Whether you simply want to take snapshots, and post them on the Web, or send them to your friends, by email, or you require creative, professional control of shooting and manipulating images, and high quality prints, you will find a digital camera to suit your requirements. Digital cameras, from basic, entry level models, to advanced SLR ("Single Lens Reflex") models, have no film that needs to be replaced, and, as the photographs that you take can be viewed instantaneously, eliminate the cost of developing photographs that you dont want.
Key Features
One of the most important components of a digital camera is a photosensitive silicon chip, known as a "Charge Coupled Device", or "CCD", or "Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor", or "CMOS". It is the characteristics of this chip, or sensor, which determine the frame size and sensitivity of the camera, and the quality of the finished photograph.
"Resolution", often quoted as "mega pixels" (MP), or millions of pixels, is the total number of tiny, individual picture elements (or "pixels") that an image contains. A 1.0 MP, or 2.0 MP, digital camera may be suitable for standard, 6 inch x 4 inch photographic prints, or the equivalent for example, for photographs sent by email, or displayed on the Internet but larger, 10 inch by 8 inch prints may require a minimum resolution of 3.0 MP, and for truly advanced, professional results, at least 7.0 MP, or 8.0 MP, may be required. The Mustek DV5200 model, for example, is a digital still, and digital video, camera, with a maximum resolution of 5.4 MP.
Zoom capability, that is, the ability to produce a close up, magnified image of your subject, can be confusing, not least because there are two different types of zoom. "Optical" zoom is, far and away, the more important of the two, because it involves real, physical movement of the camera lens. "Digital" zoom, on the other hand, is, as the name suggests, purely a digital, or software effect, the results of which may be largely unsatisfactory. Some camera manufacturers attempt to disguise poor optical zoom capability by quoting a confusing, and effectively meaningless, "total zoom" figure. For satisfactory results, look for a digital camera with at least "3x" optical zoom, and higher, if you can afford it.
Batteries may not seem to be all that important, at the outset, but by the time you have snapped your way through your umpteenth set of disposable batteries, you may find that the cost is mounting up. Rechargeable batteries, preferably lithium ion ("Li-Ion"), or lithium polymer ("Li-Po"), batteries, are likely to prove more economical in the long term, particularly if you are a keen photographer. The initial cost of these is, of course, somewhat higher than that of disposable batteries.
Conclusion
Digital photography can become addictive, and while, as a beginner, you dont need an advanced digital SLR camera costing hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds, it may be worth factoring in a little room for expansion in your initial purchase. You may find, for example, that a basic, entry level digital camera is limited in its capability when it comes to larger, better quality prints, or if your level of skill improves, and you are interested in more manual control over your photography.
