Choosing a Digital Camera

Compact Point and Shoot Digital Cameras

Point and Shoot type digital cameras are your basic digital camera that are often small compact cameras that you can take anywhere! These cameras often have very small image sensors which reduce the quality of the picture and also the lighting. You will see 2 types of these cameras, one will have a separate optical view finder and the others will have an LCD. If it has a separate optical view finder this means when you compose your shot you will see slightly different than the image sensor, so your picture may not be exactly what you thought it was going to be. Point and Shoot cameras get their name because they are almost 100% automatic, you just point and shoot and your picture is captured.

After reading through my camera buying guide and you decided you want to go with the Compact Digital Camera click on Compact Digital Camera or use the navigation menus above.

Fixed Lens Digital Cameras

Fixed Lens Cameras are in your medium range cameras as they offer a bit of what the point and shoot cameras do as most of these have an automatic setting. You also get the manual settings and features of the SLR cameras as you can change your focus, aparture, shutter speed, ISO, and much more! With this type of camera you usually don't have to worry about dust, dirt, lint, pollen, etc. getting behind your lens as the lens is fixed to the camera and can not be removed or replaced easily. For people with this type of camera if you were wanting to get more power from your camera's optical zoom you would have to add-on to the existing lens. Fixed Lens Cameras are usually as big as SLR cameras and typically of same image quality. They are not considered Single-Lens Reflex because they lack the mirror system. This camera has your image sensor constantly viewing the image, there is no mirror system that switches so you can view through your lens back to the image sensor. Yes you can see through the lens, but you are actually viewing through the image sensor which then transmits the signal digitally to an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and finally you will then view the image on the LCD. Viewing through and LCD does not show you the exact photo as LCD screens lack quality of shadows and lighting.

Digital SLR Cameras

Digital SLR Cameras are the most popular photographer's camera as this camera uses a mirror system made of a pentaprism or a pentamirror which allows the camera to view and capture photographs through the same lens using this mirror system. You can not compose your images through your LCD screen. When you are composing a photograph looking though the optical view finder the image is bounced around through a series of mirrors, so you see the high quality image directly through your optical lens which is exactly what your image sensor will see as well. When you press your shutter button to capture your picture one of the mirrors move which disconects your optical view finder from the lens to connect the image sensor and then returns. SLR cameras usually have a larger body, lens, and image sensor resulting in higher quality photos. Almost every Single-Lens Reflex camera allows you to change your lenses. One of the downfalls is you have to use your optical view finder to compose your shot and can not use your LCD screen. You may also get dust, dirt, pollen, etc. on your image sensor while you are changing lenses which will cause dark spots or shadows on your images and you will not see this until you view your photo after it is taken.

Types of Image Sensors/Block-Array

CCD (Charged Coupled Device) - This is the most common digital image sensor used in high quality cameras. Almost every manufacturer has a CCD image sensor camera. Usually being their most expensive camera.

Pros:

• Highest Image Quality
• Low Noise
• Low or No Distortion
• More Sensitive to Light
• Enhanced for Dynamic Speed and/or Range
• Usually a bit smaller, resulting in smaller camera body

Cons:

• More Expensive
• Uses almost 100 times more power from your battery than CMOS

CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) - This sensor is used more as it is cheaper for camera companies to buy or produce. Just because all of this sounds bad this sensor can still take quality photos and will be very friendly with your battery and not suck it down instantly.

Pros:

• Lower Cost
• Uses Less Power
• Captures each pixel individually

Cons:

• Bigger in Size, bigger camera body
• Sometimes may add noise to your photos
• More sensitive to lens defects or dust on sensor
• Less Sensitive to Light, transistors block some light, may need to use a flash when the equal CCD will not