Buyers Guide

This will guide you through what you need to consider when buying a new camera, and how you should approach for help. This guide will also help you through understanding essentials to go with your camera, and items you might not need straight away.

What sort of camera should I buy?

Consider what your actually looking for in a camera first of all. Do you want a camera that just simply takes snaps, where you don't have to fiddle about to take shots, and they come out pretty well 80% of the time? Do you want a camera that you can learn your photography on, and slowly work your way up, or do you want a camera that's for people who want to invest a lot of time and money into a good camera system?

Snap happy camera.

When I worked at a shop selling camera, most people would come in with the same thing. They would say they wanted a really top of the range camera, then provide a very limited budget, and ask for a camera that was "simple" or "point and shoot". Basically, these people want generally the opposite of what they ask for. Cameras are expensive, and the higher you move up, the less you get for your money. When considering compacts, I always believe about 150 - 200 is a good amount on a camera. The brand that I felt sold the best and did the best was Canon, and all my cameras are Canon cameras.

Compact cameras are snap cameras. They can have some settings changed (this invariably is the ISO, you can read more about ISO in my ISO Article) , but mostly they do not allow you to change anything that effects the final shot. Compact cameras tend to have a bit of shutter lag (which means the time difference between when you press the button and when the shot gets taken), but essentially they work well for lots of different situations.

Things to ask or look at when buying a compact camera

Essential accessories.