Still digital cameras work on the principle of light being focused onto a semiconductor, creating a digital image. Still Digital cameras have become more and more popular since their inception in 1988, with digital technology showing great progress and advancement. They are now a key part of the paperless age, with photos now typically being stored on computers rather than printed.
Creativity is highly personal, and it is what drives photography. When thinking of purchasing a still digital camera, talk to someone you know who owns one. Don't make a purchase blindly - check out all the information available on the Internet, so that you can confidently make a purchase.
Certain features are invaluable for different types of photography. For shots of the great outdoors you will need a large zoom lens. Children move fast, so when taking photos of kids in action you'll want fast response time. For portrait photography you'll want a model that is good in dim light.
Still digital cameras come in many models, you've got the Point-and-Shoot and the Digital SLR. If you are new to still digital cameras then stick to a simple model that's well-rounded - resist the temptation to splurge your money on a super-advanced still digital camera, because you'll be paying for a lot that you'll never use.
Point-and-Shoot Cameras
Beginners will like the point-and-shoot. It is mostly automatic, and will adjust itself for you based on the environment and lighting. You can still adjust the setting manually in many point and shoot still digital cameras as many still digital cameras offer presets for environments like sunny, outdoors, indoors, etc. Use automatic settings when you want the light sensitivity (ISO) and focal length calculated for you. Read around to find which cameras are best at this. The slim digital camera can offer solid features as well as small size, including image stabilization and blur reduction. Some even have face detection and most importantly red-eye reduction. You should also be able to find many slim digital cameras that offer a large, easy to use LCD screen.
The other feature important when purchasing a slim digital camera is the optical zoom. The higher the optical zoom the better the camera. Optical zoom still digital cameras can give more natural looking images, as they adjust the lens physically. Beginners don't necessarily need optical zoom unless they take pictures of distant landscapes, or perhaps smaller things like flowers, insects and leaves.
The Single Lens Reflex (Digital SLR) Camera
Digital SLR cameras are for the more advanced user (usually someone upgrading from a point and shoot still digital camera). The SLR digital camera is for those who want to manage and control what the camera does, rather than just point and shoot. SLR's come with interchangeable lenses, and have a myriad of manual controls but still maintaining automatic settings if you want. After you've selected the camera you want, check around for the right price camera.
