With Christmas fast approaching many are starting to think about gift buying. Without doubt digital cameras will be a favourite gift item this year with prices at an all time low. But what are the features that you should look out for when shopping for a digital camera?

You probably know that a good quality lens is as important in a digital camera as it is in analogue ones. You may also know a bit about megapixels and how the quality of digital images depends on resolution and the number of digital dots, or pixels, in the picture.

But what about image stabilization technology. This is the way that modern digital cameras can compensate for wobbly hands and the need for high exposure times in low light conditions.

Another useful feature is auto face detection with auto focus. Facial recognition technology enables a camera to focus sharply on a face making it ideal for point and shoot photographers. Ideal for anyone who prefers the simple point and click style of digital camera.

A good quality zoon is another feature that you may want to look for. Some cameras use a digital zoom and others use a more conventional optical zoom. Optical is generally much sharper but on small point and shoot cameras is often quite limited to only 2x or 3x.

Something else to look at is battery life. Rechargeable batteries are the way to go as they save money in the long term.

Look out for additional features like the ability to change lenses, image effects and built in image editing capabilities.

Also, take a look at what software comes with the package. Most modern digital cameras come with a bunch of applications for processing and editing images.

Something extra to consider when buying a new camera is some affordable camera insurance. Today’s lightweight digital cameras are easily lost, stolen or damaged so its worth spending a little money to ensure that your camera is quickly replaced in these circumstances.

In addition you may like to consider gadget insurance to protect valuable portable devices including laptop insurance for valuable laptop computers.

Technorati Tags: digital cameras, dslr

I suppose that it may depend upon your age, but I am old enough to recall just how thrilling it was to huddle around a Polaroid snapshot whilst it was developing. You were never really sure just how it would turn out until the image had solidified - right there in front of your very eyes. When the process was complete, you were left with a picture, often with slightly varied colours, which had no negative, and was, let’s face it, a bit on the pricey side.

Today, thanks to the rise of digital cameras, Polaroid is no longer instant enough. The cameras ceased production some time ago and the last films rolled out in January of 2009. It’s easy to see why if you consider the following statistics?

2000 Sales
Polaroid cameras 4.2 million
Digital cameras 4.5 million

2007 Sales
Polaroid cameras 240 thousand
Digital cameras 28.2 million

With sales figures like that it’s no wonder the Polaroid camera is being withdrawn.

However, the Polaroid had achieved an iconic status over the years, so it’s no surprise to learn that groups of enthusiasts have set up campaigns to “save Polaroid”. There are hopes that some “white knight” will take over the production of the film and manufacture this under licence. In the meantime, and with a certain amount of irony, both films and cameras are for sale on EBay at hugely inflated prices. It’s not out of the question that, if Polaroid themselves had been able to command these types of prices levels then they wouldn’t have needed to file for Chapter 11 just a few short years ago.

Looking forward, Polaroid have entered the digital age by producing a combined digital camera and printer which uses a heat activated dye to produce a printed image in around about a minute.

The camera, called the PoGo, has a 3 inch LCD display for checking your photos before you print them out. Bearing in mind that the special printer paper will cost around $13 for enough to produce 30 photos you may want to be certain that you’ve got a “keeper” before you press the print button.Polaroid believe that it will appeal to law enforcement officers and customs staff who may require an immediate hard copy of identity photographs. Time will tell.

Technorati Tags: digital cameras, digital photography, photography, polaroid