Digital cameras: Choosing and buying the best digital camera Digital camera features to look for
Some digital cameras have much more advanced features than others
Shopping for a digital camera can get confusing with all the features and specifications available on different models.
Our handy digital cameras compare features and prices tool to help choose the best camera for you. This filters our reviews to let you choose:
- by price
- by manufacturer
- by megapixel count
- by zoom range, including wide angle lenses
- digital cameras with HD movie modes
- digital cameras with viewfinders
- waterproof digital cameras
Here are some of the key features worth considering when you're buying a digital camera:
Resolution
Digital cameras can now be found with seemingly impressive resolutions of 10, 12, or even 14Mp, but this doesn’t guarantee better picture quality.
High resolutions are only really useful if you're enlarging printed photos. For a standard 6x4-inch print, 2.2Mp is all the resolution you’ll need, so don’t be put off if a digital camera has a smaller resolution than pricier alternatives.
| Digital resolution required for print | |
|---|---|
| Image size for print | Digital resolution required (megapixels) |
| 6x4 inches | 2.2Mp |
| 7x5 inches | 3.2Mp |
| 10x8 inches | 7.2Mp |
Optical zooms
A good optical zoom lens allows to you take pictures of faraway subjects. Check our advice for buying an advanced digital camera if you're interested in a superzoom model with a x18 or x20 zoom.
Optical zoom can be stated as a range – for example, a x10 zoom lens may have a range of 32-320mm. In these cases, the small number refers to the wide-angle limit, and the large number refers to the tele-angle limit.
The smaller the number on the wide-angle limit, the easier you will find it to fit in broad landscapes or group shots. The larger the tele-angle number, the more you can zoom in on distant subjects.
Wide angle lens
A camera with a good wide angle lens lets you fit much more into shot without having to step further back. These days, it's possible to find even compact cameras with generous wide angles of 28, 25 and even 24mm - the smaller the wide-angle number, the more you can fit into a shot.
Digital zoom
Digital zoom is very different to optical zoom. With high-resolution images, you can digitally zoom up to a point, which can be handy for cropping or enlarging photos. However, if you zoom in too much the image quality will be affected.
Viewfinder
Virtually all digital cameras have an LCD screen for composing shots. Some (especially bigger digital cameras) have a viewfinder too, which is a useful alternative as it's easier to use in bright sunlight when the LCD screen is hard to view because of reflection.
You can steady a shot more easily with a viewfinder, because you hold the digital camera up to your eye. Using the viewfinder instead of the LCD screen also saves a bit of battery life.
Viewfinders are optical or electronic. An optical viewfinder on a digital camera other than a digital SLR isn't 100% accurate. What you see when you look through it will differ from what the lens sees because it is in a different position.
An electronic viewfinder is a miniature LCD and is more accurate.
A good image stabiliser can help reduce blurring
Image stabilisation
This is a feature that aims to reduce the effects of shaky hands on pictures. A mechanical image stabiliser can be built either into the body of the digital camera or into the lens, where it's often called an optical image stabiliser.
In both cases, the stabiliser creates a sensitive mechanical adjustment to compensate for wobbly motions.
Anti-blur
This is different to image stabilisation. Anti-blur is a digital adjustment to the camera’s picture settings aimed at limiting the amount of motion blur in a shot.
Digital cameras with anti-blur increase the shutter speed to take the shot more quickly while raising the ISO level to make the camera sensitive to lower light exposure. This can have a detrimental effect on overall image quality.
Face-detection
Most digital cameras feature face-detection technology. This lets the camera detect individuals within shots, focusing more accurately on their faces.
Digital cameras movies will rarely match the quality of an HD camcorder's videos
HD movie mode
An increasing number of digital cameras now offer high-definition movie recording. Some of these models do offer better video quality than you can get from cameras with more basic movie modes, but don’t expect videos to rival an actual camcorder’s.
Check our expert Which? reviews of the best HD camcorders if you're looking to make the most out of your home movies.
Scene modes
Most digital cameras now let you choose from a number of predefined scene modes. These quickly adjust the digital camera to the ideal settings for a certain types of conditions, such as a sunset or a snowy landscape.
For more on using a compact digital camera, as well as editing and sharing your photos, see our book Digital Photography Made Easy.
- Check out our digital camera reviews
- Thinking about a digital SLR? Take a look at our reviews
- Is a bridge camera right for you? Read our expert guide and reviews
