Complete Digital Photography

Bonus Chapter Excerpt

Five Key Steps to Choosing a Digital Camera

1. First, determine how much you're willing to spend. Your goal is to get the best camera you can for your budget. Best is defined as the balance of features that serves your particular needs.


2. Next, decide whether you are looking for an SLR or a point-and-shoot camera. If you can't make this decision right away, that's fine. It will probably become apparent pretty soon after you start comparing cameras, or maybe even as you read further into the chapter.


3. Next, determine what resolution you need for the type of output you're creating.


4. Among the cameras with the right price and resolution, select the ones that have the shooting features and controls you want.



5. Of those cameras, make your final choice based on which model delivers the best image quality.

   This last point will be your most crucial criteria. If you've narrowed your choice to two cameras, and one has great features but the other produces better pictures, you should go with the second camera. Of course, it's frustrating not to get everything you want in a camera, but you can work around most feature deficiencies. Trying to work around bad image quality is much more difficult.