7 Easy Tips for Taking Great Photos with your Digital Camera

If you think that all you need to do is just push the shutter button on your digital camera and great pictures magically appear; or the more features and options available in the digital camera, the better the digital photos … then prepare to be disappointed. With these thoughts, you'll get mediocre to average digital photos, and maybe once in awhile a lucky good photographic shot.

The truth is that great photos don't happen by using great cameras, it's you. You create great pictures. With a digital camera, you can make your own digital images look professional with a few basic skills and a willingness to do some digital photo retouching now and then.

Here are seven easy tips to help you take better photographs.

1. Set Your Tones

When shooting nature or wildlife photographs, try changing your white balance setting from auto to cloudy. This adjustment is like putting a mild warming filter on your digital camera. It increases the reds and yellows, resulting in richer and warmer pictures.
2. Polarizing Filter

A polarizing filter is the one filter every photographer should have for landscapes and general outdoor photography. Polarized shots reduce glare and unwanted reflections. The results are richer and more saturated colors in your photos. If your digital camera can't accommodate filters, a neat trick is to take a pair of quality sunglasses, and use them as your polarizing filter. Place the sunglasses as close to the camera lens as possible, check their position in the LCD viewfinder to make sure you don't have the rims in the shot, and get some color-rich digital images.
3. Outdoor Portraits

Set your camera settings to "flash on" mode. This lets the camera expose for the background first, then adds just enough flash to illuminate your portrait subject. The result is a professional looking picture where everything in the composition looks good without the need for digital photo retouching.
4. Macro Mode

Take better close-up and personal digital shots of the small things in your surroundings. On regular or auto digital camera settings, the minimum distance to take decent photos is about 3 feet. If you activate the close up mode on your digital camera you'll be able to get within a foot of your selected object. Begin to explore your world in finer detail, you'll be rewarded with clear images unlike anything you've ever photographed before.
5. Horizon Line

Many times it's hard to hold the digital camera level when using the LCD screen for viewing, which then results in uneven or crooked images. A great way to square up a photo is to look at nature's horizontal lines and use them as guides. Sometimes you can use the line where the sky meets the ocean, other times you can use a strip of land as your level. This is especially important when you're thinking of enlarging your digital photographs, as the bigger the digital image, the more off balance the image will appear.
6. Digital Camera Memory Card Awareness

Always make sure you set aside a budget for additional digital camera memory cards. The nice thing with digital is that you can take several digital shots of the same scene, making little adjustments with tones, polarizing filters, flash, macro mode, etc. Then delete those digital photos that aren't quite right. You'll need the memory card space to store the extra shots until you review them. If you have a 3 megapixel camera, get at least a 256 megabyte card, a 512 megabyte memory card if you own a 4 megapixel model, and 1 gigabyte for 6 megapixel models.
7. High Resolution All the Time

Select the highest resolution possible when taking digital photos. High resolution digital images give you more freedom to edit, crop and/or manipulate the image in any way you want without losing the quality. It's easy to reduce the size of the digital photo once you've transferred it to your computer. It's not advisable to enlarge the digital photo because you can't add the depth of pixel color back into the digitized image. Unless you're only taking photographs to e-mail to friends, you'll want to have a high resolution image to edit and print.

5 Basic Digital Camera Terms You Need To Know

Being familiar with the terminology used in any subject of interest in is always useful, and digital cameras are no exception. Although most digital cameras available on the market allow you to simply point your camera and quickly snap a picture with the touch of a button, there is often a lot more going on behind the scenes than you may have realized.

Put simply, understanding the most important terms about digital cameras will allow you to make a better-informed purchase of a new digital camera, let you have more control over your digital camera’s features, and help you to take the best quality photos possible.

1. Megapixel

When we use the term megapixel, we are referring to the maximum resolution at which a digital camera can take photos in millions of pixels. This means that a camera with a range of 4 megapixels can take photos which each contain a maximum of 4 million pixels.

But what does this mean to the consumer? One word: quality. A higher megapixel count means better quality photos, and considering the price of digital camera getting lower all the time; you should try to stick with a digital camera that has a 3 megapixel range or above, especially if you intend of making prints of your photos.

