Digital cameras are different from regular cameras because they have a computer built into them. This means that you can later transfer the images to your pc and play around with size and definition. Digital cameras have been around for a while now and the prices are just about on a par with the prices of a good regular camera.

If you are looking for a digital camera, there is plenty to choose from ? with prices that should suit most budgets. Some digital cameras are better than others but it is a good idea to do your homework before handing over the money. If you don?t, you could end up with a camera that does not suit your needs.

What advertisers call the perfect camera may not be perfect for you. In addition to this, advertisers are trying to sell a product and what they call perfect today may not be tomorrow. You, on the other hand, want a camera that does what you need it to do and that will last for some time. Advertisers are not really concerned with people?s particular needs, just with popularizing a product.

Before you set out to buy a camera, it?s a good idea to have some understanding of the terms you might come across. For example, you may hear the retailer mention pixels and not know what they are. Pixels are the dots that make up the picture. Thousands of these dots are known as megapixels, the more megapixels you get, the sharper the picture you end up with.

Megapixels can also determine the price of a camera, the more you have, the more expensive the camera will be. A lot depends on what you want the camera for. If all you want to do is take family photos and email them to friends and relatives, a normal four megapixel camera should be just fine. If you want to use it professionally, you may need something with more pixels.

You might also want to consider size when buying a digital camera. Now days, you don?t have to buy large cameras ? some are so small they will fit into a shirt pocket. However, size is also affected by price. It takes greater technological know-how to make a small camera than it does to make a regular sized one. Most people who take family photos do quite well with a regular one.

The information above should give you some idea of the general things to look for in a digital camera. Now it is up to you to decide which camera you think is the best for your particular needs.

Once you have thought about those aspects, you should have an idea of the kind of camera you want and it should enable you to look at the lists of digital cameras online or in the stores and short-list any suitable models.

You should then try to look and, if possible, handle the actual cameras, either in store or, better yet, if people you know already own them, you are likely to get better answers to any questions you may have.

Then try to find examples of any pictures taken to see the quality and whether it meets your expectations.

About the Author:

Testfreaks testfreaks/”>reviews digital cameras at testfreaks/

Casio Exilim EX-S5

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230

Canon Powershot G10

Underwater digital cameras are used to capture the beautiful life beneath the ocean. The cameras help scientists in their research on marine biology and wealth. There are many branded companies that offer high- quality digital underwater cameras. A few of the famous companies are Canon, Kodak, Sony, Nikon and Olympus. The best underwater digital cameras are those that can be used for sporting or scientific activities, in all kind of weather and in a variety of locations, wet or wild.

Underwater digital cameras are better than the film underwater cameras, as they do not run out of film. They also have the ability to delete bad shots or change to a lower resolution, in the case of taking extra shots. They are great for wide-angle photography in low- light conditions. Generally, shooting with film cameras produces fuzzy backgrounds and edges, whereas shooting with digital cameras gives sharper photographs.

On using a strobe, most film cameras are limited in providing shutter speeds that range between 1/60th to 1/250th of a second. The best digital underwater cameras do not have mechanical shutters and sync at speeds up to 1/800th of a second. They help to shoot in bright, shallow water, where the strobes would be ineffective. The high shutter speeds are also good for freezing light rays and fast actions.

Underwater digital cameras are comparatively small and lightweight, to the other cameras. The quality in higher resolution shots is also commendable. Most digital cameras provide the facility of plugging directly to a television, for image display. There are digital projectors in the market that produce brilliant images and also provide professional presentations, complete with audio tracks.

It is advisable for people looking forward for an alluring experience of underwater photography, to purchase a digital underwater camera instead of a film underwater camera.

Pentax K-x

Pentax Optio W80

Olympus Stylus 6000

Underwater digital cameras are used to capture the beautiful life beneath the ocean. The cameras help scientists in their research on marine biology and wealth. There are many branded companies that offer high- quality digital underwater cameras. A few of the famous companies are Canon, Kodak, Sony, Nikon and Olympus. The best underwater digital cameras are those that can be used for sporting or scientific activities, in all kind of weather and in a variety of locations, wet or wild.

Underwater digital cameras are better than the film underwater cameras, as they do not run out of film. They also have the ability to delete bad shots or change to a lower resolution, in the case of taking extra shots. They are great for wide-angle photography in low- light conditions. Generally, shooting with film cameras produces fuzzy backgrounds and edges, whereas shooting with digital cameras gives sharper photographs.

