Size and weight

Resolution

Level of Control

Options and features

The size and weight of a digital camera for one person varies greatly to that of another. If you want a camera that is lightweight and will slip into a pocket or purse then a ultra-lightweight cameras will probably be good for your needs. These are often the least complex of the cameras as they offer point and shoot simplicity and are a good camera for beginners. At the other end of the size and weight scale comes a bulky 1? pound SLR camera for the serious photographer who wants the best camera with all of the accessories to take the perfect shot.

The resolution you need can narrow down which is best camera for your requirements. The resolution affects the detail of an image for printing quality and the higher the resolution the greater the detail. The best for printing standard size pictures has a lower resolution than if you want to create oversize prints.

The camera for being able to edit and manipulate your images is one with a resolution of 5 or 6 mega pixels so that you can crop the images with photo editing software and still print them out full size.

The amount of control that you have available will also be an issue in finding the best camera. Some people think that the best digital camera is one they can use in an automatic mode and let the camera do the work. Others choose the best digital camera that allows them more input in the creative process by manually adjusting the focus, speed, aperture and other settings. A simple point and shoot camera is the best camera for people not wanting to make any setting changes but the range of manual controls available on other cameras varies with make and model. The latter will require more research to find the best digital camera to meet your requirements.

The next part in deciding which is the best digital camera to buy is to assess what, if any, additional features you would like. Here are some suggestions:

Audio annotation to add commentary to your images.

Burst shooting which allows you to take multiple pictures in rapid succession for fast moving action shots.

Macro photo capability that focuses on extreme close-up detail for images of flowers, insects, etc.

Movie mode with audio to take short videos.

Panoramic stitching function, often included in a camera's software package, which joins individual images into a multi-photo panoramic picture.

Weatherproof casing

The most important aspect in choosing the best digital camera for you is ensuring that you are comfortable using it and have some fun taking pictures.