2. Focal Length

Focal length is a term overlooked far too often in amateur photography, and refers to how much the lens of a camera can magnify a shot. Focal lengths are generally split into two categories, these being wide-angle and telephoto, which are better for spacious and narrow fields of view respectively.

Due to the ease of manufacturing telephoto lenses, digital camera manufacturers seem to provide wide-angle lenses in a lot less cameras, even though these lenses are better suited towards the type of photos that most people commonly take, including groups of friends and wide landscapes. To sum up, a wide-angle focal length is the better choice in most cases, with the 20mm and 35mm varieties catering to most people’s needs.

3. Digital Zoom

Unlike the focal length, digital zoom is a term that seems to be given a lot more attention than it deserves. Unlike optical zoom, which uses the physical lenses inside the camera to enlarge a scene, digital zoom electronically enlarges the pixels in the center area of a photo, meaning that any time you use the digital zoom function on your camera you are actually sacrificing the quality of your photos. It is a good idea to disable the digital zoom function all together to stop this from happening.

4. ISO

The term ISO stands for the International Standards Organization, but what does this have to do with your digital camera? The organization sets standards for photography, and the ISO range of a camera refers to how sensitive the camera is to light.

For instance, a low ISO number (100 or under) is not very sensitive to light, and is best for shots in good lighting conditions. A higher ISO range means that the camera will be suitable for photography in darker conditions, so it is best to look for a camera that has an adjustable range; ISO 100 to 400 should be adequate for most people’s needs.

5. Shutter Lag

Shutter lag refers to the time between pressing the button to take a photograph and the time when the picture actually gets taken. This may not seem a very important factor when buying a camera, but think of it this way: if you have to wait a second or longer for a photo to be taken, like with many older and inexpensive digital cameras, then chances are that you won’t end up with the photo you desired. Many camera manufacturers do not list the shutter lag time for their cameras, so the best way to find this out is by testing a camera before you buy.

How to Buy the Right Digital Camera For You

There are many digital cameras on the market today, and when it comes time to buy a new one, all the options can seem somewhat overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you figure out what features are important for your needs so you can sift through all the models more easily and end up with the right digital camera for you.

What Do You Need from Your Camera?

First and foremost, you need to consider what you want to do with your camera. To help you figure this out, ask yourself these following questions:

* Are you hoping to learn the art of photography, or do you just want a digital camera to take pictures of family and friends?

* Do you find yourself taking pictures outside a lot (maybe you're a nature lover) or is it more a balance of indoor outdoor photography?

* What is your experience level as a photographer; are you a total newbie, have you been taking pictures for years, or do you fall somewhere in between?

* Do you want a digital camera that will fit in your pocket, or, is a bigger camera OK with you?

And probably the most important question:

* What is your budget?

Your answer to each of these questions will help you to determine the features and equipment you'll need (or want) and those that you can do without, and/or save some money by leaving out of the package. And ultimately, your budget constraints will probably really help you make your final decision.

The Type of Batteries the Camera Takes is Important

When sifting through all the digital camera options out there, batteries are an important, but not often thought of feature. Most cameras can take some form of rechargeable batteries, and they're the most environmentally and budget friendly option. But, what type of rechargeable battery would be best for you?

Some digital cameras come with rechargeable Lithium Ion or NIMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries that are unique to that specific camera. This is an excellent option as these batteries last a long time and are quickly recharged with the compatible charger. However, these batteries can't be used in other devices and they can be expensive if you end up having to replace them.

Many of the digital cameras on the market today take standard AA batteries, which you can also buy rechargeable models of. These batteries don't last nearly as long between charges but you can have several on hand to help make sure you always have backups. If the camera you choose does take AA batteries, go with NIMH over alkaline as the NIMH last longer between charges.

Do You Already Have Compatible Gear?

It may help you choose one digital camera over another if you already have some gear that's compatible with one of the models you're looking at. Having things like memory cards, flashes, lenses, batteries, etc that are compatible with the digital camera you buy can end up saving you a lot of money in the end and could possibly enable you to get some other features that might otherwise be cost prohibitive.

