Gone are the days when photography was all about grainy pictures and poor focus. With the advent of digital technology, most of us can get great results from even the most basic of units. Besides great pictures, digital cameras allow you to hook up to the Internet and share your pictures with friends and family as well as order prints and exciting photo-based gifts.
Choosing a camera
The number of digital cameras available today can you leave you with a bewildering choice. The first step is to decide how you want to use the camera, the subject of your images and what you plan to do with the images once you have taken them.
Situation / subject
If you plan to use your camera for parties and holiday snaps then a small, compact camera will be suitable. If you plan to shoot indoors then don't forget to get one with a built in flash (with red eye reduction if possible).
Remember that in bright sunlight the LCD screens on the back of digital cameras can be quite hard to see. Aim to purchase a camera with a traditional viewfinder in addition to a screen.
A x3 zoom is sufficient for most uses (it equates to around 105mm at full zoom) but ensure you opt for optical zoom rather than digital zoom. An optical zoom works with traditional lenses, a digital zoom works by blowing up the image and making a guess at the detail, this always produces poorer results.
What is a MegaPixel?
The most important feature of a digital camera is the resolution of the images it can take. This resolution is measured in 'MegaPixels', which is geek speak for 'millions of pixels'. The higher the number of MegaPixels, the bigger the image and the better the image will appear when printed out. The table below gives a simple guide to the type of camera and the size of the prints you will be able to achieve.
| Type | Cost | MegaPixels | Printed Size | |
| Party | Compact | <£200 | 2 MegaPixel | <6x4" |
| Holiday | Compact | £200-£300 | 3-5 MegaPixel | 6x4" - A4 |
| Sports /Art | Digital SLR | £800-1000 | 6 MegaPixel + | <A3 |
| Profess- ional | Digital SLR | £1500+ | 8 MegaPixel + | A3 + |
Memory
Digital cameras usually store images on removable memory cards. Memory cards are the equivalent of rolls of film. There are many different types and formats but they are all quite similar and only the pros need to worry about the details. The most common and easy to buy are SD (Secure Digital) and CF (Compact Flash) cards. The storage capacity of a memory card is measured in Megabytes (Mb) purchase the largest memory card you can. A 2-4 Mega Pixel image will require approximately 4Mb of storage therefore a 32Mb memory card could only hold 8 images.
Printing and sharing
One you have the images on your camera it is a simple process to transfer them onto your computer to manipulate or store. The joy of digital photography is that you only pay to print want you want to display or share.
At home
One option is to copy the images onto your PC or Mac and print the images on your own desktop printer. Almost all cameras are supplied with basic image manipulation software to crop or recolour photos, but the quality of a desktop printer is usually not very good.
On the high street
Many high street stores offer in-store facilities to print your images to a professional standard (remember the quality of the print will depend of the Mega Pixel value of your image). This option is simple but, at around 50p per 6x4" print, can be quite expensive if printing a large number of images.
Online
The cheapest and easiest solution for photographers with an Internet connection is to use an online photo service such as Photobox.
Upload the images you want printed along with the size and paper type by using a simple online application. Photobox then post the images back to you within a few working days. The quality is as good (if not better) than the high street stores, but the cost is usually much lower.
Sharing your photos
One of the great features about hooking up your digital camera to the Internet is the ability to share your snaps. Once uploaded to Photobox you simply choose the 'share this album' option and enter the email addresses of the people you want to open your album too. It's much easier than trying to send photos by email and friends can easily order prints or gifts of their own from your album.
Next Steps
Getting into digital photography is easy. The technology is now very simple to use and with hundreds of cameras on the market the prices are very competitive. Once you've purchased the gear it's free to take pictures because you only pay if you want professional prints. Get out there, get snapping and get uploading!
