Digital Cameras - a digital photography revolution

Digital cameras have changed the way people take, store and view their precious memories. An expensive novelty just a decade ago, digital cameras have secured their place as the new standard for photographic equipment.

The presence of 35mm film cameras is all but non-existent in the low and mid-range camera market, and even high-end professional photographers are taking advantage of the phenomenal leap in the quality of digital equipment, from expanded megapixels to top quality lenses and digital SLR control.

The digital camera landscape

New technologies that make a sudden and significant impact are often called 'disruptive' technologies. And there are few examples of a disruptive technology as successful as digital photography.

In a matter of a handful of years, digital cameras have made 35mm film redundant, replaced expensive, specialist photo development labs with cheap desktop printers and gloss printer paper, and placed the art of photography squarely in the hands of the everyday snap-happy user.

Photo albums have been replaced by digital photo frames and expanded memory capacity on home computers, and the old-fashioned notion of 'multiple prints' has been replaced by limitless copies and instantaneous worldwide distribution through email attachments and photo sharing websites like Flickr and Picasa.

Internet-connected smart phones mean you can take a photo of little Jane playing on the swings, send it across the world to grandma, and it can be displaying in a standard or digital photo frame just a minute after it was taken. Eat your heart out Kodak Instamatic!

How to choose a digital camera

Choosing a digital camera is tricky. Just like trying to pick a mobile phone, different models are not easily comparable, with many variations in specifications. The main things to look out for are as follows:

Digital camera megapixels - how many do I need?

Despite popular opinion, more megapixels don't necessarily mean better photos. It really translates as how big you can blow up the photo before being able to see the individual pixels. Unless you're looking for large poster-size photos, 5 or 6 megapixels will be sufficient. Professionals usually pack equipment with at least 10 or 12 megapixels. Much like memory capacity in computers, every year seems to see an increase in available megapixels.

Two cameras with identical megapixels do not necessarily take identical photos. The lens is crucial. Consult an expert, read reviews and ratings or look for a name-brand lens (such as Carl Zeiss) to ensure your images look the best.

Camera batteries and battery life - replaceable or rechargeable?

Most digital cameras now come with rechargeable (and replaceable) li-ion batteries. Some models are also available with standard AA or AAA batteries too. Your choice will depend of your intended use.

Cameras with rechargeable batteries have impressive charge life, but if you're going to be away from a power source for many days at a time, you'll either need a replacement li-ion battery or you'll need a camera that takes standard size batteries.

Digital cameras with rechargeable batteries are typically smaller and lighter than their replaceable-battery counterparts, and are the most popular choice for consumers.

Digital camera memory cards

There is a bewildering array of memory cards on the market, including:

• Secure Digital (SD)
• CompactFlash (CF)
• Memory Stick (MS)
• MultiMediaCard (MMC)
• xD-Picture Card (xD)
• SmartMedia (SM)
• and more!

In effect, there's little difference in the result; they're all basic flash memory storage devices. The most important thing with memory cards is capacity.

If your camera is set to take high-resolution images, and is a standard 6 megapixel model, you can expect to store about 350 photos for every 1 megabyte (1MB) of memory card storage. Set your camera for medium-quality pics, and the number of photos your card will store almost doubles.

Given the ever-declining cost of memory, it's now possible to get a 2MB or even 4MB digital camera memory card for under $30.

Experts often warn that, as with computer memory, camera memory cards can become corrupt and fail, losing all the data (your photos). To guard against this, some recommend you have a couple of smaller memory cards on the go; that way if one fails, you won't have lost every photo from that once-in-a-lifetime holiday.

Best Sellers - Digital Cameras

One thing that didn't change with the advent of digital cameras was the position of the dominant camera brands in the market.

Canon dominates the digital camera market, and sometimes a Canon occupies every spot in the Top 10 best selling digital cameras! Nikon is also a top contender, with Fuji, Pentax and Olympus following behind.

From pre-digital days to now, the biggest loser has probably been Kodak. Kodak cameras, while being generally of sound quality and operation, have failed to capture any significant market share or excitement among purchasers.

Some of the newer brands in the digital camera market are the top electronics firms. Sony is the most successful of these 'new' entrants, although there are also cameras from Panasonic, LG, Samsung and even Casio.
So, what is the best digital camera?

It's a trick question! There is no single best model on the market. As with mobile phones, laptops, TVs, GPS units, mp3 players and most other consumer electronics, you need to take lots of things into consideration when selecting a digital camera:

• Your photography requirements
• Specifications, eg megapixels
• Price
• Design and style
• Brand reputation
• The 'feel' of the camera
• The user interface - is the camera simple to use?