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Digital Cameras |
Digital Cameras
Digital camera information, links to cheap digital cameras, price comparisons, digital camera retailers, reviews and photo sharing and editing software. Digital Camera comparisonsKelkoo's digital cameras category compares prices from many merchants and are browsable by brand, resolution, size, weight and price.
For specific cameras, see Kelkoo's digital cameras category, which provides comparisons of specific digital cameras (Sony, Canon, Fuji, Nikon and Olympus) from a number of merchants. The Memory page includes searches for Compact Flash as used by some Digital cameras (also used by MP3 players and PDAs). Cheap Digital Cameras from AmazonAmazon UK are competitive on price, have free delivery for items over £19, their cameras can be browsed by capacity and they are a reliable retailer. What resolution do I need?Resolution is a fairly standard measure of the amount of detail a camera can pick up. In general higher resolutions indicate better detail pictures. Also important are the quality of the optics in the camera - if the lenses or zoom are poor the quality of the image can deteriorate. Review sites (below) are the best places to find out whether cameras you are considering have any such flaws. Size versus features and usabilityThe smaller a camera is, the better. Most people are much more likely to bring their camera along and use it if it is small and light and fits easily into their pocket. How do you plan to use your camera? Do you need one that will fit in a trouser pocket? Will you need a zoom? Manufacturers have to compromise between portability and features. A larger screen allows users to see the detail of their pictures, but it increases the size and weight of the camera. Adding a better optical zoom and a longer battery life (more pictures) makes the camera heavier. Visit a high street store and try their cameras out. Test whether the camera has all the features you want, is easy to use and yet is light enough for you . How much storage do I need?When you make the switch from a film camera to a digital camera you will be much less worried about taking poor pictures and experiment more. So bank on taking many more pictures than you did previously (maybe three times as many). Buy enough flash memory and NiMH rechargeable batteries to record a holiday's worth of full detail images. Do I need video? What video quality can I expect from a camera?Videos on digital cameras tend to be useful just for novelty value as the quality tends to be poor (no image stabilisation etc.), buy a digital camcorder if you need to take quality videos. Having said that, digital cameras are good to play around with video on. Taking off-the cuff videos to see people's antics later is very possible, though don't expect amazing video, sound quality or frame rates. Why not chose a camcorder?Digital Camcorders are starting to use hard disks to store their images, so are becoming more like other digital devices. Their still picture quality and resolution tends to be poor, so are best purchased as camcorders. See Kelkoo's digital camcorder category for specs and reviews of digital camcorders. Digital Camera retailers
Be aware that extended warranties can be where retailers make most of their money and don't be pushed into buying any unnecessary warranties. New cameras come with a 1 year manufacturer warranty (which you should be able to extend cheaply with them if you feel it necessary). Modern electrical goods tend to be very durable, and in the case of digital cameras will be superseded by newer models regularly. The MP3 players page has a similar list for MP3 players. Digital camera reviewsThe most useful sources of information on digital cameras are review sites.
Forums
You can also research the cameras available by looking at the manufacturer's sites (e.g. Sony, Canon, Fuji, Nikon and Olympus etc.). The continuing convergence of mobile phones, digital cameras and mp3 players means that you may well have a digital camera in your mobile phone, with a build-in hard-disk based mp3 player before long. Software photo utilities for your computerThere are many photo sharing services out there, many with printing capabilities. Here are some examples:
Photo Printing
ReviewCentre's online photo processor reviews. Viewing and sharing software increasingly includes editing features to crop, remove redeye and alter contrast. You will find yourself taking more photos than with an analogue camera, so software can be very useful to edit and chose the pictures you want to print or share. Buying extra CompactFlash memory for your digital cameraDigital cameras use CompactFlash, Memory Sticks or similar type of memory to store their photos on. See the memory page for links to price comparisons of CompactFlash and other types of memory. There are also links to NiMH rechargeable batteries and chargers. |
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