This section is intended as a guide to help you to choose the type of camera that is best suited to your needs.The key things to consider when looking for a digital camera are:

FUNCTIONALITY

What do you plan to do with the camera? I know, take pictures! But do you just want a point and shoot camera for family occasions and holidays? Or do you want a camera with a zoom? Are you already into your photography and want to start getting a little more creative? Or finally do you want total control over your photos?

PRICE

How much are you willing/able to spend? Camera prices can range from sub £100 to over £4,000 and you obviously get different levels of quality in terms of the camera’s build and the photos the camera takes and different levels of functionality depending on what you spend.

It is important to work out what you want to spend and then get the best spec camera for your money. The good news is that digital cameras are getting more and more affordable and online shops like ours are able to keep our overheads down and pass on those savings to our customers.

NUMBER OF MEGAPIXELS

This is not quite as big an issue as some would like to make out. The main question here is how big do you need your prints to go up to? If all you need are 6x4 prints for an album then 3 MPs will be quite sufficient. For 7x5s you are best to go for 4 MPs, A4 needs 5 MPs and for A3 you need a minimum of 6MPs. In truth you could get a A3 print from a 3 MP camera but clearly the quality would be poor compared to one with 6MPs. See our section on Megapixels in our HOW TO? section.

What do you plan to use your camera for?

Point and shoot

So you’re looking for a compact camera to take away on holiday or for taking snaps of friends and family. As you’d expect these cameras are the cheapest in the manufacturer’s ranges and the good news is you still get good quality images that will look just great in your photo album or on the mantelpiece. These cameras will take a picture when you press the button, the camera will work it all out for you. On the downside you will not have control over the image (other than composition) or any kind of creative functionality but hey you’ve said you don’t want that anyway.

For hints and tips to get the most from your camera and photos why not have a look at our HOW TO area?

Cameras in this category tend to fall into two categories and the decision between the two is down to price, looks and size.

Stylish Point and Shoot Cameras - Mini Compacts

If you are able to spend around £150 and over you can get a mini compact. These are stylish compact cameras that look great and will fit in a pocket.

Point and Shoot Cameras under £150- Compacts

If looks and size aren’t too much of a worry for you then for under £150 you’ll get pretty much the same specifications as the cameras in the section above.

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Point and shoot with some creativity

So you want a fairly simple camera with a basic point and shoot facility but you also want to be able have a little bit of control over some of the functions yourself. Maybe you want to have a play with shutter speeds to freeze action in sport like in the photo below or to slow down the shutter speed to slow down water. Maybe you want to play with the depth of field using aperture priority.

For explanations of any terms or for hints and tips to get the most from your camera and photos why not have a look at our HOW TO area?

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Zoom cameras

So you want a zoom. And who wouldn’t? Modern zoom lens cameras offer great flexibility in a compact body. Whatever your subject, whether it’s a family member close up or a tiger at Longleat through the bars at 100m (usually best that way around, but maybe not always!) you can get a high quality sharp image.

There are generally two levels of zoom on digital cameras, the optical zoom and the digital zoom. At KMS we would suggest that you rely purely on optical zoom and use editing software to crop into your photo once you get home.

For explanations of any terms or for hints and tips to get the most from your camera and photos why not have a look at our HOW TO area?

Zoom cameras tend to come in the following groups determined mainly by price and size: Compact zoom cameras, Ultra zoom , Wide angle zoom and the top of the range ultra zoom.

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Creative cameras

So you’ve been taking photos for a while and really want to get those creative juices flowing. The good news is that functions that were previously reserved for the SLR are now squeezed into pretty compact packages with built in zoom lenses and at the higher end with image stabilisation. This means you don’t need to splash out for more and more lenses or lug them all around with you, you’ve got it all in one package.

These cameras do not offer quite the same level of photo quality or flexibility as DSLRS but that said you can get some fantastic shots and might even catch that split second shot whilst the Digital SLR user is desperately rifling around their kit bag for their telephoto lens!

Like the Digital SLRS, these cameras will allow you to have a high level of input into the photo you take from shutter speed, aperture, ISO to focal length and choice of manual or auto focusing.

Cameras in this range tend to fall into the compact style camera and the SLR style camera.

For explanations of any terms or for hints and tips to get the most from your camera and photos why not have a look at our HOW TO area?

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The digital SLR

These are the top of the range of digital cameras. You’re not going to fit these cameras in your shirt pocket and you’re probably going to end up needing to buy a few different lenses and a whole rucksack full of accessories (some may argue that these lenses and accessories are not necessary; old school photographers, your partner, even your children, but you'll end up with them anyway!).

DSLRs offer you total control of your end product with shutter and aperture priority, full manual, ISO control, choice of format (Jpeg or RAW) control over white balance and choice of lens. You are buying a higher quality system with sophisticated autofocus and exposure mechanisms and pin sharp lenses for truly great photos.

For explanations of any terms or for hints and tips to get the most from your camera and photos why not have a look at our HOW TO area?

Digital SLRS tend to be split into three groups: The beginner, the serious enthusiast (or amateur) and the Pro models. As you’d expect they get progressively more expensive as you move up the ranges.

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