Buying a Digital Camera

Buying a digital camera can be complicated and expensive. You may be baffled by the array of different shapes, sizes, features and prices, and discouraged by the prospect of having to put in weeks of research. But how do you get around this and still ensure that the camera you buy is the best for your needs and budget?

Buying a Digital Camera
Buying a digital camera can be complicated and expensive. You may be baffled by the array of different shapes, sizes, features and prices, and discouraged by the prospect of having to put in weeks of research. But how do you get around this and still ensure that the camera you buy is the best for your needs and budget?

Here at Shopper, we review over 80 cameras a year. This gives us a comprehensive overview of the market and its underlying trends and technologies. However, unlike the specialist photography publications, we understand that some people want to be directed to their ideal camera with the minimum of fuss. In this feature, we've distilled our knowledge of the best models available between £80 and £1,000 to help you find the perfect camera in just 15 minutes.

Go with the flow

We've reduced your buying decisions to simple questions, which you'll find in the flowchart. If you have only 30 seconds spare, this is hopefully as long as it'll take to work your way to a recommended camera. However, if you have a few minutes spare, there are a few things that may help when using the flowchart.

First of all, it's worth bearing in mind that SLR cameras are dramatically different from the other types of camera we review in Shopper. They have vastly superior image quality, performance, options and tactile controls, although they are bulkier, too. If you already know that you want an SLR camera, read the 'Focus group' walkthrough.

The three main criteria to think about are camera size, zoom range and image quality. These are the areas where our recommended cameras vary most and they are interrelated. Bigger zooms and superior image quality tend to make the camera bulkier. As a result, there's currently no such thing as an ultra-compact camera with a big zoom and fantastic image quality. If you're able to settle for a compromise in one of these areas, you can get a fantastic performer in the others.

Panasonic's DMC-LX3 is compact and takes superb pictures, but it has only a 2.5x zoom. However, an SLR with an ultra-zoom lens takes fantastic pictures but is large and heavy. If you are really unable to prioritise between size, image quality and zoom range, Panasonic's DMC-TZ5 and Canon's SX110 IS spread the compromise out over these three areas and achieve an appealing balance.

Digital cameras vary hugely in size, from ultra-compact designs that are no bigger than a mobile phone through larger compacts and ultra-zoom cameras to SLRs. Rather than assess size as a sliding scale, we've divided cameras into those that are and aren't pocket-sized. This makes it easier to make recommendations, but we believe it's also a fair distinction.

A 300g camera isn't much harder to carry around than a 100g one, as long as it will fit in a pocket or small handbag. If you need a bigger bag for an ultra-zoom camera, it's not a huge strain to carry an SLR instead. You should choose pocket-sized if anything bigger will end up being left at home - just bear in mind that doing so rules out cameras with the biggest zooms and the highest image quality.

For most other decisions, it's a question of whether you're willing to pay extra for a certain feature or attribute. Bigger zooms and advanced controls cost more and, as a general rule, better image quality costs, too. There are plenty of exceptions, but among our recommended cameras these assertions hold true.

How much?

You're probably wondering why you would pay more for a bigger or more advanced camera. Better image quality is one reason. Image quality is a complex issue, governed by a range of influences. Fortunately, you don't have to worry about them here, as we've rooted out the weaker models and recommended only those cameras with the best image quality in their field. Of course, you may still be wondering how much variety there is between the best and the worst. The answer depends on shooting conditions and what you intend to do with your photos.

All the cameras we recommend will take excellent pictures when there's plenty of light available, such as in daylight. There is a difference in image quality between Pentax's £80 M50 and Nikon's £750 D90, but it's not as big as the price gap suggests. However, while you'll spot the difference easily when comparing A4 enlargements, it will be less apparent if you downsize the images to one megapixel before uploading them to a photo-sharing website. In fact, it may be hard to tell such small pictures from these two cameras apart.

It's a whole other story when there's not much light available, such as when shooting indoors without the flash. Indeed, the difference in image quality will be massive. The 'How low can you go?' box above indicates what you can expect from various types of camera in low-light conditions.

While a bigger zoom will lead to a trade-off in a camera's size or image quality, it can also boost the subjective quality of photos. Ultra-zoom cameras capture faraway subjects in stunning detail, which is useful for nature or sports photography, holidays and just about every other photo opportunity (except when shooting indoors, in normal-sized rooms). A camera with a bigger zoom could be more useful to you, in practical terms, than one with better image quality.

Back to the features

While size, zoom range and image quality are our three primary concerns, there are certainly a few other things to consider. One feature some people value highly is manual control over the exposure and focus. Most people prefer to use their camera's automatic settings all the time, but sometimes it can be useful to adjust settings manually - perhaps in tricky lighting, such as very dim light or when there's a strong backlight. In short, if you want to add some artistic flair to your photos, you should go for manual controls. Casual snappers needn't bother.

Manual settings also allow you to play with depth-of-field effects whereby the whole frame, or one object in the frame, is in focus. Experienced photographers may use manual settings pretty much constantly, particularly when using an SLR camera that makes these settings easy to access.