On using a strobe, most film cameras are limited in providing shutter speeds that range between 1/60th to 1/250th of a second. The best digital underwater cameras do not have mechanical shutters and sync at speeds up to 1/800th of a second. They help to shoot in bright, shallow water, where the strobes would be ineffective. The high shutter speeds are also good for freezing light rays and fast actions.

Underwater digital cameras are comparatively small and lightweight, to the other cameras. The quality in higher resolution shots is also commendable. Most digital cameras provide the facility of plugging directly to a television, for image display. There are digital projectors in the market that produce brilliant images and also provide professional presentations, complete with audio tracks.

It is advisable for people looking forward for an alluring experience of underwater photography, to purchase a digital underwater camera instead of a film underwater camera.

Pentax K200D

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7

What happens when we select a certain ISO value in our digital camera? What is the best ISO setting for our particular camera? Can we change it light-heartedly or does it deserve a more careful consideration? Read on to learn how we can improve our photographs through the right selection of the ISO setting.

Let me give you the bad news, first. Camera manufactures do not disclose strategic and sensitive information such as what happens internally when the user select a certain ISO value. Anyway, through sound reasoning and a little of reverse engineering we can speculate on it and come to meaningful conclusions. In particular, reverse engineering is best performed on RAW file format, rather than JPEG, because JPEG compression introduces artifacts and algorithms complicating the process.

For starters, we need a definition. Image sensors have a so-called native sensitivity. This is the innate or natural sensitivity of the sensor when compared to a standard film. For instance, if the native sensitivity of a certain sensor is 100 ISO, it means that it gives comparable results to a 100 ISO rated film when both are used at the same aperture and shutter speed. Native sensitivity cannot be changed, because it is inherent to a certain sensor. Therefore, when we change the ISO speed setting, something must occur involving the circuitry serving the photosensitive sensor. More specifically, things play out differently according to whether an ISO greater or lower than the native sensitivity is selected. Let us see the two cases separately.

ISO setting > native sensitivity

We must know that the electronic charge created inside the photosensitive array of the image sensor is first sensed and transformed into an analog voltage by an amplifier and then an analog to digital converter (ADC) transforms this voltage into a digital number. The amplifier transforming the electronic charge into an analog voltage has a certain gain, meaning that to a given input corresponds a certain amplified output. Put mathematically:

output = gain * input The greater the output, the brighter the image. When the photographer opts for an ISO speed greater than the native sensitivity, the gain of this amplifier is increased. That is, the microelectronic circuitry is designed to augment the gain of the amplifier. For instance, if the selected ISO is twice as much as the native sensitivity, the gain doubles. If the gain increases, then the output for a given input will be greater, thus leading up to a brighter photograph. Hence, the chain of events is the following. The photographer realizes that he is going to shoot a very dark scene, so he decides to select a high ISO setting. The photons hitting the sensor and thus leading to electron generation do not change, of course (i.e. the input is the same), but internally electronic charge is magnified by increasing the gain of the amplifier, as if the amplifier sensed a greater number of electrons. All this leads to a brighter image.

Unfortunately, this is not magic. As the signal is increased, leading to a brighter image, the noise is increased as well, leading to a noisier image. That is why we should be careful when increasing the ISO speed in subdued light conditions. Always do that when no other option is available (e.g. a tripod).

In some cases, a fiddling in RAW data may also occur to boost to very high ISO speed.

ISO setting < native sensitivity

If this is the case, then the camera?s circuitry adjusts the image data after the analog to digital converter, directly in the digitized form. For instance, if the selected ISO is half the native sensitivity, brightness values represented by each RGB channel are halved. This leads up to a darker photo.

This has a drawback, too. Indeed, a common ADC has 12 bits per RGB channel. When its numbers are halved, they can be represented by 11 bits (12-1). This means that the dynamic range is reduced and some information lost forever.

Conclusions

As we saw, drawbacks arise using an ISO setting both higher and lower than the native sensitivity. So, it is best to shoot at the sensor?s native ISO whenever possible. That said, unfortunately this is not a technical characteristic cameras? manufacturers divulge. Consequently, you have two options to know the best ISO setting for your camera. The first one is to sift through the numerous forums on the web or, better yet, experiment by yourself with your specific camera.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1

Nikon Coolpix S620

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS25

Shoot with printing in mind

Image resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image. Measured in megapixels (MP), matching the resolution to the print size will help you get crisp and clear digital photo prints.

