Shopping for a Digital Camera
Here are some questions to ask when looking for a digital
camera:
How many megapixels?
What is the shutter speed?
What is the capacity of the memory card?
How much power do you get from the battery?
Hot Cameras and Accessories
Camera Shopping Resources
How many megapixels?
You can get a 4-megapixel camera for a very good price, and
that is sufficient for the average user. It will make high
quality prints up to 8x10. There are also some new 7.1 megapixel
cameras at surprisingly reasonable prices (under $500), such
as the Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital Elph.
What is the shutter speed?
This means how long from the time you press the shutter to when
the photo is actually taken. A long delay could mean your subject
has moved out of position by the time the picture is taken.
What is the capacity of the memory
card?
You may want to buy a back-up card, particularly if you are
going on vacation and plan to take lots of photos.
How much power do you get from
the battery and is it rechargeable?
There is nothing worse than taking photos at a party or on
vacation and having your camera run out of juice. You may
want to carry a spare battery with you if it is inconvenient
to take your battery recharger on outings.
Top Rated Digital Cameras
Below are the top digital cameras as rated by PC Magazine:
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 - 7.2 MP superzoom. Nice
wide viewing angle, 3-inch LCD. Compact, affordable and
takes excellent pictures. Cost: $260-350
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 - Offers D-SLR-like quality
and performance at a great price. Shoots video in standard
and 16:9 format at 30 fps. Optical image stabilization.
Cost: $449-$600
-
Canon PowerShot SD1000 - Ultra compact 7.1 MP
Excellent picture quality and overall performance. No
shutter lag. Cost: $198-$300
-
Canon PowerShot A630 - 8MP compact with excellent
controls and user-friendly features, lots of features
and manual controls, 4x optical zoom, 2.5 inch LCD. Cost:
$180-230
- Canon Rebel XTi - 10.2 MP D-SLR Very good performance
with excellent image quality. Light weight. Price is good
for a D-SLR of this quality: $600-$800
- Casio Exilim EX-S770 - 7.2 MP ultra compact. 2.8-inch
LCD, easy menu system, very good video features. Cost: $210-300
- Nikon Coolpix S50c - Excellent wireless capabilities.
Lots of special features for the price, but a bit complicated
to use. Cost: $349
- Olympus SP-550 UZ - 7.1MP Superzoom - Huge 18X
optical zoom and wide-angle view. Digital image stabilization.
Some noteworthy ISO and burst-mode functions. Cost: $329-458
- Nikon D40 - Compact and simple to use. Handy guide
features. Price is low for a D-SLR. Cost: $496-$650
Recommended
Merchants:
Amazon
has some excellent prices on digital cameras, and free shipping
on purchases over $25.
Kodak.com
has the best selection of Kodak cameras, printers and accessories
than you will find anywhere else, including newly released
products not yet in stores. Plus they offer frequent discounts
and promos.
RitzCamera.com
 carries
all major brands of digital cameras, printers and accessories.
They offer free shipping and no sales tax.
Panasonic
Direct 
is the source for their excellent, if under-marketed, digital
cameras.
Wal-mart
carries a variety of digital cameras at very competitive prices
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