Manual exposure and focus is standard across our ultra-zoom and SLR recommendations. The exception is Kodak's budget Z8612 IS model, which lacks manual focus. That's why our flowchart doesn't ask about manual controls on the way to recommending these cameras. If you gravitate towards compact cameras, you'll need to decide whether to pay more for manual controls or, in one instance, to choose them instead of high-definition (HD) video capture.

The final question in our flowchart asks whether or not you need a viewfinder. People who wear glasses will often struggle with LCD screens, because they must repeatedly wear and remove their glasses as they glance between the screen and the scene. Sadly, optical viewfinders are rare among compact digital cameras. We haven't seen a premium compact camera with a viewfinder that we'd recommend - Canon's G10 IS comes closest - but the two listed Canon models are solid choices for those who need a compact camera with a viewfinder. Ultra-zoom and SLR cameras have viewfinders - again, the exception is Kodak's budget Z8612 IS model.

While we're on the subject of specific features for niche users, we should draw your attention to a couple of other cameras. In most respects, Casio's EX-FH20 (which was reviewed in What's New, Shopper 251) is a decent but unremarkable ultra-zoom camera. However, it distinguishes itself with two highly unusual features: slow-motion video and the ability to capture 40 photo frames in just a second. It's not cheap, costing around £350 including VAT, but it's great for wildlife photography and science projects.

Waterproof cameras are also worthy of mention here. Housings are available for certain cameras. Fujifilm's WP-FXF100 housing, for example, is designed to protect the F100fd camera. However, these are expensive at over £100. If you want an affordable waterproof camera, consider Pentax's Optio W60.

Finally, if you have a weakness for desirable, feature-laden gadgets, you should check out Panasonic's groundbreaking DMC-G1. It's overpriced at £500, but it's extremely capable and by far the coolest camera currently on the market.

Three's company

By now, you should be able to navigate the questions in the flowchart with confidence as you work your way down to the appropriate branch. At the end of each branch there are up to three recommendations. Let's quickly explain how these work.

The Best models are suitable for most people. You'll notice that the prices vary widely. This gives you an idea of the kinds of prices you can expect to pay for a point-and-shoot camera compared to an ultra-zoom or SLR. However, it's possible that the recommended camera doesn't match your budget.

If funds are scarce, consider our Budget recommendations. These won't beat the Best cameras for image quality and there may be a few compromises when it comes to other features and performance. However, they're still excellent value. We've already outlined the Kodak Z8612 IS's lack of manual focus and a viewfinder. It's also quite slow and its 12x zoom is smaller than the Panasonic FZ28's 20x zoom. However, its image quality compares surprisingly well and it's a bargain at less than half the price of the FZ28.

Our Premium recommendations are for those who are willing to pay extra for added luxury. Image quality is a notch up in each case, and these cameras tend to be more responsive. Their designs are more alluring and they include various extra features. Fujifilm's F100fd has a 5x zoom wide-angle lens, while Panasonic's DMC-LX3 has superior hands-on controls and records video in high definition.

Don't worry, be happy

There are a few things that you don't need to worry about when picking a camera from our flowchart, because we have already taken them into account when recommending the best model for each camera type and budget.

Just to reassure you, performance is something we've taken very seriously. We've tested how quickly each camera switches on, focuses and takes repeated shots (with and without flash, and in continuous shooting mode). Some Budget recommendations (specifically, Kodak's Z8612 IS and Pentax's M50) are slower than we'd like, and Fujifilm's F100fd doesn't exactly excel for performance, but these cameras more than make up for it in terms of their image quality and features. All the others are up to scratch for performance.

Other important areas include battery life, the layout of controls and menus, build quality and quality-enhancing features such as optical image stabilisation and face detection. Again, our recommendations have taken these factors into account when establishing the best models in each category and budget.

Other features can be ignored simply because they are not important. Camera manufacturers and retailers obsess about how many megapixels a camera has, but the relationship between megapixels and image quality is loose at best and, in many cases, counter-intuitive. We suggest that you ignore megapixel ratings and go by our image-quality tests. The same goes for digital zoom. Unlike optical zoom, where the lens magnifies the picture hitting the camera's sensor, a digital zoom fabricates extra detail by guesswork. It's a complete waste of time, and we're amazed this feature is still included on cameras and talked up by deceitful or ignorant sales assistants.

Don't worry about which type of memory card a camera uses. All our recommendations use SDHC cards, except Sony's A200, which uses CompactFlash. However, it won't cost much to replace your old cards if they're incompatible with your new camera.

And finally...

Don't worry about cosmetic design when choosing your camera. While none of the recommended cameras is ugly, the truth is that there are no ultra-chic, touch-screen, ultra-compact cameras we'd currently recommend. For us, a simple, smart design and the ability to take great pictures makes for a cooler gadget.

Author: Ben Pitt
Buy a digital camera in 15 minutes



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