Digital cameras have changed the face of photography forever. With the use of memory cards that hold hundred’s, if not thousands of photos you are no longer restricted to the olden days of 12 or 24 shots per roll of film. also don’t have to think about paying for processing for pictures that may not be 100 percent perfect. With digital cameras if you don’t like a photo you can just delete it, it’s as simple as that.

With the prices of digital cameras at an all time low, now is the time to take advantage of it and purchase your first camera or move up from your older 4 mega pixel camera to a newer 12 megapixel ones.

The newer digital cameras are loaded with features and it can sometimes be overwhelming when trying to compare different models. Although many of the features are nice to have there are four main distinct features that you want to fit to your personality first, so that you can be assured you’ll have a long love affair with your camera. Once you match these up, it will be much easier to find your perfect digital camera.

Viewfinder- LCD Monitor

Although most people over look this part of the camera, and look more at megapixels and fancy gizmo’s the LCD monitor is extremely important. More than likely you will be using the LCD monitor to view your picture taking more than the view finder and if you purchase a camera with a small LCD monitor and your eyes are not the best you will have a very hard time viewing the pictures.
I know that seeing a camera with a one inch monitor appears to be much better than looking through an old fashioned one quarter inch viewfinder but LCD monitors can be hard to view in different types of lighting. Try to purchase a digital camera with a LCD monitor that is at least two inches if you have less than perfect eyesight. This size will be easy to view and will still also allow you to purchase one of the smaller compact cameras.

Memory – Storage

If you are an avid picture taker or one that like to store photos, look for a camera that not only has an internal memory system but one that also allows you to use additional memory cards. Most newer cameras do have a slot for additional memory but check just in case. There is nothing worse than going on vacation, snapping pictures then finding that you have to start deleting pictures to make room for a video you want to take. Additional memory cards are inexpensive and do come in handy.

Video

Do you want your digital camera to also take video? You will pay more for one that does and if you don’t already have a video camera this is one feature that you definitely want. Pictures are nice but being able to also see and hear video without having to drag along a video camera is fantastic. I am always surprised how much we use the video function of our cameras.

Size

Yes, size does matter. It’s great to be able to have a small compact camera that you can slip into your pocket but if you have large hands you may find it to hard to work the buttons. I love my ultra-compact camera dearly, but my husband had a very hard time trying to hold the camera and push the right buttons, so he owns a much larger camera that looks more like a standard SLR film taking camera than a digital one.

Once you decide on the above features you can start comparing cameras. Then you can read the specifications such as zoom, flash, mega-pixels, battery type, brand name, lenses, file formats and make a purchase that you will be happy with. However, if you look at all the fancy stuff first and get caught up with all the additional features you may overlook the four necessities listed above so be sure to look for those first. I love my digital cameras and the thought of seeing pictures immediately still amazes me.

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