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Digital Camera Screen, Memory Cards

Related Guides: DSLRs, Digital Photo Frames, Digital Photo Printing and Scanners
On a digital camera, the LCD screen is what you look at before you capture an image to see how it will turn out. Fortunately, most digital camera screens measure about 2.5 to 3 inches, so you don't need a magnifying lens to see what's in the frame. At 3 inches, the Nikon Coolpix L24 has the largest display of all the cameras on our list; the tiny Kodak EasyShare Mini M200 has the smallest, at 2.5 inches. All the other models have 2.7-inch screens. Pricier point-and-shoot cameras, such as the Samsung SH100 (starting at $109, Amazon), boast touchscreen LCDs.

Images should be visible on the LCD both indoors and out, but bright sun can make a digital camera screen hard to see. If possible, test a camera outside or in bright light before purchasing to make sure you can see the screen and that the colors are true to life, regardless where you're positioned.

None of the cameras on our list has a viewfinder, the old-school little window you bring to your eye to frame a shot. Instead, you use the digital camera screen to compose a picture. Viewfinders are becoming a rarity in cheap digital cameras, so it's not surprising that none of our picks includes one.

Digital Camera Zoom.

You'll often see two types of zoom listed in the specs for a digital camera: optical and digital. Optical zoom is the only one you need to consider; digital zoom isn't widely used and doesn't preserve image quality. Instead, it simply enlarges the individual pixels in a photograph, making it less clear and crisp. Most cheap digital cameras have either a 3x or 4x optical zoom, although the Nikon Coolpix S3100 has a 5x optical zoom, the highest among our picks. The slightly more expensive Samsung SH100 also has a 5x optical zoom. Both the Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 and Canon PowerShot A1200 have 4x optical zooms. The Kodak EasyShare Mini M200 has a 3x optical zoom, and the Canon PowerShot A800 and Nikon Coolpix L24 use 3.3x and 3.6x optical zooms, respectively.

Digital Camera Resolution.

Digital camera resolution is measured in megapixels; more megapixels means higher resolution for larger prints. But those extra megapixels won't make a difference unless you plan to blow up your images beyond 8x10 inches. Still, we're seeing more low-priced cameras try to pack more pixels onto their tiny image sensors. Although 5 to 8 megapixels used to be the norm for digital camera resolution in the budget category, 10 and 14 mp cameras are quickly becoming standard, even in our price range. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3, Nikon Coolpix S3100, and Coolpix L24 are all 14 mp cameras. The Canon PowerShot A1200 comes in at 12.1 mp, followed by the PowerShot A800 and Kodak EasyShare Mini M200 at 10 mp.

Digital Camera Memory Cards.

A high-resolution picture takes up a good chunk of memory. A photo snapped at a massive 14 mp can easily use up a few dozen megabytes on a memory card, depending on the file type you use. But even low- and medium-resolution pictures take up a lot of space on the small storage cards that come with most cheap digital cameras. Experts at PhotographyReview.com say you should spring for a digital camera memory card that holds at least 1 GB of data if you plan to shoot 10 mp pictures. Digital camera memory cards are cheap enough nowadays that you probably want to invest in at least a couple of cards that can store a few gigabytes of data. You can pick up an 8GB SanDisk SDHC memory card for a mere $4 at Amazon. Digital camera memory cards come in all kinds of sizes at all kinds of prices, so you have plenty of options.

Most budget cameras, including all the cameras we list here, can use SD (secure digital) or SDHC (secure digital high-capacity) cards. Sony cameras (and pretty much all Sony electronics that use memory cards) also use Sony's line of Memory Stick memory cards. If you're a brand-loyal person, you'll no doubt embrace a camera brand's proprietary memory cards. If you want something more versatile, however, choose a camera that uses generic SD or SDHC memory cards.

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Samsung SH100
Canon PowerShot A800
Nikon Coolpix L24
Nikon Coolpix S3100
Kodak EasyShare Mini M200
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
Canon PowerShot A1200

Kodak EasyShare M590
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
Canon PowerShot A495
Olympus FE-5020
Nikon Coolpix L22
Casio Exilim EX-Z35

 

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