Compact Digital Camera - 5 Tips, Traps Or Secrets to Watch Out For!

1. Shutter lag. (Time between pressing the shutter and capture of the image)
Often pressing of the shutter and capture of the image is not instant. Try to test this aspect thoroughly. If you want to shoot the car bouncing over the pothole - you don't want to find you have only captured the pothole!

2. Viewing screen.
No matter what the sales clerk says, there will be times (Any sunny cloudless day, anywhere!) when you simply cannot see what you want to shoot with the viewing screen. Live with it or spend a few more dollars and search out a camera with a viewfinder.

3. Zoom.
How much walking do you want to do? Although it will move your purchase up the price range and 3X is useful, 10X is better! Look for "optical" zoom, digital zoom is for emergencies - the quality from digital zoom is far below optical zoom.

4. Batteries.
Often a most frustrating aspect of digital ownership. Discuss this aspect in detail with the sales clerk, friends and any other camera users that you know. Check whether or not the camera has a warning that the battery is about to run out. Some cameras have a scale such as fully charged, partly charged and low. Others are "sudden death", the warning light comes on and one or two shots later the camera stops working!

5. Carry strap.
Most entry level compact digital cameras come with a hand strap only. A neck strap is so much better if you like to shoot candid shots "from the hip"!

Article written by Ian Conway, but for more thrills and spills with a compact digital camera, and digital photography secrets, have a look at the work of David Petersen here at http://www.click4digitalcamerasecrets.info