Most digital cameras offer a range of resolution settings, but if you intend to make prints larger than wallet size, shoot at a higher resolution. While high-res pictures take up more space on your digital camera?s memory card, shooting big guarantees that when the magic strikes, you?ve captured the picture at the highest quality level. And it gives you the most flexibility. So whether you want to crop the picture to highlight a special feature or print at a large size, you?ll have plenty of detail to work with.

How high should you shoot? A 4-6 MP photograph should be high enough to produce a good quality print in popular 4″x6″ or for 5″x 7″ prints.

JPEG is the most common photo format, well suited for online and email use, as well as most printing needs.

Some cameras let you change the format you shoot in to TIFF or RAW, which are ideal for large format printing and prints made from cropped photos since they have the least amount of compression. The benefits of these formats is that you?ll get clear prints even in large sizes, with the downside being that your photos will take up a lot more space on your memory card. They can be converted to JPEG, however, so you can compress them to a smaller size.

Check your camera’s manual to see if you can change the format.

Paper and ink make a quality print

Every piece of art needs a sturdy canvas and high-quality materials. The same goes for your photographs.

For first-class photo prints, always use photo paper, never regular paper. Black and white photographs tend to look sharper and richer when printed on matte paper, while the subtleties of color photographs are best suited to high gloss photo paper.

As far as ink goes, it?s a good rule of thumb to use ink produced by the same company as your printer. And while refills might save you money when printing documents, they are not suitable for photo printing. Any savings you might enjoy will be overshadowed by wasted photo paper.

It takes high-quality paper specifically designed to work with your ink to create vivid, long-lasting photographs that will stand the test of time. Keep in mind how you intend to display your photos, and then look for paper that best suits your needs. For example, some ink and paper combinations are specially engineered to be water and smudge resistant, while others are designed with optimum fade resistance in mind.

Before you frame a photo or add it to a scrapbook, give it enough time to dry. Most inks and papers dry within an hour or so, but it?s best to allow the print to dry for about 24 hours just to be sure.

Print for the frame

The relation of the height of your picture to its length is called the aspect ratio. Prints from film have an aspect ratio of 3:2, which is a rectangular shape. You?re probably familiar with it since it has been the standard for decades.

However, almost all digital cameras produce an image with a 4:3 aspect ratio (closer to a square). The reason for this is that the first digital cameras were meant exclusively for use with computer monitors, which have a 4:3 ratio.

Most of the photo frames are manufactured to meet traditional film sizes (4″x6″, 5″x7″, 8″x10″, and so on). Likewise, most photo labs print in these sizes. This means in order for your digital prints to fit, they will have to be cropped slightly.

The difference between 4:3 and 3:2 isn?t huge. So just keep in mind how much your photo will be cropped when you print it. Then, when you shoot, add room at the top and bottom of horizontal photos, or on the sides for vertical pictures. Then you can crop out the extra for a perfect fit.

Print smart

A print is only as good as your printer. A beautiful photograph can look dull, flat, or blurry if your printer isn?t set correctly.

The paper settings on your printer control the amount of ink used on the paper, so use the setting that matches your photo paper. When you find a setting that works for a particular paper type, make note of it so that you’ll be able to get the same results when using that type of paper again.

You can designate the quality of the print, depending on what you’re printing. Choose ?Best quality? for most photos and ?Normal? for wallet-sized.

Follow these steps to adjust print settings. These may vary depending on the computer you use (PC or Macintosh), so double check your manual. Typically, the Print Quality can be found in the Control Panel area for Printers.

Before you print, however, be sure to preview your prints. Simply select File > Print Preview. Hit Esc to return to the normal view. This way, you never have to waste paper, ink, or time on imperfect prints.

Also, make it a habit to run your printer?s cleaner function every other month to prevent streaking.

Update your printer?s software drivers

A printer driver is software that serves as a translator. It allows your computer and printer communicate correctly.

It?s important to use the latest driver available for your printer. Drivers help fix problems and improve printer performance. Look for the latest drivers at your printer manufacturer?s website. You can download them for free.

You can even experiment with your printer driver software. The driver interface pops up when you print, allowing you to adjust the resolution and color settings (the driver usually chooses these settings automatically). Tinkering with these setting can often produce a higher-quality photo print.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

Nikon D5000

Digital camera reviews are abundant not just online but also in the newspapers, magazines and even TV shows. We often wonder why most digital camera reviews always praise all the digital camera out in the market, that?s why we end up getting confused on which product to buy or get our loved ones.

