Buying a Digital Camera...

I have been asked many times as to what is a good digital camera to buy. Here is my 2c's.

Digital camera's have come a long long way in the last few years. So you really cannot go too wrong with any of the Canon's, Sony, Kodak, Fuji or Olympus. The newer ones with over 5MP offer decent quality both in terms of picture and printing. More megapixels does not mean better quality. I have seen pictures from the Canon 5 MP A5xx series and they are as good as you can get. Sure, you can pay a lot more and get tons more megapixels, but what use are they going to be ? Are you ever going to blow up your pictures to more than 8x11 ? Probably not, and if you need to, then you better get a professional to take the picture.

My advise, do not blow up money on the advanced features you will never understand nor on Megapixels that you will never have use for. Go for a simple camera that works great in automatic mode.

Having said that, here are a few basic things to look out for:

1. 5MP / 6MP is the value for money as of today in terms of money paid per MP. 6MP should suffice almost everybody, but the most demanding users.

2. Never go for a digital camera that uses proprietary batteries unless it is too good. Look out for camera's which use AA, so that you can use NI-MH rechargeables all the time and if you are ever in a corner and need immediate power, you can buy a few AA's from any grocery shop to keep you going.

3. If possible, go for camera's that use a standard USB port. These non-standard cables are always a pain and if they go bad, you have to get it from the company for a high cost.

4. Given a choice, go for a camera that performs better in auto mode in low light conditions. You will find it very useful.

5. Never give a damn to the digital zoom numbers. Anything in the 4x optical zoom is okay for most people. If you move into the 10x optical zoom and more, the camera tends to get bulkier. Its a toss up between size (which will hit you every time) and zoom over 4x (which you will use rarely).

6. If the camera has video recording, make sure it can record sound too. Not that the video recording is anything useful at 640x480, but just make sure in case you need it.

7. This is the most silliest suggestion I will give. Never ever buy a camera where the lens cap is separate and cannot be attached to the body via a cable. Best if to go for camera's with in-built lens cap. You will lose it soon enough !!!

I have a Fuji 5MP camera that I got a few years back and never have had any complaints. But I personally think that the Canon A540 is a great camera. If you want to step up, the Canon A630 is amazing too. I have seen snaps from both of them and they rock.