Digital cameras have come a long way in the last few years and have become affordable for all digital photography enthusiasts. For a fraction of the price, you can buy photographic equipment today, which was available mainly to professional photographers in the relatively recent past.

However, choosing the ideal camera is a relatively complex task for beginners and advanced photographers. Before purchasing, you must first clarify for what purpose you intend to use the new camera, which functions or features you require and what quality you expect from the captured photos. It is good to consider the maximum dimensions and weight in advance, including the possible support of suitable future accessories (lenses, filters, apertures, flashes, bags, batteries ). Of course, your choice is limited by the financial side, and buying a suitable digital camera is usually a matter of several compromises.

Whether you are going to buy your first digital camera or looking for a suitable alternative to an obsolete model, you must not forget that the best camera will not automatically make you a better photographer. When shooting, you have to learn to look at the world from a slightly different perspective, which requires some time and experience. At the same time, you need to know how to control your digital camera to the fullest so that you can use all its capabilities to your advantage.

Types of digital cameras

When shooting still scenes in ideal lighting conditions, you can usually do it with any digital camera. In practice, however, you will encounter a number of diverse situations, including changing lighting conditions, where you will very soon encounter the limits of individual cameras. Therefore, before choosing a suitable camera with an ideal price-performance ratio, you must first consider the direction in which your photos will go. There are many digital cameras on the market divided into several different categories that can more or less suit your photographic focus. You will most often encounter the offer of digital compacts, ultrasound cameras, mirrorless cameras, DSLR SLR cameras or instant cameras and photo mobiles.

Basic advice before buying

On any digital camera, you will always appreciate the quality construction with successful ergonomics, which, thanks to a sufficient number of controls, facilitates widespread use. The camera body itself must also offer an ergonomic grip for a comfortable and secure grip in hand. If you are going to take photos in any conditions, then focus on cameras with a durable construction that can withstand water, snow, dust, sand, and other natural elements.

In addition to ergonomics, one of the essential elements of any digital camera is a sufficiently large optical or digital viewfinder together with a rear display on which you will compose images. However, many cameras are not equipped with a viewfinder due to their compact dimensions, so you only have to rely on the rear display (ideally tiltable). Unfortunately, there is a risk that you will not see much of it on display in bright sunlight.
When shooting sooner or later, you will encounter a flat battery to not run out of power. Therefore, be sure to choose a digital camera with sufficient battery capacity (mAh). In addition to the selected accessories, it pays to invest in a spare battery, which you can easily replace when taking pictures. Remember that cameras usually only have a charger for the supplied rechargeable battery in the basic package. Still, you must purchase the AC adapter for the camera separately if necessary (you usually cannot use a digital camera when charging the battery without a separate AC adapter).