Make Sure You Know What Accessories Are Included With Your Purchase

If you don't have any compatible gear, or even if you do, it's important that you clearly understand what each manufacturer and even each vendor offers with the purchase of each digital camera you're considering.

For example, does the digital camera you're looking at come with a memory card already, or will that be an additional expense. How about a carrying case? One camera may stand out over the others because it has the features and the accessories you need instead of having to spend extra money to get these things in addition to the camera itself.

Consider the Camera's Zoom

When looking at digital camera specifications, you might see that the camera has both "Digital Zoom" and "Optical Zoom". In most situations, you'll want to focus on the optical zoom capabilities of the camera. Digital zoom only enlarges the pixels in your shot, which does make your subject look bigger, but doesn't do your picture any favors when you go to print it. Optical Zoom on the other hand truly "zooms in" on your entire picture and doesn't affect the quality of your shot at all.

Most digital cameras have at least a 3x zoom lens, which makes your subject 3 times as big. However, there are some newer digital cameras just coming onto the market that have "super zooms". These are zoom lenses that offer up to 12x optical zoom. In some situations you might want to go with the 12x zoom, but for most, the standard optical zoom will be sufficient.

Use Reviews to Help With Your Research

Now that you know more about what you need, what you want, and the features you should look for, you'll probably have found a few favorite models of digital cameras that you like. Before you go ahead and make any purchases though, make sure to take advantage of all the reviews that are online these days.

While at times reviews can make a decision more difficult, they are usually very helpful in letting you know how the digital camera performed in real life situations as opposed to the specs listed by the manufacturer.

Hopefully by this point, you've got it narrowed down to one or two of your favorites. Now take the time to look around for the best deal you can find and make your selection. Then, once your new digital camera arrives, you'll be pleased with your purchase and can go out and just enjoy taking pictures!

Tips For Buying a Digital Camera

Family and friends can be pretty far flung these days, so how do you keep in touch? Snail mail and phoning are good options, but it's fun to be able to share pictures. With the advent of digital cameras, it's easy to post pictures on a blog or website, or send pictures via email.

Of course, film cameras will work, as you can scan and convert pictures to digital files, but the easiest way to send pictures quickly and cheaply is to use a digital camera.

How To Find What's Best For YOU When Buying A Digital Camera

There are all kinds of digital cameras available these days, so the trick is to find the one that suits your needs and budget. If you are buying your first digital camera, the lingo and technology are a bit different than for film cameras, so before shopping take time to learn a little and figure out what you'd like to buy.

First, what kind of photographer are you? Do you like total control over the picture taking process, or would you rather just aim the camera and push the shutter button? Then it's also helpful to decide what you want to do with your pictures. Do you just want to put them online or send them via email, or do you want to be able to print them, and if so, how large do you want your prints?

If photography isn't your passion, and you just want to have pictures to share, buying a simple point-and-shoot digital camera is probably best. It has automatic settings, so all you have to do is aim the camera, press the shutter and viola! Instant picture!

However, if you prefer more control over the picture taking process, try buying a mid-range digital camera. There is a wide range in both price and features. For the more serious hobby photographer, there are "prosumer" cameras midway between point-and-shoot cameras and digital SLR cameras. They offer better lens quality and usually more features than a point-and-shoot, though those little cameras can come pretty loaded these days!

Digital SLR cameras are top of the line and more expensive. These work more like traditional cameras, having a body with detachable lens. This gives you more options with being able to change lens, but it's also much more expensive. Just one lens can cost as much as a point-and-shoot digital camera! There's also usually a steeper learning curve to figure out how to use all the options on a digital SLR camera.

However, if you're buying your first digital camera, intermediate, "prosumer" and digital SLR cameras probably aren't the best choice. All the settings and features can be a little overwhelming for the beginner, and your expensive camera may end up collecting dust somewhere. Try a low to midrange camera first and get a feel for digital cameras and what features are most important to you. Then when you're ready to move up and buy a Digital SLR, you'll have a better idea of what to look for before you lay out your hard earned cash!

