How To Choose The Right Digital Camera

     Digital cameras and their features are always changing.  It's hard to find the right camera because there are so many different ones to choose from.  Buying a point and shoot digital camera is an investment and careful study should be done before spending money on your investment.
    One good thing with all the changes is that its easier to put pictures on a computer or printer.  Today there are wi-fi cameras that are easy to use with out cables.  All of these changes are for your benefit. 
    For consumers 2011 was a good year for buyers.  In the face of weaker sales, manufactures have slashed prices; especially for entry-level models.  A good example is the Nikon's new Coolpix S3100 with a 14-mega pixel compact digicam with a 5x zoom that shoots HD video retails at $139.00.  This should be a good base price to start with on an entry level point and shoot.  Currently this digital camera sells for $80.00 plus $6.95 for shipping; click here to see more.

    Your new digital camera should have these key features:

• At least a 12MP imaging device for a D-SLR
• At least a 10 MP imager for a point and shoot
• Optical zoom of 3x; wide-angle preferred
• The highest quality optics
• A large LCD screen; the more pixels, the better the quality
• The widest range for aperture (f/stops), shutter speed and ISO
• An AF illuminator of AF Assist mode for best flash shots in dim light
• Intelligent Auto and a variety of Scene Modes including Face Detection for more convenient shooting in a variety of situations
• And make sure you do you ergonomic hands-on test
• Its very important to have a Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery

       In the past cameras used film that had to be developed then printed using an imager that made prints from your film.  Today every digital camera has a USB 2.0 Hi-speed port so images can move between your camera and PC with the touch of a button.  Today manufactures are able to make compact cameras that fit in a purse or a pocket.  This is done because today images are stored on a memory card.  The most popular cards are Secure Digital (SD, SDHC, or SDXC), Memory Stick Pro Duo and Compact Flash.  Choosing one over another  really shouldn't be a consideration unless a person has cards from an old camera.  Today a person can store thousands of pictures and video on a small memory card.
    Today's digital cameras have chips that take an image viewed through the lens of the camera and turn it into digital data that is saved to memory.  Imaging devices are measured in pixels.  The higher the pixel number, the better the picture will be.  While researching different cameras, the camera makers will state the maximum picture size you can take.  For example a 10MP camera has 3648 horizontal by 2736 vertical pixels, 12MP are 4000x3000 and then so on.  All you have to do is simply multiply the numbers and you get the effective resolution of a imaging device.  Remember the higher the pixel you shoot in the more memory you use on your card.  If you shooting landscape us a high pixel number.  If you just shoot for emailing or face booking lower the pixel numbers and you will save space on your card.  Right now compact digital cameras go up to 16MP and the more professional cameras go up to 24MP.  One good thing to remember is that camera makers are cutting back on to 10MP and 12MP to get faster shutter speed.  This is a great new quality for people taking everyday pictures.