Looking for a Camera?

There is a lot to look for besides the usual color and design. The first thing you should do, ask yourself, “What am I going to use the camera for?”
If you are going to use your camera for basic use at social gatherings, vacations, documenting products for eBay etc. You might want to take a look at a “point and shoot” camera.
“Point and shoot” cameras have evolved a great deal over the past few years. In 2007, the 7.0 mega pixel was the common/standard. The year before that was the 6.0 mega pixel. Lately I have noticed that newer models are moving to make 8.0 mega pixels the new standard. I think that anything higher than an 8.0 or 10.0 mega pixel camera is excessive for a “point and shoot” camera and a basic consumer. With more mega pixels one can do more editing and cropping on the computer. The one thing that has not really changed over the years for digital “point and shoot” cameras is the optical zoom.
The average optical zoom for them is 3.0x. Some very low-end digital cameras do not even have an optical zoom and only carry a digital zoom. There is a number of high-end new models that carry an optical zoom up to 5.0x. If you are looking for a camera with more zoom you should look at “high zoom” or Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras.
“High Zoom” cameras are always larger than “point and shoot” cameras. These cameras will carry an optical zoom anywhere from 8x to 15x. Most models you will find in an electronics retail store will not have the ability to interchange any lens. The size of the camera can range from a small SLR to the size of a four-year-old “point and shoot” camera.
Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras have the benefits of having the ability to manually adjust aperture, shutter speed, and many other advanced features. The larger lenses can capture more light and thus have a greater resolution. SLR cameras are all about the feature of interchangeable accessories, whether they be zoom lenses or advanced flashes.
There are two other things to look at when looking for a camera. One is the feature of a high ISO and the other is the type of battery the camera uses. An ISO is a sensor that deals with three different aspects when taking a picture. New cameras have the ability to shoot at high ISO or higher ISOs than their predecessors. The lower the ISO the better the camera will be for taking pictures in darker settings. The sensor in the camera will help so that dark pictures do not turn out grainy. The ISO on a camera will also help with shutter speed and image stabilization as well. For the topic concerning what type of battery the camera takes depends on personal preference. Cameras with Li-ion batteries have the ability to be much more sleek and compact. If lost, they are not cheap to replace and can very difficult to find. There is often confusion of the difference between lithium and lithium-ion batteries. The difference is that lithium batteries are one time use and are not rechargeable like lithium-ion batteries. However, both can last up to many times longer than standard batteries.