What To Look For When You're Ready To Buy A Digital Camera

You can buy digital cameras in all sorts of places these days, from fancy department stores to discount stores, photography/camera shops and many stores online. While you can sometimes find great deals on-line, if this is your first digital camera, go to shops and look at different cameras if at all possible. It helps to pick it up and get the feel of the camera in your hand to see if it's comfortable and the controls are easy to use, and you can check out what features it has and how they work.

But what exactly are you looking for?

A pixel makes your picture....
One of the first things to check out when buying a digital camera is the MEGAPIXELS. A pixel is a single dot in a graphics image. A megapixel is equivalent to one million pixels. A 1-megapixel camera would produce an image roughly 1200 pixels wide by 900 pixels high, a 3 megapixel would be 2048 x 1536 megapixels, and so on. Higher megapixels mean better resolution, but aren't the whole picture. The main thing to keep in mind is the more megapixels, the bigger image you can print.

Approximate Megapixels vs. Print Size

-2 Megapixels prints well up to 4x6 inches
-3 Megapixels prints well up to 5x7 inches
-4 Megapixels prints well up to 6x8 inches
-6 Megapixels prints well up to 7x10 inches
-8 Megapixels prints well up to 10x14 inches
-12 Megapixels prints well up to 16x24 inches

What Can You Do With Your Old Digital Camera

So you just got a new digital camera. Congratulations! What are you planning to do with your old digital camera? Many people just forget about it burying it in a drawer or somewhere around the house. There are better things to do with it, here are a few.

Digital cameras evolve all the time. New cameras have more megapixels, they have better lenses, electronics and software. It is very common to get a new digital camera every few years and sometimes even more often than that. Every time you buy a new digital camera you need to make a decision as to your old one.

You have many options for what to do with your old digital camera. Here are a few:

Put is aside: the simplest thing to do is just to put the digital camera somewhere in the house and forget about it. Many of us do just that. This is not the best solution though as your are wasting a perfectly good product.

Use it as backup: you can use your old digital camera as a backup for your new one. If your new digital camera breaks you can revert to the old one. Another option is to keep the old digital camera in a place where you would not normally store your camera. For example you can keep the old digital camera in the car. You can safely do that since you are less sensitive to the old camera getting damaged or stolen. By doing that you can take pictures when opportunity strikes and you do not have your new camera with you.

Give it as a gift: give your old digital camera to someone who can use it. For example give it to your kids or to other family members. Usually you would want to choose someone who can use it and for whom using your old digital camera will be a step forward relative to what they are using now.

Sell your old digital camera: One obvious option is to sell your old digital camera. Depending on how old it is and its condition you can get a nice sum of money for it. Getting any money is better than just throwing it away. You can sell it online on auction sites like eBay or you can use local classifieds.

Donate your old camera: you can donate your old digital camera to charity, to a local community center, to your kids’ school and more. With some donations you will be able to get a tax receipt so you can also get some money back as tax deduction.

Continue using your old digital camera: This option is not obvious. Why would you keep using the old digital camera when you just paid for a brand new one? There are many reasons. For example in some scenarios your old digital camera might be more appropriate. If for example your old digital camera is a small pocket one while your new digital camera is a big digital SLR there are times when you would not like to carry the big SLR around but you would still want to capture experiences on digital film. In such cases using the old camera is a good solution.

The way of thinking is that you did not replace your old digital camera but got a new digital camera that complements It. This is not relevant of course if you bought the same type of camera but with better features. For example this does not make sense if you bought a brand new digital pocket camera that looks the same as your old one but has more megapixels.

The most important thing is not to forget about your old digital camera just to find it uselessly thrown in a closet somewhere after a few years. Digital cameras like other consumer electronics devices age fast. Their value drops significantly after a few years. Be conscious about your old camera. You can use it for a while as a secondary camera, you can later on decide to sell it or donate it or to do something else with it.

