Ask about megapixels when comparing cameras.
Looking over a sea of shiny, compact digital cameras at a retail store is daunting. With so many similar features, comparing point and shoot digital cameras requires investigating the technical abilities of each camera, determining the cost of extra mandatory accessories (batteries, chargers, etc.) prices and extra features. Start by asking the sales associate if you can handle the cameras to see which one feels sturdy in your hands, then start asking the technical questions.
Instructions
1. Ask how many megapixels the digital camera uses to record a photograph. The larger the megapixel count, the more you can crop or enlarge the digital image. For standard 4-inch album sized prints, choose a minimum of 5 megapixels.
2. Look for an optical zoom feature. Compare the camera's ability to bring the subject matter in closer. Toggle the zoom switch and make sure it feels comfortable in your hands. Optical zoom uses the lens of the camera. Digital zoom crops the images in the camera, reducing the overall megapixel count, resulting in lower quality images.
3. See what type of battery the digital point and shoot camera requires. Ask if it comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and charger or if you need to purchase batteries separately, and what kind they use. Find out comparatively which type of battery will last longest.
4. Try the features. Turn on the camera and ask use the face-detection focusing feature, convert photographs to black-and-white or crop on the camera. Determine which features you enjoy and choose a camera in your price range with those features.
5. See what type of digital media the camera uses. Determine if you have a drive on your computer or a port on your printer that will accommodate that card style. If not, check the price of a digital media card reader and add it to your cost comparison of the digital cameras.
6. Compare prices after looking at several cameras. Compare the cost with the features you desire. Remember to calculate the additional cost of accessory batteries, battery chargers and digital media cards if they are not supplied with the camera.
Tags: digital cameras, digital media, camera uses, cameras Compare, megapixel count, type battery
