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What really matters - BETA (July 31, 2008)

The first thing you will hear about a camera is that it has a certain number of megapixels (MP), therefore it's a good buy. This is probably the most deceiving myth of today's digital camera marketing. Megapixels don't matter anymore! I have never had a camera that shot more than 6MP!! I could buy one, but I don't need it, because I rarely order prints larger than 16x20, for which 6MP is enough. In fact 6MP is the ideal number of megapixels for most of today's cameras because it matches the size of the sensor. If the sensor were larger, then more megapixels would actually be better. Of course, if the quality in the details is not what bothers you, 8, 10, or 12 megapixels gives you much more flexibility to crop, which I personally never do (or if I do, it is almost identical to the original).

To put it in common language, it's like packing a luggage for travel - you can either pack your clothes until the luggage is full, or try to cram double the amount of clothes just to get more inside. The more megapixels, the better it looks on the shelve at the electronics store.

1. The most important thing when it comes to digital cameras is quality. Without picture quality, you just have a piece of plastic that it's not even water resistant :). Brands like HP, Sony, Kodak, Vivitar, etc. they all have nice looking cameras but their pictures are very poor, especially on the lower end of digital cameras, which is the only place you will find these cameras. Pros know what to look for. Even Panasonic, who brags on using Leica lenses, has very low quality photos when you look at them on a large screen or in print. Remember that a good photo looks good in print, not on your camera screen!
   That's why I only recommend Canon for point & shoot cameras, and Nikon (and Canon) for digital SLR (dSLR) cameras. Casio and Olympus are OK, and Fuji has had good models every now and then. All Canon point & shoot cameras I've used in the past have great picture quality.
   
2. Speed is the second most important feature. If you see an alien for 5 seconds, but it takes you 2 seconds to start up your camera, 1 second to change to night mode (alien in daylight is like Santa in the Summer), and another 2 seconds to focus, you just missed the shot that could have made you millionare. Of course, you get to see the wonderful welcome message on your camera and hear the soothing welcome tone, but that's not the point of having a camera.
   Seriously, speed is really important. And it matters in several instances: when you turn on the camera, when you focus, when you take a photo with the flash (and it needs to recharge forever!), and when you want to take several photos continuously (continuous shooting mode). If your camera is slow in any of the instances above, you did not get yourself a good deal.
3. Zoom. The more zoom, the better. But again, not every camera that has 10x zoom is a good camera. Check out my recommendations, I always make sure to have a camera with lots of zoom among the recommended cameras.
   So why wouldn't everyone buy cameras with 10x zoom? Becuase they tend to be heavier and larger, and not everyone needs lots of zoom. If you want small, fast, and light, a 3x or 4x zoom is plenty for everyday needs.
   Optical vs. Digital Zoom - Optical zoom is a mechanical thing - the lens moves farther away from the sensor. Digital zoom is... digital. It's like the camera adds an imaginary magnifying glass for you to see the picture closer. I wouldn't use it because the picture quality decreases dramatically, but if you need it, it's there.
4. Battery life - You don't want to take 100 photos and then have to replace/recharge the batteries, do you? I certainly don't. My Nikon D70s takes 2500 photos on one charge, and I always carry an extra battery with me. Canon cameras (the older A series) used to have poor battery life, but they have gotten much better. I know the SD series have grea battery life, and the battery is rechargeable.