Are You Buying “Too Much Camera”

Our natural tendency is to buy a digital camera with the greatest resolution we can afford. The reasoning is, why get a 3 MP (megapixel) camera, when I can have a 5 MP camera? And to some extent, this makes sense.

However, before you buy that camera, consider your needs. How will you use the camera and the digital pictures it produces? If you will mostly share your pictures via e-mail or post them on your website, 5 MP is overkill? A 3 MP camera will provide all the resolution you need for e-mail and the Web, and even for the occasional 5” x 7” print.

Buying a camera with more resolution than you need has hidden costs. For example:

* All other things being equal, the higher the resolution, the higher the purchase price. You can afford a lot more features in a camera with lower resolution.
* Shooting higher resolution pictures requires larger memory cards to store the same number of pictures.
* The files from a 5 MP camera will require much more storage space than those from a 3 MP camera. That means they'll fill your hard drive twice as fast… or require twice as many CD's to store them.

If you're wondering just how much resolution you need (how many megapixels), here's an easy way to figure it out:

Find out the number of pixels there are on the camera's sensor array – both across and down. (This number will be in the manufacturer's specifications.) For example, Canon PowerShot S2 IS is a 5 MP camera. At its highest resolution, the CCD uses 2592 pixels x 1944 pixels.

Divide each number by 200. Using our Powershot S2 IS example, 2592 / 200 = 12.96 and 1944 / 200 = 9.72.

The resulting numbers tell you how large, in inches, a quality print you can get from the camera. So, the S2 IS should be able to provide you with good prints up to 10” x 13”.

A Multimedia Digital Camera with Extras

The NV3 is a new Samsung digital camera that offers several intriguing multimedia – and other - features in a compact package. The NV3 offers movie mode in VGA resolution at 30 fps, MP3 download and playback capability, and – yes – stereo speakers.

The 7.1 MP NV3 has a 2.5” LCD monitor, an internal 3x optical zoom, 11 scene modes, an auto-macro feature for close-up photography and comes with Samsungs Advanced Shake Reduction technology.

Another nice feature is called “Wise Shot.” When you select Wise Shot, the camera takes the same scene once with the ASR on and flash off, and a second time with the ASR of and flash on. You can then select the photo which looks better to you.

Check the Reviews Before You Buy

When you're considering a new camera, it's a good idea to check out the opinions of the pros. A digital camera review can tell you a lot of details about the camera – such as if it lives up to the manufacturer's hype and how comfortable and easy it is to use.

You can find reviews online at camera magazines' websites – such as Shutterbug (www.shutterbug.com) and Popular Photography magazine (www.popphoto.com) or at review sites like Digital Photography Review (www.dpreview.com) and the Digital Camera Resource Page (www.dcresource.com).

It's always a good idea to check at least two reviews. One reviewer can miss something that another picks up – or a personal bias may color a reviewer's opinion.

Don't Forget the Extra Memory

One of the handiest accessories you can have is extra memory. A couple of extra memory cards can assure that you won't be stuck at a critical moment. Imagine needing - and not having - a spare memory card during your daughter's first dance recital, or at your sister's wedding.

Additional memory is affordable and necessary, and if you shoot a lot pictures, don't bother with anything less than 256 MB. Smaller cards will feel like 12-exposure rolls of film: used up before you barely get started.

And don't forget to take your camera's resolution into consideration. An 8 MP camera will chew through memory fast.

5 Megapixels – a Multitude of Options

Prices for fixed focal length 5 MP cameras start at around $100 – and about $25 more will get you a 3x optical zoom. Some of these cameras are feature-rich, and the number of models to chose from borders on amazing. Below are examples of the wide range of features available in this category.

Point-and-Shoot: Kodak EasyShare C533 – This inexpensive point-and-shoot offers a 3x optical zoom lens (37mm - 111mm in 35mm terms), 13 scene modes, selectable ISO and two auto focus options. The C533 has a movie mode with sound. As with most basic digital cameras, exposure is fully automatic.

Advanced: Fujifilm FinePix S5200 – Super-zooms aren't found just in the 7 and 8 MP realm. The FinePix S5200 packs a 10x optical zoom (38mm - 380mm in 35mm terms) for under $300. It also offers five exposure modes – including full manual. The S5200 records images as either JPEG or RAW files, offers three focus modes and has selectable ISO settings from 64 – 1600. Shutter speeds range from 1/2000 to 15 seconds. It even has a movie mode with sound and a small (3 frame) burst mode at 2 fps.

Unusual: Sanyo Xacti VPC-C5 – It looks like a tiny, hand-held digital video camera, because it is… but Sanyo's VPC-C5 is also a 5 MP digital camera with a 5x optical zoom. And just to confuse matters further, the Dual Shot function enables you to shoot both VGA-quality video and 5 MP stills at the same time! The VPC-C5 offers three metering modes, selectable ISO settings from 50 – 800 and even plays slide shows.

Finding True Deals on Digital Cameras

The first question most salespeople ask a digital camera shopper is, “How much do you want to spend?” Responding to this approach will almost always cost you the price you quote, but may not get all the camera you want or need.

Instead, make a list of features that are important to you, and then determine if they're within your budget. You may have to give up a feature or two, but you'll be getting the most camera for your money. And you may find that you can get what you want for much less than you thought.

The best place to start with your list of features is the manufacturers' websites. They'll tell you what models are available, the features and specs of each model, and – usually – the suggested price (MSRP). And many of them make comparisons easy. Once you've armed yourself with this information, you can search for the best prices on the cameras that best fit your shooting style, and choose the one that's right for you.