compact digital cameras are the economic way to start taking pictures and I think they are an essential piece of kit for all

Typical Compact Digital Cameras

photographers whether beginners or seasoned veterans.  Everyone will value the convenience of a camera that can slip into a pocket ready for those unexpected photo opportunities.

Compact digital cameras, (also known as a point and shoot camera) are very easy to use and are ideal “first buys” for beginners wanting to take up photography as a hobby.

Compact digital cameras are quite capable of taking most types of pictures ranging from portrait to landscape, still life to nature and just about any other subject you may be interested in.  Compact digital cameras are particularly good for beginners as they take out the guesswork of what exposure and aperture settings to use and your pictures will almost always be in focus.

More expensive compact digital cameras will have extra features and image effects and although nice to have really aren’t necessary.  So, when choosing a camera, don’t compromise on the quality of the photos it will take just to get extra features that you will rarely – if ever use.  Picture quality is paramount.

Compact digital cameras – what should I look for when buying and how much do they cost?

Compact digital cameras prices range from as little as £50/$70 to over £500/$700 - so there is bound to be one to suit your budget.

Although they will still take perfectly good pictures the cheaper compact digital cameras will compromise on picture quality, which means you will be restricted when cropping then enlarging your pictures.

Below I have listed the features I think you should look for.  I have put them in order of importance so in my opinion the features at the top of the list shouldn’t be compromised to get the features at the bottom.

Compact digital cameras - the features you should look for:

• Choose a good brand.   There are lots of manufacturers making compact digital cameras and while many are fine for taking family, holiday or party snaps they may not have the quality you need if you are serious about your photography.  Well known camera manufactures such as Sony, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Fuji, Pentax and Kodak will not want to damage their reputations by putting their names on inferior products.

• Make sure the lens is good.   Having a good lens in compact digital cameras is absolutely vital.  Any imperfection or distortion will ruin your pictures.  Sticking to well known manufacturers will ensure you get a good lens.

• Megapixels.   A very important feature of compact digital cameras is the number of megapixels they have. If you have a modern camera it will probably have at least 5 megapixels – if buying a new camera this is the minimum you should aim for.  However, you should not buy a camera made by an unknown brand just because it has more megapixels.

•  Zoom lens.  Compact digital cameras with zoom lenses will give you more options when taking pictures.  You will be surprised how many times you will want to be able to zoom in on a distant object or zoom out on a subject you cannot get far from.  However, there are two types of “zoom” to be found on compact digital cameras.  Optical zoom is always the best and this is the only type of zoom you should use.  Zooms that use the electronics within the camera to bring a distant object closer can badly compromise picture quality and should be avoided wherever possible.

• Size does matter!  The size of compact digital cameras is important.  I would always advise you to buy the biggest one that suits your needs.  I know this is probably not what you expected me to say – but the fact is that smaller compact digital cameras will inevitably have a lower image quality and will not have the same ability to take pictures in low light conditions.  It is also unlikely to have as good a zoom range as a larger camera.

• Manual overrides.  Compact digital cameras that have manual overrides or settings will enable you to experiment with your photography and this will be invaluable to you if and when you progress to using a DSLR camera.  If you can afford it without compromising on the above I suggest you get one.

Well in my opinion these are the important features compact digital cameras should have.  Any other features available within your budget will be a bonus!

To give you an idea of what compact digital cameras are available and what you should expect to pay for them the following links will search Amazon (I have found Amazon to be very competitive on price).  To see the USA results click here and to see the UK results click here .

These pictures were all taken with one of my compact digital cameras (4.3 megapixel)

It’s over to you now – so good luck looking for your compact digital cameras.






P.S. Don't forget to submit the pictures you take with your compact digital cameras to the photo gallery!