by: Steve Gargin
Digital camera prices have been constantly
dropping whilst the quality and complexity of the digital
cameras has been rising rapidly. People who used to only dream
of owning a digital camera because of the excessive digital
camera prices may now be able to afford much better cameras than
they realize. In fact, digital camera prices have changed so
dramatically that a 5- or 6-megapixel point-and-shoot digital
camera has dropped below what a 4-megapixel camera was selling
for less than a year ago.
Digital camera prices of $200-$300 are now
common for good point-and-shoot digital cameras that come with
an image resolution of up to 5 mega pixels and a 3X optical zoom
lens. It is important to recognize what the minimum features are
to expect for this range of digital camera prices. Digital
camera prices between $200 and $300 should include:
* 1.3 frames per second shooting capability
* 10 to 20 scene modes
* built-in flash
* lens openings from f2.8 to f4.8
* optical viewfinder and an LCD of 1.5 to 2
inches
* optical zoom lens with a range equivalent to
that of a 35-115mm lens
* rechargeable batteries
* shutter speeds of 4 seconds to 1/2000 second
* solid plastic or metal housing
* video clip capture at 320 by 240 resolution
with audio
Digital camera prices can vary and it is
essential to know what the most useful features are. Obviously
you want to take good pictures but don’t want to pay the
inflated digital camera prices that the high-end cameras have.
However, your priority should be to assess which features are
the most important to enable you to take the best pictures. The
higher the numbers of megapixels that the cameras have, the
higher the digital camera prices are but this does not
necessarily guarantee better pictures.
One of the most useful features to look for in
the $200-$300 range of digital camera prices for point-and-shoot
picture taking is scene modes. Digital camera prices are not
affected very much by having scene modes but these allow an
amateur photographer to take shots such as a fireworks display
and sunsets without knowing how to adjust the camera settings
manually. The majority of the better digital cameras within the
$200-$300 range of digital camera prices have scene mode
selections available. Another feature of cameras within the
$200-$300 range of digital camera prices is that they are
compact and will fit in a jacket pocket. |