Everything Digital Cameras

Picking a digital camera brand is something that comes down to what the individual needs the camera for. What are the person’s goals with the camera? Personal use or professional use? These are just a few of the many questions one should ask them self before picking the brand they feel is best for their needs. Generally, there area few brands that tend to dominate the digital camera industry. Firstly there is Canon, usually the cameras with the highest technology. Secondly there is Kodak, which is known for a great balance and a very easy to use interface. Then there is Sony, which most people claim is quite similar to Canon, and is basically an alternative. Lastly, Olympus has quite a few good cameras, and is known for having unique features that many other cameras do not have.

When picking a digital camera, one should know that each camera falls into a certain category. These categories include ultra compact, compact, creative compact, SLR-like, and SLR. Ultra Compact are very small, easy to fit in your pocket, although with this comes very small buttons which people often find hard to use (many Sony cameras are ultra compact). Compact cameras are the most common cameras for people to buy, usually can fit in convenient places (for example, your pocket), and the buttons and such are usually not too small or too big. Most brands tend to have cameras that fall under this category since they tend to be so popular. Then there is creative compact, which contains much more options as well as features. Generally more expensive, but is good for those who enjoy playing around with photos. SLR-like are a bit bigger, very easy to control (bigger buttons), and are usually good for those taking pictures in places with little light. Lastly, SLR are the largest cameras. They tend to offer the best quality of picture, best pictures in areas with little light, and best overall kind of camera.

Picking a camera brand highly depends on what category you want (as described above). Generally, most brands stick with one or two of the categories above when creating their cameras. If you are looking for something ultra compact, look into Sony. If you are looking for something SLR, or SLR-like, look into Olympus. Picking a brand is often a choice of preference, but do not be fooled by just the brand name of a camera.

By: Chris Campbell

About the Author:

Create a video blog…instantly.

Last week we went on a hike up one of the local trails in Lake Tahoe. I left the SLR at home and brought my compact digital camera along. Half way up the mountain we encountered a bear. I got the camera out and captured a couple of photos before he ran off into the woods.

When I got home, I zoomed in and cropped the picture but the image turned out too pixelated. My 2 year old digicam didn’t have enough pixels to go around. The higher your cameras resolution, the more flexibility you have later editing your image. So now I’ve been shopping for a new compact digicam with at least 7 mega pixels. Here are my 5 top picks.

1) Casio Exilim EP-Z750 Digital Camera Review

The 7.2MP EP-Z750 is the smallest, lightest and thinnest camera in the group. It doesn’t look big enough to have 7.2 mega pixels but it does! The back of the camera is almost all LCD screen, 2.5″ worth, it’s extra large, ideal for composing and viewing your shots. It has a 3x zoom with anti-shake and 30 scene modes compared to the usual 8 or 12 on most digicams, plus you can make up your own too. Being this small you would figure that there couldn’t possibly be any manual controls, but you’d be wrong. The EP-Z750 has aperture, shutter priority and full manual settings which are all quick and easy to navigate. You get the hang of it real quickly. The quality of the photos you take with the Casio Exilim are surprisingly excellent with dynamic colors. The Casio Exilim Ep-Z750 view finder is quite small, thank you for the big LCD screen. It’s got a quality 640×480 movie mode at 30 frames per second. Weight 4.5 oz.

2) Nikon Coolpix 7900 Digital Camera Review

The 7.1MP Coolpix 7900 is small, light and easy to use and like the Casio camera reviewed above, can be considered an ultra compact. It’s large, bright 2″ LCD display is perfectly visible outdoors in the sun. Unlike the Casio, it has a bulge where the battery goes forming a grip which makes it easy to hold. But that adds to its overall thickness. The Nikon Coolpix 7900 has a 3x optical zoom, a large battery capacity for taking hundreds of pictures, and a good flash. 640×480 movies at a full 30fps and Nikon’s new Face Priority autofocus will automatically detect a face in the portrait and focus on it. The Coolpix has D-Lighting that lightens the dark areas. Somehow they also found room to squeeze in vibration reduction. The Nikon 7900 uses scene modes and there’s one for almost every occasion, they’re easy to use and work very well. The 7900 doesn’t have manual control. The Nikon Coolpix 7900 is a small easy to use point and shoot camera with high-resolution. Weight 5.3oz

3) Canon PowerShot SD550 Digital Camera Review

The 7.1MP SD550 is an attractive, lightweight, thin, ultra-compact unit with an extra large 2.5″ LCD screen and optical viewfinder. It uses 13 shooting modes including auto and manual. The PowerShot has a 3x zoom, equivalent to 37-111mm. This camera is fast! Shooting 2 photos per second till you use up all your memory. The speed of the auto focus is also significantly improved over earlier ELPH’s. Canon has put the new DIGIC II Processor in and its images are excellent. The movie mode is 640×480 at a nice 30 frames per second. Of course it’s PictBridge compatible and has a good flash. This is a solid performer with point and shoot ease. The Canon SD500, the SC550′s sibling is the same camera for $50 less with a 2″ LCD screen. Weight 6.08oz.

