Consider your needs
When choosing a digital camera its helpful to know a little about what you want from it. What will the main purpose of the camera be? If you like landscapes or group shots of people or shots inside, such as parties or events, you may require wide angle to fit the whole scene in the frame. If it is wildlife or sports you may require a large zoom, or if its flowers and insects it a good macro mode is what is needed. Extra flash, add on lenses for greater creativity, remote controls are all possibilities, so try and work out what you need.
Don’t worry too much about power at present as when you purchase a camera you will be advised about purchasing a spare battery or battery and charger where needed. How ever its it is a camera that is powered by AA batteries ALWAYS buy a charger and batteries if you don’t own one already as our recharge sets are far superior to standard throw away AA’s and you will not regret purchasing it.
Memory cards are need with cameras in most cases. Check to see how much they come with if its just a 16mb or 32mb card then you will need more if you want to take more the a dozen or so photographs. We always recommend you purchase at least a 256mb card as this allows space for taking some movie as well, as this is now the norm for stills camera to contain a movie mode.
When you have some idea move on to the lenses explained section for more information to help you choose.
A quick guide to help choose with thanks from www.fuji.co.uk
Don't be fooled by pixels
Pixels do not determine the quality of the image; they determine how big the image is. How good the image looks is determined by the quality of the pixels, the lens and the processor inside the camera. Think about the biggest size of print you will ever require and choose the right number of pixels. If in doubt use our specially developed Pixel Calculator to find the megapixel figure that's right for you.
Optical beats digital
Pay close attention to a camera's optical zoom. Cameras tend to have 3 times, 6 times, or even 10 times zooms, usually displayed by a 'x' sign. The zoom puts you in control of how much you want in your photograph. Choose longer zooms (6x, 10x) for wildlife and sports photography to get in closer. Digital zoom is of little importance when choosing a camera - it just cuts away the edge of the image and enlarges the section in the middle.
Take a broad view
The story isn't over yet, don't just look at how big a zoom is, or how far it goes. The lower figure (starting point) is also important, possibly more important. For instance, a 28mm starting point in a 28-90mm zoom will enable you to fit more people, more buildings and more landscape into your shots. Only being able to go back to 38mm may be frustrating if you photograph such subjects regularly.
Power balance
Some cameras take normal AA batteries, which are a reassurance, as you know you can get them almost anywhere. However, alkaline AAs will not last long in a power-hungry device like a digital camera, so ensure you get hold of some AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries. Many of the smaller cameras come supplied with a small rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which is great, as long as you remember to charge it. Maybe buy a spare, just in case?
A moving experience
You probably don't realise it, but your digital camera can be a surprisingly impressive tool for capturing video footage. With a max recording time of 8 minutes with a 512MB card, it's not for extended recordings, but for short, entertaining clips. For best movie quality, look for a shooting rate of 30 fps (frames per second), and an image size of 640 x 480 pixels, otherwise the movement will be jerky and the image small.
Small can be sophisticated
Gone are the days when a camera had to be big and blocky to be serious. An amazing amount of quality and creative control can now be fitted into smaller, metal bodies. As your photography improves (which it will!), you will appreciate those manual modes and photographic options.
PictureCradle
With a PictureCradle there is no need to plug in cables every time you wish to download or recharge your cameras. Simply slot the camera into the cradle and you can quickly download your images and recharge the camera battery when the camera is not in use. Check to see whether a PictureCradle is included, whether it is available as an accessory, or not at all.
Are you a metal fan?
Metal bodies don't make your pictures any better, but are more rigid, resist scuffing and scratching better and feel great in the hand.
Remember to print
The only drawback to digital photography is that you can forget to print your photos out! From Fujifilm's extensive experience, you should not rely 100% on the saved files, but keep prints of your best shots. The most permanent record you can keep is to use a digital printing service found at many high street processors, or an internet printing service such as Photodeal.
More power
Always keep one or two spare batteries to hand so you never run out of power. Carry charged spares in you camera bag or pocket for a fast change when you need it. If you are away from a power source for a long time this is critical as no power means no pictures. Camera owners that take AA batteries may be saved in the short term by purchasing more AA’s from a nearby shop but Lithium Ion battery users will not be able to this.
Ensure that you have rechargeable batteries in all cases they are far superior for the long term than throw away batteries. If you require a long time shooting with uninterrupted power then an external battery pack can be used. These work by plugging into the mains socket on your camera and have high power reserves. Increasingly though smaller cameras are equipped with one universal connection and this is not an option for these models, only those with a standard jack DC input.
Use the shopping assistant
When you have compiled some ideas go to the shopping assistant. Use the drop downs to select any combination of options and or keywords. You can always refine your search by adding extra features using the “another feature” field. When the results are displayed if you still cannot choose then we should be able to help with your final decision.
