"What You MUST Know To Get
The Right Digital Camera"

How Easy Is A Digital Camera To Use?

That depends on the camera. It's very easy if you get a point and shoot. But if you get a complicated camera, like a Prosumer or Pro SLR (single lens reflex) model, there's definitely a steep learning curve.

Luckily, there are many types of digital cameras on the market today. You can get anything from a entry-level, all- automatic, point-and-shoot models — to totally manual, very complex professional-level cameras, and just about anything in between.

Point-and-shoot cameras don't require adjusting any settings or the white balance. It's all automatic. All you have to do is pick up the camera, point it at your subject and press the button. Done.

However, that limits how much you can do with the camera, since point-and-shoot cameras are very basic. For more interesting pictures, you need more features. While it does take a little time to learn how and when to use each added feature, it's well worth it. It's not necessarily hard, it just takes a little time because it's different than a film camera.

Since that was a short one, let's go on to question No. 3:

What Types Of Digital Cameras Are There And How Much Do They Cost?

There's a tremendous selection of digital cameras on the market today. It's easy to find one that has the features you want. Let's take a look at what is available:

A basic point-and-shoot model costs $100 to $200 and is equivalent to a simple film camera. It usually has 1 to 2- megapixels, built-in flash, some type of removable storage like a flash memory card, and either a fixed focal length (which means you can't take pictures too close or too far) or maybe a little bit of zoom.

The other extreme is a Pro SLR, which can have 6 to 14- megapixals and all kinds of features, settings, lenses, and attachments. These cost thousands of dollars... and require a few photography courses to learn to use! But the really tough part with a Pro SLR, is that you must adjust ALL the settings. That means you have to set the white balance, exposure, aperture, shutter speed, focus, ISO, metering and many other things (depending on the camera) — all manually before every shot. Most Pro cameras don't have automatic options.

Obviously, you really have to know what you're doing to get good results. If just one setting is off, the picture is ruined!

But don't worry, there are plenty of models to choose from in between — cameras that have the features most people want — like higher resolutions and longer zoom lenses, but are still easy to use. These cameras have a wide price range, and many are very affordable:

• The most popular digital cameras are the consumer models. These range from very simple point-and-shoots to more sophisticated models that have larger zoom ranges and some advanced controls. Some have multiple scene modes and manual controls. Resolution is generally 3 or 4 megapixels. Some in this range come with "docks" that recharge batteries and download pictures automatically. Prices for these mid-range cameras fall between the $300 to $500 range.
  
  
• Advanced consumer models provide more features and more extras than point-and-shoot models, such as add-on accessories, customizable settings, more zoom, optional exposure modes, etc. They come in many shapes and sizes (tiny pocket models to standard size) and range from $400 to $600.
  
  
• Then there are the Prosumer models — just a notch below totally professional cameras. In many ways, they're the best of both worlds — you get most (or all) of the fancy features, the higher resolution and the higher quality of pro models, but you can get them automatically (like you can with a point-and-shoot), or choose manual settings. They're around $700 and up.
  
  
• The Digital SLR models are for professional photographers who don't mind spending one to several thousand dollars. Resolutions are generally 6 megapixels and up, with SLR- style manual controls and advanced features like image histograms and the latest image-processing technology.

Now, if you're a pro or an advanced amateur photographer, adjusting the settings manually is exactly what you want to do because you can get some great effects and unusual shots. And even though these cameras are more complicated than the point-and-shoot models, once you know what you're doing, it can actually turn out to be easy.

If you're an intermediate, having some of the same features advanced models have, but with automatic options gives you more to work with than a simple point-and-shoot. You may find that once you get used to digital cameras, you're probably going to want some of the special features and extra options the Intermediate or Advanced consumer models have. You'll find that digital photography is so much fun that you'll want to be more creative.

Lesson 8, includes a list of specific things to consider when looking for a digital camera.