Digital camera reviews are abundant not just online but also in the newspapers, magazines and even TV shows. We often wonder why most digital camera reviews always praise all the digital camera out in the market, that?s why we end up getting confused on which product to buy or get our loved ones.Here?s one thing you should never trust regarding digital camera reviews - never trust press releases or reviews that are directly from the manufacturer or advertising office that is directly connected with producer of the digital camera. Why?! Well because these digital camera reviews are never too truthful, or they just give out the good points about their products. I mean, what would you expect, supposing you own your own line of digital cameras and to boost your sales, you release digital camera reviews about your products. Of course you wouldn?t point out the bad things or the glitches of your product in your digital camera reviews, because that way you will never be able to shoot up your sales. Press releases or digital camera reviews from manufacturer are always half-truths. Haven?t you had any experience with that?! I mean, that just doesn?t go for digital camera, remember that brush-blower thingy that you bought over the internet that says it would work tremendously for your hair, but ended not working for your hair after all. Press releases are press releases, meaning that they are aimed to get people to buy the product or to give the product a better name. On more thing that you can never fully trust are home shopping networks and advertisements. As much as press releases, they pretty much pose the same claims about their products. But hey, don?t trust me, you can always get them and return them after proving to yourself that it doesn?t work. Never mind the time and effort that you?ve wasted, you chose to listen to a half-truth digital camera review, that?s what you get for that. The best digital camera reviews available are those found in specialty magazines (computer based and technical magazines), special websites catering to techie stuff and unofficial digital camera reviews. Why?! Well because! Because these digital camera reviews are always truthful. These reviewers and critics are never afraid to list down the good as much as the bad points of digital cameras. These digital camera reviews usually points out the difference between the products that a certain manufacturer has released and how it is worse or better than the previous one. These reviewers and critics are also knowledgeable in their craft, so its say to safe to say that they know what they are talking about when it comes to digital camera reviews. One more thing, most of the time, these digital camera reviews are actual first hand experience with the product itself and not just some advertising agent asked to come up with flowery words to capture you and your wallet. Another best source for a digital camera review is one that you can write yourself. And how can you do that?! Of course, you first need to buy your own digital camera, try it out and compare everything that you do with it to the things that it claims to be. (be careful to read the specs, options and features that you need to try out, be on the lookout for words such as weatherproof, meaning that they are splash resistant as to waterproof that are water resistant. You don?t want to get your newly bought weatherproof camera wet, just to prove to yourself that the things they claim are not true). After doing so, then you can write your own digital camera review or reviews, depending on how many things you?ve learned from your digital camera. Be sure to indicate that your review is an on-hand experience with the product and not just some wild guess. The most honest digital camera reviews are the best reviews you can look for and trust. Anywayarticlesfactory, you can always call customer center or return your digital camera if they don?t live up to their claims.

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Pentax K-x

Pentax Optio W80

Olympus Stylus 6000

When people are examining all of the digital photo camera shopping possibilities that are found in many locations throughout the world, they are not only looking at the digital photo camera by itself, but are looking at all of the digital photo camera shopping possibilities in accessory items that they can use with that digital photo camera too.

Some people are quite stunned to realize that the digital photo camera they bought, has accessory items that go with it. They thought their digital camera was top of the line and would not need any other equipment to make it perform at its demonstrated quality level. The digital photo camera in question, probably is a great camera, but the accessories that can be purchased for it, will make it a outstanding source of entertainment.

Most digital photo cameras are sold with features that support some type of built-in memory function. The digital photo camera shopping possibilities for extending the memory functions, however, are limitless. Some people do not think they need extra memory on their digital photo camera, and leave the store without purchasing a memory card. They view extra memory as a luxury that they can not afford.

Their minds are quickly changed when they use their digital camera at a wedding celebration, and find, after taking just a handful of photographs, that the memory in their digital camera is full and they must download it to their computer to make room for more. When you?re away from home on a trip, it is kind of hard to do that. If they had considered their digital photo camera shopping possibilities a bit more, they would have bought several memory cards before they left their digital camera retailer.

To protect their purchase, people do take their digital photo camera shopping possibilities to heart, when they decide to purchase a camera bag to store their new digital camera in when it is not being used. This moment of careful consideration has saved them from replacing photo lenses that have become scratched, and not having equipment with them because there was no place to organize and store them.

When they considered their digital photo camera shopping possibilities buy purchasing a camera bag, they also considered all of the accessories that they could store in it. They quickly organized a list that contained batteries, a couple of memory cards, a tripod, and a photo storage device.

