Linda's Guide to Choosing a Digital Camera

I am the type of photographer who likes to have my camera with me and I just take a lot of pictures. Most are good, and some aren't. While on a vacation we capture all the sites. While at the Bryce Canyon we took our little Elph camera with us as we descended into the canyon (not as strenuous as going into the Grand Canyon). I could take nice pictures and still not get tired from carrying the camera. There was another photographer who was taking awesome pictures and using a variety of lenses. Her camera case was as large as my overstuffed carry-on bag. Even though we both had different cameras, we both had the right camera for us. So the first thing to think about is:

How do you want to use your camera?
Do not get a camera with a lot of lenses if your primary concern is to just have a camera you can tuck into your pocket and take decent pictures. You will get a different camera than the person who knows enough and wants to capture a fantastic picture. My guess is that if you are reading this page you are probably more like me and just want to have a good camera to capture life's moments. If you are the type who wants to take great pictures you already know more than I do!

Size Matters
No matter what they say, size does matter. In this case the sizes that matter are the size of the camera, the size of the storage medium, and the size of the LCD screen.

It is possible to get a camera that will slip into your pocket or one that requires a case. Choose the one that feels the best to you. A smaller camera might be uncomfortable for you to hold. Maybe a larger camera seems too heavy to carry around. Choose what feels best for you.

The storage medium is a memory card. Make sure that you can get a larger (more storage) memory card if you are someone who takes a lot of pictures. It is now possible to get a 1G storage card if you need it!

The LCD screen is what you view through when you take the pictures. Make sure you can see it clearly. Not only when taking pictures, but when accessing the camera's menu. If it is hard to read it will make it unpleasant to use.

Speed Matters
You want to be able to take pictures without delay. If your camera is slow, you will miss several shots while you wait for one picture to load. Try taking several pictures quickly -- if the camera won't do this, you will regret purchasing that camera.