This article contains a quick checklist if you consider buying a new compact digital camera. If you’re looking to buy an SLR camera then don’t use this list as a guideline because you’re obviously looking for something else.

Important things to consider when buying a digital camera

1. Camera Resolution – make sure the new camera you’re considering has at least 4 Megapixels. This is plenty if you’re printing your pictures up to 5×7. If you want to print on 8×10 then you need at least 6 Megapixels.
2. Optical Viewfinder – this feater is less and less common. I believe it is very useful and can save your batteries when you need saving. Check out my previous post that describes the pros and cons of having an optical viewfinder.
3. System Clock Battery – many cheap cameras reset the date and time every time you take out the main camera battery. This means every time you place new (or recharged) batteries in your camera you have to set the date and time so that your pictures would have the right settings for later use.
4. Optical Zoom – if zooming is important for you (it’s very useful in most cases) then look for at least 6x because most compact cameras do not offer more than 3x.
5. Image Stabilization – this is a great feature to have so look for this one. Canon makes is very clear when one of their products has this feature. Other manufacturers are not very clear about it.

1. 2 reasons why you would want an optical viewfinder in your next camera
2. 6 easy steps to dramatically increase battery life
3. Consider this when buying a new camera
4. Rechargeable Batteries – beware of the drain!
5. 5 simple steps to optimize your digital camera

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