The Best Digital Compact Camera

(This page was written on 28^th November 2006 so uploading it on the 29^th means this article is already out of date!)

The entry-level Compact Digital Camera is no longer the basic point and shoot with fixed shutter and lens they used to be.
Today the basic entry level camera will give you a small but significant zoom lens, a fully automated exposure system for perfect shots in any conditions, a built in flash gun to bring out the darkest of corners and a neat compact design that will ensure you take it wherever you go.

What should you be looking for on Image Quality?
At last there is no longer a major price issue on quality of imaging as most entry level compacts available are packed with a CCD sensor that gives superb images in most conditions. But look for a minimum of 3.1-mega pixels. This will give more than enough image resolution to print directly via your computer.

What about Optical Quality?
Most compact digital cameras have a digital zoom. As a brief explanation this means a 2x zoom will take middle 50 percent of the picture and expand it to the normal picture size, this will of course halve the quality, each time the camera is zoomed digitally the quality of the image is degraded. Don’t be tempted to go for a large digital zoom, as this will only make the pictures un-useable. I would recommend a maximum digital zoom of 4x.

How important is the LCD Monitor?
The LCD is the window to your camera and as such the largest monitor possible is the best choice. However a big monitor uses more power and therefore the batteries run out faster. Having a camera that allows you to fit standard batteries gives the advantage of being able to replace these at almost any time, where a special fit Li-Ion battery requires a spare or a power point to recharge. Personally I would opt for the Li-Ion option and purchase a second battery with a universal charger. This would allow me to re-charge even in the Car.

How much Memory is needed?
Many of these cameras come with a built in memory of 8mb or above with the option of inserting a memory card to expand the picture storage facility. Storage cards now go up to several gigabytes of storage. But rarely will you find any compact at this level being able to take more than a 1gigabyte card. The table below give an indication of the number of photographs possible with each card.

Table based on 3.1mp Camera on Average quality resolution.

I would suggest that for a normal week away most of us would not have time to take 400 pictures, but you never know! So I would recommend 512mb card as most compacts can cope with this size of memory card.

The Best Compact Digital Camera Is

According the above criteria we need to find cameras that have

·        CCD Sensor of at last 3.1megapixel

·        Digital Zoom of no more than 4 X (Optical if available)

·        LCD Monitor 37 x 28mm (or close)

·        Ability to accept 512megabytes of Memory Card

The choice is now yours based on colour, style and budget.
We hope this information has been of use to you and would appreciate any comments you would like to make admin@aquaphot.com

This article has been written in good faith and without prejudice. It should be treated as a guide only. All statements are taken from information freely available, and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of description, purpose or content. Please be aware manufacturers are at liberty to change specifications at any time and some claims are known to be sales hype. Please read our condition of web use linked at the bottom of this page.