The person that considered all of the digital photo camera shopping possibilities, knew that the photo storage device would save them lots of money. They would not have to keep a lot of memory cards on hand in their camera bag, because a digital photo storage device could hold up to 100 GB of images. This device made traveling a lot easier too, because the laptop could be left at home for short trips.

It makes good sense, dollar wise and common, to consider all of the digital photo camera shopping possibilities that are available for the new digital photo camera you paid a good sum of money for. Do not assume that the photo software that came installed on your digital photo camera will always fulfill your digital photo editing needs. There are better ways to fix your digital photo flaws, and better software being developed everyday that will keep your digital photo camera in the top of the line category.

About the Author:

Kuersten Steizer writes about photocameradeals/Categories/Digital%20Cameras.html”>DigitalCameras Online Proposal Code and photocameradeals/Categories/Printers%20&%20Scanners.html”>Printers&Scanners Discount Codes Online

Canon PowerShot SD780 IS

Nikon D3000

Nikon D90 DX

Basically a digital camera is a deice use to capture pictures without the use of films. Unlike the conventional camera, the digital camera does not rely on mechanical and chemical processes. It has a built in computer and records the images it captures in an electronic form. Having and operating one does not even require the use of electricity.

Basically a digital camera is a deice use to capture pictures without the use of films. Unlike the conventional camera, the digital camera does not rely on mechanical and chemical processes. It has a built in computer and records the images it captures in an electronic form. Having and operating one does not even require the use of electricity.Since the images that a digital camera captures is in electronic form, it is a language recognized by computers. This language is called pixels, tiny colored dots represented by ones and zeros that make up the picture that you just took. Just like any conventional cameras, a digital camera is furnished with a series of lenses that focus the light and creates the image that you want to capture. The difference here is then; a conventional camera focuses its light on a film while a digital camera focuses the light into a semiconductor device that electronically records the light. Remember the built in computer, it comes in here and breaks this information to digital data resulting to all the features of the digital camera. Another feature of the digital camera is that it has a sensor that converts light into electrical charges. A charge coupled device or CCD is an image sensor that is found in a digital camera. While other low-end digital camera use complementary metal oxide semiconductor or CMOS as an image device, it can still become better and more famous in the future but most engineers are do not believe that it can replace the CCD for higher-end digital cameras. A collection of tiny diodes, the CCD gathers electrons when they are struck by photons or the light particles. Each diode or photosite is sensitive to light, meaning that the brighter the light, the number of the electrons gathering will be larger The price of a digital camera nowadays have been depreciating, one of the main reasons of this is because of the introduction of CMOS image sensors, this is because CMOS sensors are less expensive and are easier to manufacture than CCD sensors. A CCD and CMOS sensor works the same way at first, by converting the light electrical charges into photosites. Simply putting it, is to think that a digital camera works in such a way as thinking that the millions of tiny solar cells, each of which forms a part of the whole image. Both CCD and CMOS do this task using different methods.When shopping for the best digital camera, take note of these key features. Image quality. Check the resolution of the camera. The higher the resolution, the more thou will be able to enlarge your picture without the grainy or the out-of-focus effect that we all want to avoid.Lens. Choose a digital camera with better digital zoom. The digital zoom of the camera will enable you take the pixels from the image sensor and incorporate them to make an image.Power. Always opt for rechargeable batteries, they can always come in handy, plus you don?t waste as much money on the disposable ones. Options. So you can brag to your friends how good a photographer or artist you are. Or choose the one that gives options that best cater to your lifestyle, so you won?t ever whine how you never get the right pictures. Memory.? If you?re a photo freak, be sure that you have enough memory in your camera to take all the wacky, freaky, funny and just about any photo you can. Think 512MB if you?re a photo junkie and takes pictures of just about anything. Computer Interface. Always make sure that it is compatible with your PC, laptop, palmtop or whatever your local picture printer software is, you don?t want to go running around the whole state or the country looking for a computer that?s compatible with your digital camera, wont you?!Physical. If you are going to be bringing it everywhere, choose a handy and portable digital camera. This way, it won?t always feel as heavy and bulky as those cameras that you see professional photographers are always dragging on their neck. Don?t they ever get tired of that?!These are just the basic things you have to look for in a digital camera when you buy one. A digital camera is so great that it is quickly replacing all conventional cameras in the market, with all its technology and portabilityarticlesfactory, truly the digital camera is the future of cameras.

