10 Steps to Digital Camera Shopping
Written by: Adam Jonathan Raymond Westrop
Photos by: Ryan and Maeda

So you are about to purchase a digital camera, you are getting excited about the prospect of having that slick new camera in your hands and you are now off to the store to buy that digital camera you want, right? No, wrong. There are 10 steps you must consider to purchasing a digital camera, read this article then by all means pop down the shop and make your purchase because you will already be wiser.

Here are the ten steps.

1. Know your budget. Yes, unfortunately this is the most important consideration. There is no good in considering the top of the range camera if you are unable to afford it. Also make sure if you going to a store to buy your digital camera, tell the salesman straight away what your budget is! Do not be pressured into expanding your budget.

2. What use is the camera for? Is this for professional use or taking the odd pictures of your children? Will your camera be used mostly indoors, outdoors, or both? Always keep in mind the specific purpose of the camera, this alone will help elimination of the various cameras and help you select the camera right for you.

3. Desire Versus Needs. I think it is obvious that everyone would have the best camera in the market if money was no object, however money is an object for most people and what determines the price of cameras is the amount of features included. When looking at your camera give serious consideration over what features are absolutely necessary. It is all good having a camera with hundreds of features, however if you only end up using several features you have wasted your money!

4. Do your research. Read independent reviews etc. Fight the urge to react to any advert or advice your friend has given you. Although the information they give you may be factual, there may well be a better digital camera on the market. Read and read, and once you become tired, read some more. Then you will have even more knowledge to make an informed decision.

5. Having a LCD screen or not? Having a LCD screen will mean you can review your pictures, however consider that it is an extra cost.

6. Memory Cards. Does the camera have an option to insert memory cards or do you just have the internal memory to go on? Obviously the option for memory cards will result in more flexibility.

7. Pixels and Resolution. The higher the mega pixel range, the better quality the pictures. Again consider that the higher the mega pixels the higher the cost. If you are just using the camera to view pictures on websites etc then a lower mega pixel range may suffice, if however you will be printing large scale photos of your pictures then a higher mega pixel range will have to be considered.

8. Is the camera compatible with your computer? This is not normally a problem, however should be borne in mind for older computers and MAC computers.

9. How user friendly is the camera? The digital camera should be very easy to use. It is no good to you if the digital camera has endless features which you do not know how to use.

10. Consideration of the digital camera brand over the features and price. It is a lot easier to consider the big brands and go with one of their top models, but take a look at the lesser brands which do not immediately spring to mind and look at their models and features, you may well get a better deal.

Using these 10 steps will put you in a better position to purchase your next digital camera.

About the Author
Adam Westrop has a passion for delivering key information and showing the best prices on the Canon elph digital camera range.

PictureCorrect Comment: The most popular all-around camera right now (October 2008) is the Canon Powershot SD1100 which is an 8-megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom. Designed for style and functionality, it features five colors, optical image stabilization, face detection, motion detection, the DIGIC III imaging processor, and 18 shooting modes.