Digital Camera 4U

Simple isn't it?

Just go to the shop pick up the camera priced at your budget, unpack it and use it... 

What could be easier.

Anyone who has tried this approach has found that it really is not that simple and there are too many things to consider for the average person.

How about this dialemma:

You get to the shop and the sales assistant says:

"Today the best deal we have at your budget is this camera that also has a mobile phone included so you can send pictures to your mates"

Do you buy a camera as you originally thought or do you go for this brilliant deal?

Two things to ask yourself here:

1. What will I use the pictures for?
2. Does my budget allow for the monthly contract cost of the phone?

Most pictures I take are to use on web-sites and the rest are an aide-memoir at social gatherings and holidays etc... so the quality I like is the best I can afford.  Other factors creep in such as:

1. The size of it to carry around and pack to go with me
2. How long do the batteries last
3. How long do the batteries take to charge up
4. Are the batteries replaceable
5. What are the pictures stored on - how many full quality images stored
6. Does it record sound in mp3 format
7. Does it record video in mpeg format
8. How easy is it to operate
9. Does it have good quality optics (no good being 5.1mega pixels if lenses are rubbish)
10. Does it come with good free software to edit all of the things I use it for
11. Is the software compatible with my computer
12. Does it have a direct wireless, USB or firewire connection to enable it to act as a webcam
13. Does it have optical zoom
14. Does it come with a case and carry strap
15. Does it have a timer mode so you can set it to take a picture of you
16. Does it have a flash and/or a hotshoe for a flash
17. Does it have mp3 player functionality
18. Is the screen bright enough to use outside
19. Is it rugged enough for what I am doing, where I am going

Add your own criteria to this list and put details of what you want against the list before you go to the shops.

In the shops you go through the list using the closest match cameras to choose the one you want and guess what.  If you budget does not cover it you go home and work out how to up your budget.  If you are over budget - great you saved money.

The morale here is do your ground work first to decide what you want/need and stick to it.

That phone deal is only attractive if you were after a phone anyway and the camera quality was not the issue - you just wanted to someting to a few snap rough pictures in emergencies.

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