4) Olympus C-7000 Zoom Digital Camera Review

The 7.1MP, C-7000 is a very good looking compact digital camera with solid performance. Zoom is in the name, because this beauty has a 5x optical zoom, and a 6x digital zoom with the 35mm camera equivalency of a 39mm-190mm lens. This makes getting candid people shots easier, you don’t need to get as close to your subject, just use your zoom to get in. The Olympus C-7000 Zoom has a large 2″ LCD that is excellent even outside. You’re not going to make a feature length movie with it however, because it takes 20 second clips at 30fps. The pop-up flash works good and easy to read menus make the C-7000 fairly easy to navigate. It has the new Olympus TruePic Turbo Image Processor for fast cycle times and excellent details. The C-7000 Zoom has 11 shooting modes plus manual operation. It’s PictBridge Compatible for easy printing without a computer. This little Oly is tough to beat with it’s powerful zoom, small size and high resolution. Weight 7.07oz

5) Sony CyberShot DSC-W7 Digital Camera Review

The 7.2 MP DSC-W7 is bigger than the ultra compact Casio Exilim its considered a compact digital camera. In traditional Sony style, this small camera is well thought out and easy to use everyday. Its got a viewfinder and a really big 2.5″ LCD display that’s nice for viewing and composing your shots. The 3x optical zoom lens is a Carl Zeiss equivalent to a 28-114mm lens. No expensive batteries to buy ever, it comes with 2 AA rechargeable batteries. The Sony CyberShot has an extremely quick start up time and fast recycle time. The DSC-W7 uses the memory stick format and has a an internal memory of 32MB. A manual mode with aperture and shutter speed controls with a photo exposure preview. Your also hooked up with an excellent movie mode with good sound just what you’d expect from Sony. The Sony CyberShot DSC-W7 is a very nice camera that takes good hi-resolution pictures and is easy to use. Weight 6.90 0z.

You will notice that I haven’t put any prices here, because they seem to change by the day. Check our site for up-to-date price comparisons. Even pros have circumstances when a compact digicam is appropriate. These digicams are for everybody. Make your choice based on features that fit your shooting style. You will love the photos from all the cameras here. Spend the little bit extra on a 7MP camera and always use the highest resolution setting your camera has, because every picture you take is worth more than money.

By: Brandon Baumgarten

About the Author:

Website content

Who has the time to shift through reams of product reviews, or spend a half a day driving around malls talking with salespeople? Half the time, you don’t know what or who to believe, and all the tech talk seems to turn a simple purchase into a major event. If your looking to get the best digital camera available for under $200, you’ve come to the right place. There are a couple of good cameras (3 at most) to consider in this category. The remaining 90% of models in this category can be safely ignored.

Over last Christmas, I had to make the same type of purchase. I didn’t have a lot of time, and the wife thought a digital camera for her parents would be a great idea. As much as I’m a lover of technology, I wasn’t convinced this was a good idea. They’ve never owned a digital camera before, and don’t even have a computer. Not exactly the early adopter type. I looked around a bit, and was pleasantly surprised, and lucky to actually find a help salesperson at my local big box electronics store.

They right away recommended the Canon PowerShot A570IS. The IS stands for image stabilization. “Perfect” I thought for newbie digital camera types. At the time it was priced around $180, but I’ve since seen it online for around $150. I like Canon cameras, and have owned several over the years. They generally take great pictures, are very reliable, and intuitive to use. It’s been a perfect choice for them.

If your looking for something a little smaller in size the Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital Elph would be an excellent choice as well. I’ve recently seen it priced for about $170, and again you get the reliable Canon name. Image quality will pale somewhat compared to the A570IS, but miniaturization does come at a price.

