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If predictions are correct, a lot of people are going to be buying digital cameras as presents this holiday season. Prices have dropped, and features have improved. But with over 200 models to choose from, how do you choose the camera that’s best for you? Here are six features to look for:
1. Slip it in your pocket: Compact cameras are, well, compact. Most fit comfortably in your shirt pocket or purse; some will fit in your jacket pocket, but all are amazingly tiny. But just because they're small doesn't mean you must compromise on features. Thanks to built-in microprocessing power, most compact cameras offer features similar to those found on bigger cameras.
2. Face recognition: Most cameras now have Face Recognition (see screen shot, above), a technology that recognizes up to nine faces in a scene and chooses the best flash, exposure, and focus settings to flatter the subject.
3. Clear, sharp images: Thanks to recent advances in technology, most compact cameras offer image stabilization, which reduces blurry images caused by users shaking the camera during exposure. The result is sharper pictures in many instances. When shopping for a digital camera, look for Optical image stabilization, which is the most effective.
4. Come closer: Almost all compact cameras offer a zoom lens that will allow you to zoom out for group shots and landscapes, and in for portraits. Many offer a close-up mode that lets you shoot flowers from inches away. When shopping for a digital camera, make sure you get one with an Optical zoom lens, not a digital zoom, since digitally zoomed images have poor overal quality. A 4x optical zoom lens offers a range where the longest focal length is four times as the shortest, so the subject will appear four times larger when the lens is zoomed all the way out.
5. Many modes: While all digital compact cameras have a program mode, which is the set-it-and-forget-it way to shoot, most also offer many scene modes designed to get the ideal shot in specific situations. These are designed for the best results when shooting tricky scenes such as sunsets, snowy scenics, the city at night, and so on.
6. Red-Eye Reduction: There are two ways to fix that ghostly red glow in flash portraits called red-eye. The old-school way is an annoying pre-flash that causes the subject’s iris to close, reducing the chances of red-eye. But technology built into some cameras fix red-eye via onboard software after the picture is taken. Presto: no annoying pre-flash, and no more red-eye!
And here’s one thing you don’t need to worry about: Megapixels. Any camera on the market today has at least 5-6 MP resolution, which is more than enough for the needs of a typical snapshooter. Unless you plan on making huge blowups (11x14 or larger), don’t pay for more resolution than you need. Instead, save your money for extra memory cards and batteries, which you'll need.
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