| I'm a firm believer in the power of choice. Choice in | | | | - LCD screen (at least 2.5 inches and 230,000 pixels) |
| cars, choice in cable providers, choice in which movies I | | | | - image stabilization (great for shaking hands and slow |
| watch, and choice in how I live my life. Freedom of | | | | ISO settings) |
| choice is in our constitution and charter of rights. I'm | | | | - face detection / auto focus ( not essential, but could |
| also a firm believer in keeping things simple, and there | | | | save a few bad pictures) |
| is such a thing as too much choice. Take digital | | | | - battery performance (most cameras give a rating |
| cameras for instance. As of today, Amazon has 3,859 | | | | based on number of pictures you can take with one |
| digital cameras (and accessories) listed ranging in price | | | | set of batteries) |
| from $24,995.00 all the way down to $40.99. That's | | | | - flash recharge time (slow recharge times can result |
| not choice, that's a frackin' nightmare! | | | | in missed pictures) |
| Well, were do we go from here? I did promise a | | | | - size (choose from ultra compact, compact, or extra |
| SIMPLE guide to digital camera buying, and I meant it. | | | | case need just for lenses) |
| Let's apply the 90% rule from one of my favorite old | | | | - SLR or point and shoot ( pros vs amateurs) |
| science fiction writers Theodore Sturgeon. Theo said | | | | - ISO settings (if your into manual tweaking) |
| (and I loosely quote): "90% of everything is crap". With | | | | - built in camera editing (things like removing red eye) |
| that in mind, let's eliminate all the crap. Let's only look at | | | | - macro lens function ( for photographers that like to |
| the top cameras from whatever category / budget | | | | take pictures of really really tiny things) |
| were interested in. In other words, as your reading any | | | | - memory cards (some take CF, some take SD, some |
| camera reviews, don't bother with a camera if it | | | | take both . . . what you already own may help you |
| doesn't receive at least a 4 or a 5 star review. | | | | decide) |
| Next, draw up a short list of the most important | | | | Once you have your short list of features, it's time to |
| features for you. Here's a few to choose from : | | | | try a few cameras out. I like to visit the camera store, |
| - megapixels (at least 5 or 6) | | | | and take lots of pictures. Go during the off hours, and |
| - image sensor size (bigger is better . . . not megapixels, | | | | find a helpful salesperson. Ask question, take pictures, |
| that's different . . . if the salesperson can't answer this, | | | | ask more questions. Wash rinse repeat with a couple |
| find another salesperson) | | | | of cameras, and even a couple of salespersons if |
| - zoom lens (anything more than 12x or 70mm and | | | | necessary. Pretty soon, you'll know what you like. |
| you'll probably need a SLR) | | | | |