#26 Buying that Digital Camera

The Mrs. said she didn’t like my picture on the blog. Something about having a VT growing out of my head. The result of that conversation is the picture she took last night. Any comments pro or con can be left by clicking the comment button below. I’ll pass on the better comments to the Mrs.

PCSS sells just 3 brands of digital camera: Nikon, Canon and Olympus. Why these three? We’ve found that the camera manufacturers have the best lenses. The better the lens, the better the picture is rule of thumb. Our chosen three also do a great job of providing cameras at every price point. From the least expensive point and shoot to the expensive SLR replacements, they offer them all. They also keep up with technology, but don’t chase it. I mean they add new technology in a measured way, rather then putting in bells and whistles without regard to usability. In layman’s terms, they are easier to use.

So what do you look for in buying a digital camera? You first need to answer this question: What kind of pictures do I usually take? Vacation, Work, Kids, Landscape, Sports, or a bit of everything? These answers will help to determine what type of camera to explore. For example if you like to take action pictures (Sports) then we’ll look for cameras with a faster shutter speed. Early digital cameras had a 1-3 second delay from when you pressed the button till the auto focus worked and the picture was taken. Newer cameras have halved that time, but if you are serious about sports, you’ll need a faster response time.

We like digital cameras that are simple and have a nice feature set. We still like having a view finder and a nice large viewing LCD (minimum 2.5”). You should be able to turn off the flash and view your pictures on your camera in a minimum of effort. Controls should be easy to understand. The camera should be sized to feel comfortable in your hand. Not too heavy, not too small. We have a Canon elf SD 200 that the Mrs. and I fight over. It’s very small and takes great general pictures. Not the best for Sports, but for vacation and friends very nice. Notice that I haven’t mention megapixels. It really doesn’t matter anymore. Every digital camera sold today has more megapixels then most can use with their current printers.

Smile!