Canon IXUS Digital Camera Pricelist

• Canon IXUS 60 Digital Camera Price - 18,500/-
• Canon IXUS 65 Digital Camera Price - 19,500/-
• Canon IXUS 750 Digital Camera Price - 22,500/-
• Canon IXUS 80 IS Digital Camera Price - 13,000/-
• Canon IXUS 800 IS Digital Camera Price - 16,500/-
• Canon IXUS 85 IS Digital Camera Price - 15,800/-
• Canon IXUS 860 IS Digital Camera Price - 18,000/-
• Canon IXUS 90 IS Digital Camera Price - 20,500/-
• Canon IXUS 950 IS Digital Camera Price - 14,500/-
• Canon IXUS 960 IS Digital Camera Price - 22,500/-
• Canon IXUS 970 IS Digital Camera Price - 21,500/-
• Canon IXUS i7 Zoom Digital Camera Price - 17,500/-
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Samsung S-series Digital Camera Prices

Samsung S-series Digital Camera Prices

• Samsung s1060 - 9,400/-
• Samsung s760 - 6,400/-
• Samsung s860 - 6,900/-
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Samsung I-series Digital Camera Prices

• Samsung i8 - 11,400/-
• Samsung i85 - 14,900/-

Samsung NV series Digital Camera Prices

• Samsung NV15 - 15,900/-
• Samsung NV20 - 18,900/-
• Samsung NV24 HD - 19,900/-
• Samsung NV8 - 13,900/-
• Samsung NV9 - not available yet
• Samsung NV100 HD - not available yet

Cannon Powershot Digital Camera PriceList

* Canon PowerShot A470 Digital Camera Price - 7,500/-

* Canon PowerShot A530 Digital Camera Price - 10,500/-
* Canon PowerShot A570 IS Digital Camera Price - 8,500/-
* Canon PowerShot A580 Digital Camera Price - 8,500/-
* Canon PowerShot A590 IS Digital Camera Price - 10,500/-
* Canon PowerShot A640 Digital Camera Price - 18,800/-
* Canon PowerShot A650 IS Digital Camera Price - 18,000/-
* Canon PowerShot A720 IS Digital Camera Price - 12,500/-
* Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera Price - 27,800/-
* Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera Price - 14,800/-
* Canon PowerShot S5 IS Digital Camera Price - 18,000/-
* Canon PowerShot SX100 Digital Camera Price - 14,500/-
* Canon PowerShot TX1 Digital Camera Price - 15,000/-

Nikon Coolpix Digital Camera Price in India

Nikon Coolpix Digital Camera Price in India

* Nikon Coolpix L10 Digital Camera Price - 5,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix L11 Digital Camera Price - 6,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix L14 Digital Camera Price - 9,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix L15 Digital Camera Price - 10,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix L16 Digital Camera Price - 7,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix L18 Digital Camera Price - 9,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix S52 Digital Camera Price - 13,000/-
* Nikon Coolpix S210 Digital Camera Price - 11,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix S520 Digital Camera Price - 13,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix S510 Digital Camera Price - 15,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix S550 Digital Camera Price - 14,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix S600 Digital Camera Price - 16,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix S700 Digital Camera Price - 17,500/-
* Nikon Coolpix P50 Digital Camera Price - 11,800/-
* Nikon Coolpix P5100 IS Digital Camera Price - 16,800/-
* Nikon Coolpix P80 Digital Camera Price - 20,500/-

Digital Camera Price India

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Creative

Sony Alpha DSLR-A330

It's been just over a year since Sony shipped their last trio of consumer Alpha digital SLR cameras, the A200, A300, and A350, and already they've revamped the line with a new external design and a greater emphasis on economical features and accessories, starting with the Sony A230, A330, and A380. We got hands-on time with each of these models and prepared this report. Company representatives told us that extensive focus-group research revealed that people wanted simpler SLRs that didn't cost too much, and were lighter and easier to bring along. And among those who bought an SLR, many expressed a desire to buy at least one additional lens for their fancy interchangeable-lens digital camera, but few ever made the purchase, largely due to cost.

These studies clearly had an effect on the company's plans for their consumer digital SLR line, because the new cameras reflect significant change in the areas of weight, size, and simplicity, while the internal specifications remain mostly the same. Company representatives hastened to note that nearly each item in the cameras was redesigned to improve efficiency and reduce weight, and though the sensors are indeed the same, the new Alphas include a new image processing system.