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If the thought of buying your first digital camera seems confusing, take heart, you are not alone. In this article I will simplify the process for you.

If you already know what model of digital camera you are looking for, you can likely find it now by scanning our pages of Digital Camera Deals.

Because digital photography has become such a hugely popular pastime, you will discover that, as a buyer, there are thousands of camera models to select from, offered by dozens of competing camera manufacturers. For a first time buyer, the range of choices can be overwhelming. But by addressing your photographic goals first, you can quickly reduce your options and come up with a few competing models from which to make your final selection.

1. Digital Camera Basics - The Things you Should Know

You only need to attend a public gathering, like a school event, to appreciate how popular the use of digital cameras has become. Position yourself at the rear of the gathering and you will see cameras appear above the heads of their owners at every flash-worthy opportunity.

You cannot help but notice the brightly lit LCD viewports on the back of the cameras showing the exact scene the photographer is about to capture for their family records. It becomes immediately apparent that no one using point-and-shoot cameras is using their camera's viewfinder to frame shots these days. This is something to keep in mind when choosing a camera, as most compact models are sacrificing the viewfinder for a larger LCD screen.

Something you may also notice is that, held at arms-length from the photographer's eyes, today's compact digital cameras operate more like overt scanning devices than the snapshot stealing film cameras that I grew up with. In fact, many digital cameras also possess a video mode, so there is more to this observation than one might imagine at first glance. In a very real sense, our digital devices are converging.

Reusable Electronic Pixels. Today, instead of projecting the photographic image onto a sheet of light-sensitive film on the focal plane at the back of the camera, digital cameras use a vast array of reusable light-sensitive electronic pixels to do the same job. The image is converted into a digital format and immediately transferred to a memory card that can be swapped out, and is itself reusable.

Low Cost Per Image. Younger photographers, who have little or no experience with film cameras, surely do not appreciate the huge savings afforded by reusable memory cards, which have removed the need for costly high quality rolls of film. Today, film cameras are on the wane and are not likely to interest to anyone but professional photographers, many of whom who still appreciate the characteristics of film and its inherent long life independent of an electronic device.

As a digital photographer you no longer need to "count the frames" as I once did when I began capturing images on film thirty years ago. Today you can swiftly capture 500 images in a single day, rather than a carefully executed 50, and immediately discard the ones that don't make the grade. Because physical memory drops in price yearly, the already low cost of a single image will continue to drop as well.

More Great Shots. In fact, this one advantage that digital photography provides is the secret to drastically improving your photographic record. If you can afford to shoot ten times the number of pictures you cannot help but double or triple the quantity of great shots you produce. Just be sure to stock up on physical memory cards before you head out the door!

Sharper Images. If you have ever snapped what you thought might be a great image, only to be disappointed when you see the blurred end result, you'll be pleased to learn that many of today's digital cameras have camera shake reduction built into the lens. The camera can actually detect image-blurring motion and compensate to produce sharp images that would otherwise have been lost.

2. Digital Camera Brands - Which is Better?

If you had you asked me 25 years ago which brand of camera you should consider going with, I would undoubtedly have said Nikon. I really loved the look and feel of their cameras and I believed their Nikkor lenses were second to none.

However, today Canon probably has the upper hand in terms of popularity. For this reason, and because Canon cameras are every bit as good these days as Nikon and Canon's other competitors, I strongly recommend considering a Canon digital point-and-shoot if you are interested in a compact camera. When it comes to SLRs it's something of a toss up between a Canon digital SLR or a Nikon digital SLR for a first camera. But, if pressed, I would recommend you read these Nikon D40 reviews to see which economical but superb digital SLR gets my endorsement.

If you have cameras in the household, and SLRs in particular, then the brand of SLR lenses you can get your hands on today probably determines the brand of your next SLR. For example, if someone in the family owns a Nikon SLR and you hope to use their lenses, then you'll require a Nikon SLR yourself to do that. Nikon lenses have a bayonet (insert and twist counter-clockwise) mount, while Canon lenses have their own mount design which twists clockwise.

Also, Canon made a major (forward thinking) change in design to their lens mount when they moved into digital photography. Unlike Nikon lens mounts which are always backwards compatible with every lens Nikon has ever produced, that is not the case with Canon. If you buy a modern Canon digital SLR you'll need to use a modern Canon lens with it. To Nikon's credit, they got the lens mount right when they began their lens line more than 50 years ago.

You can read the other half of this article at Best Digital Camera Discounts.

Stephen Carter runs Best Digital Camera Discounts, where, if you find a great price on a camera, there is a very good chance that the offer represents the lowest price you are likely to find anywhere. If you are not inclined to follow one of the recommendations for a camera made on this page, try browsing our digital camera categories, or use our search engine to find currently available offers.

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