By: Chris Campbell

About the Author:

digital camera

The history of the digital camera is quite interesting and it goes back quite a while. In fact, NASA used analog signals for a while and began changing them over to digital signals sometime during the 1960s. During this time computer use was also increasing significantly and technology for computers increased as well. The government was using digital technology at this time as well in the way of spy satellites. Soon, the private sector jumped in and helped take digital technology a long way. In the mid ’70s things started changing significantly and the road to digital cameras was paved. A machine vision camera as well as an industrial camera were introduced during this time frame as well with semi digital capacity but not exactly as we know it today. Nevertheless, digital cameras were well on their way to becoming famous.

Kodak played a big role in developing cameras and equipment that utilized digital quality or formatting in some way or another but it was not until 1991 that Kodak introduced a professional digital camera system. This digital camera was focused on photojournalists and it had a 1.3 mega pixel sensor. That was big back then but as we know today even the cheap digital cameras have more than 1.3 mega pixels!

In 1994 the first home use digital cameras were developed and marketed. They worked with a serial cable directly connected to the computer. This included the Apple QuickTake 100 camera and the Kodak DC40 as well as several others that showed up between 1995 and 1996.

Kodak really started marketing the personal digital camera and teamed up with Microsoft and Kinko’s to offer software as well as kiosks. Soon, the digital camera revolution had taken off and there were printers, cameras, and everything else that complemented the digital technology. As the years passed the digital technology increased and soon higher pixels were being offered, cameras were more affordable, and everyone was buying their very own.

Today digital cameras are super popular and it seems everyone has their very own. In fact, you can go buy a digital camera for a hundred dollars or a very nice one for a several hundred dollars. If you don’t have a lot of money then you can even buy one used for as little as $30 or $40!

By: Caitlina Fuller

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content

Digital cameras have become essential equipments in everyone’s life. It has to be handled with utmost care and concern. As it is a precision equipment, proper maintenance alone can sustain its life. By following some simple tips, the working life of digital cameras can be maximized.

It is always recommended to clean your equipment before every time of operation. You can use a lint cloth or muslin cloth for this purpose. You can also use a soft brush to remove the dust particles accumulated in the memory card slot.

The most sensitive spot in the digital camera is the lens. It has to be cleaned with utmost caution and safety. Any stain or spot in the lens may affect the quality of the image. So, it is essential to clean the lens whenever needed. Never use a paper napkin or paper towel to clean the lens. It is always safe to use fiber cloth or soft brush to clean the lens. Also use Drawcircle professional lens cleaning paper.

Keep your digital cameras away from direct sun light as it may affect the sensitive parts. Keep your camera in dry place that is free from electromagnetic radiation. Avoid high temperature as it may spoil the circuit board. It is not advisable to operate in low temperatures. Keep the cameras away from water and other liquids. Accidental spillage of such liquids may result in dysfunction of the camera. In case of contact with water, remove the batteries immediately and wipe with a dry cloth and blow hot air throughout the body. After a few minutes, reload the batteries and switch on the camera.

Always carry the digital camera in a safe carry case. This may avoid jerks and shocks to your cameras. Mountaineers can always use a specialty carry case.

Care should be taken to the LCD screens. You can cover with a scratch guard. It can be wiped with a dry cloth. Avoid direct contact of the screens with your hands as excess pressure may result in malfunctioning or improper display of the screen.

Memory card should be compatible with your memory card slot. Any mismatch will result in undesired result. Clean the slot with the help of a brush or with an air balloon. Never use damaged cards in to the memory slot.

Batteries are the inevitable parts of your digital cameras as they give life to your cameras. Most of the digital cameras are powered by rechargeable Li-ion batteries. Never leave the batteries in the gadget for prolonged time. Sometimes the batteries may explode due to short circuiting or accidental discharge. This may harm both the user and the gadget. After using your digital camera, it is always safe to remove the batteries from the gadget. Always store the batteries in dry place.

Care should be taken while transferring the files from your camera to your computers. Improper earthing may lead to short circuiting of your digital camera. Never try to disconnect your device while transferring files from your digital cameras to the computers. Virus or malicious program may corrupt your camera’s memory system. So, make sure of this stuff every time you transfer your file.

Beyond everything, it is necessary to service your camera in your nearest authorised service center once in a year. This could increase the efficiency of the camera.

Above all, it is always better to handle your camera on your own so that you may not encounter any unnecessary problems. Do not permit novices to operate the gadget. If you follow the above simple tips, you can maximize your camera’s performance and longevity. This will not only increase the stability of your camera but will also give you a new dimension to your digital photography.

By: Fredrick Joy

About the Author:

Create a video blog