Digital Cameras Specialty Digital Cameras

To say the art of photography has gone through massive change in the past few years would be an understatement. More like cataclysmic. Perhaps that's a little dramatic. Not only has the technology changed, but the way people take pictures has changed. Viewing pictures immediately after taking them allows for instant editing. Not only in deciding what pictures to keep, but in other subtle ways with built in camera editing for things like red eye.

There is no longer need to worry about wasting film, or having to wait for pictures to be developed. You can instantly take your pictures, edit them, and distribute them around the world through websites like FaceBook and MySpace with a few simple clicks. While all this may seem overwhelming to a newbie, there's no reason for it to be. digital cameras are rapidly becoming commodity products, and barriers to entry for the technology have been falling fast. There are a few concepts that should be clarified to help make the purchase and use of digital cameras simpler. Consider this your personal guide to digital camera buying and using.

A couple charged device (CCD) or image sensor is to a digital camera what film was to the cameras of olden days. The image sensor is comprised of millions of pixels which respond to the various colors and lighting they are exposed to. It's the number of pixels that give the camera it's megapixel rating. Anything above 5 or 6 is more than adequate to the amateur photographer. Be wary though of cheaply priced cameras with high megapixel ratings (8,9,10). If the pixels are crammed too tightly into the image sensor image noise can occur. Compare image sensor sizes and megapixels, not just megapixels when buying a camera.

Battery technology, has yet to keep pace with the rocketing increase in camera technology. Be sure to include rechargeables as part of your camera budget. They'll be cheaper in the long run, and a greener choice for ours and future generations.

Manufacturer supplied memory cards are woefully small, and beg to be upgraded. Almost as much as your sales clerk will. Another advantage to buying smaller megapixel rated cameras is the smaller memory cards required. Believe me, anything over 7 megapixels is just padding someone else's pockets.

If your getting a point and shoot, you have one shot and one shot only to get a good lens. The one that comes with the camera is the only one you can use. If your into close up photography, make sure your camera has a macro lens function. I've taken all of one macro picture in my days that was memorable. Some people love capturing the miniature world though. Ignore any specifications for "digital zoom" as the only meaningful spec for a lens, is it's "optical zoom" capability.

If your the type that gets lost navigating through Google's home page, your gonna have a blast with digital camera menus. Digital cameras have plenty of features, and they're all buried in some geek programmers vision of user accessible menus. For the sake of your sanity, look for a camera that has dedicated buttons on the case for all features you find important. You'll be thanking me later.

Well, with those few points in mind, your well armed in any future battle with camera sales clerks everywhere. Just remember to make sure you pay for the things that matter. Good image quality, ease of use, and a good lens are your best chances for good pictures. Don't pay for extra bells and whistles you'll never clang or blow anyway. Happy shopping.