Choosing a Digital Camera Digital photography is growing in popularity, as the quality of digital imaging technology rapidly approaches that of traditional film, and as more people become both computer and web savvy. Digital images can be easily uploaded to your computer; from there they can then be manipulated using a variety of software, e-mailed to friends, or posted on a web site. The "film" used in digital cameras (i.e. storage media) can be used over and over again (and sometimes, depending on the format, can be used in different types of products such as MP3 players), so there's no need to run out and buy a roll of film every time you want to take pictures. Digital photography also provides a certain level of instant gratification, as you are able to immediately view your images, either on the LCD panel found on most cameras, or on your computer or TV screen. Listed below are descriptions of the key characteristics differentiating digital cameras.

Price

Price Range: From $50 to $2,500. Most of the digital cameras fall within $200 to $900 with an median price of $450.

Delay Between Shots

The amount of time (measured in seconds) it takes the camera to process and store an image when shooting in normal mode (non-burst), at the camera's maximum resolution setting (also known as Recycle Time or Lag Time).

Why is it important? The delay between shots ranges from approximately 1 - 20 seconds. To some, this may not be much of an issue. For others, having to wait a while before being able to take another shot may be frustrating.

Flash Type
The flash makes a burst of light for shooting inside or in low-light conditions.

Why is it important? The type(s) of flash available vary from camera to camera. The flashes built into most digital cameras have limited range and adjustibility (on average, these flashes do not work well beyond 10 feet), in comparison to external flash options which can provide a much more powerful and versatile flash. Keep in mind that a camera with a "Hot Shoe" or "Flash Sync," will often come with the standard built-in flash as well.

Flash Options:

Off/On/Auto - This refers to the basic flash functions, where the flash is always off, always on (for fill-ins, for example), or set to fire automatically when needed.
Red-Eye Reduction- This refers to a mode of flash that helps prevent the appearance of people with red-eyes in the picture.
Flash sync - allows one to use more powerful flashes, and/or place the flash strategically, by attaching an external flash unit to the camera. Typically, a camera with flash sync will also offer the more traditional forms of flash as well, such as auto flash.
Hot Shoe - This is a structure found on some digital cameras, to which an external flash unit is attached. Some cameras offering hot shoe capability also offer the more traditional forms of flash, such as automatic.