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Nikon D700

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj

Olympus FE-46

The digital camera has become one of the most popular and versatile electronic gadgets available in the market place today. Not only are they easy to use, but they also give you amazing control over the appearance of the final image. You can transfer the pictures directly to your computer, where you are able to adjust the color and the contrast, remove red eye, crop and resize the image, add textures and a variety of other special effects. You can make your own prints at home on a relatively inexpensive color inkjet printer. If you don?t have your own printer, you can easily upload your images to an online photofinisher or you can just drop off the memory card at one of a growing number of photo finishers. The final resulting pictures can be emailed, made into cards or placed on T-shirts. They can be uploaded to any one of a number of photo-sharing web sites for storage, viewing, and sharing with others.

Depending on the specific size of the finished photo you are looking for, there is a wide variety of features available to you. If you want to make 4×6 snapshots, a camera with 4- or 5-megapixel resolution should be fine. You will also be able to make an 8×10 print of the same image that won’t look much different than one taken by a camera model with 6- or 8-megapixel resolution. To enlarge the image beyond an 8×10 print, or enlarge only part of it, you will want a camera with a resolution of 6-megapixels or greater. Cameras meant for automatic point and shoot photos, with a 3x zoom lens, will serve casual shooters as well as hobbyists much of the time. The full featured cameras in the advanced compact and super zoom categories offer capabilities that more dedicated photographers will want to have. One of the more important capabilities is to have a zoom range of 5x to 10x or more, which lets you bring distant outdoor subjects close and also lets you shoot candid portraits without getting right in your subject’s face. Another requirement is to have a full complement of manual controls that let you not only determine the shutter speed, but also the size of the lens opening.

Nikon D700

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj

Olympus FE-46

Normally you use a USB cable to transfer pictures from the camera to your computer, which is fine if you don’t have other peripherals competing for a USB port. The alternative is to read the images directly from the memory card. In this article we explore the important elements to look for in a digital camera.

Early digital cameras used to eat batteries as a pre-breakfast snack. Current models are less greedy, but it?s worth choosing a camera that enjoys a varied diet. Some take AA batteries ? rechargeable or otherwise ? while others use proprietary rechargeable battery packs, and most will run off an AC adaptor.

Ideally you want all three options, so you can switch to standard AA?s when the rechargeable gives up at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. The AC adaptor comes in handy when you return home and want to transfer the pictures onto your computer without depleting the last of the battery.

I spy with my Electronic Eye

The most important elements of a digital camera are the ones you can?t assess by reading the back of the box. The quality of the lens, CCD and compression software make the difference between sharp, colorful pictures and leaden mash, but there?s no easy way to find out how well a particular model can see. Don?t rely on a single review. Performance depends on the subjects chosen and look for sample images depicting the kinds of things you might photograph. Cameras that do well outside don?t always excel at indoor close-ups, and vice versa.

An LCD viewfinder/review screen that enables you to see your pictures straight away is an asset, but you also want an optical viewfinder for sunny days when your batteries are running low. Macro modes can bring you within a few inches of your subject ? much closer than you?d get with a conventional snapshot camera ? while zoom lenses keep you safely away from the safari park tigers. Make sure you?re getting an optical zoom, because the digital ones don?t do anything you couldn?t do on your computer later on. Rotating lenses are a bit of a gimmick unless you?re incredibly keen on self portraits.?

Unprocessed images are much larger than an affordable memory card can accommodate in reasonable numbers, so the files have to be compressed. Better cameras offer several levels of squish, enabling you to save a handful of good looking images, or a lot that have been stomped on really hard. If you?re going the megapixel route, it?s worth choosing a camera that can change down to 800×600 when you want snapshots for the web.

From Here to There

Although it?s usually possible to connect your camera directly to a television, and sometimes to a printer, you?ll generally want to transfer the image on to your computer. Your camera should come with suitable software, and these days some of it actually works quite well.

Many cameras also come with TWAIN drivers that enable you to load snapshots directly into image editing applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. If you don?t have either of these programs, don?t panic, because you?ll almost certainly get a basic image editor with your camera. It?s unlikely to be anything special, but it should enable you to crop, resize and sharpen your images ? the three things you?ll need to do before you display them on the web.

Digital photography is developing very rapidlyarticlesfactory, and the camera you choose today will be replaced by one that?s twice as good for half the price by this time next year.

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Fujifilm FinePix Z30

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15

Nikon Coolpix S70