Digital camera buying guide

Updated: 15 October 2009

So you're looking for a brand new compact digital camera but are totally confused by all the options available to you? CNET Australia is here to help with our comprehensive guide to choosing and buying a compact digital camera.

If you're confused about any of the terms discussed, make sure to read over our primer on digital camera basics.

This guide covers compact cameras only. If you're looking for a digital SLR, make sure to check out our super guide or our guide to the best digital SLRs for beginners.

Why choose a compact?

Because they are:

• Portable, go-anywhere
• Convenient
• Easy to use
• Cheaper than their SLR equivalent

All is not equal in compact cameras though. There are three main types you'll come across and it comes down to their form factor:

(Credit: Sony)

These sorts of cameras are quite common now, touting a slim chassis and lightweight body. The trade-off though is sometimes you won't get as many features on these cameras as a more regular sized one — for example, you might have to forego a wide-angle lens and you will definitely pay a premium for the small size. Companies that make cameras in ultra-thin profiles include Canon, Sony and Nikon.

(Credit: Panasonic)

More run of the mill than the other two types here, the standard compact makes up for the middle-child syndrome by being more affordable, often more fully featured and having a more standard design.

(Credit: Canon)

These are a sort of bridge camera between compact cameras and digital SLRs, perfect if you don't want the hassle of interchangeable lenses but still want the flexibility of having lots of different focal lengths to choose from. Typically these cameras will range from anywhere between 15x optical zoom all the way up to 26x. All of the big brands make superzoom cameras.

Megapixels

A pixel is the smallest component that makes up a digital image. The megapixel value you'll find written on your camera simply means how many pixels (or photo sensors) are on your image sensor. The mega denotes one million.

A camera's megapixel count relates to the resolution of the image it is able to produce. Unless you are aiming to make very large prints of your digital images, more often than not a 10- or 12-megapixel sensor will produce a large enough file for you to work with for 10x15cm prints all the way to A3 size.

Most manufacturers have (fortunately) stopped the race for more megapixels and concentrated their efforts on improving the image processing engine inside the camera itself, as well as improving the optics (lens).

The table below shows the equivalent megapixel to resolution conversions. Note these are calculated based on a standard 4:3 aspect ratio — which is related to the image sensor.