Many cameras offer a digital zoom in addition to the optical zoom. That’s ok. If you never use the digital portion, which is activated automatically when the limit of the optical zoom is reached, then you never suffer a loss of resolution. It is always there if you really need it.
Do you need greater than 10x? A professional camera with changeable lens system is your best bet. Get the checkbook ready!
LCD screen
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. Are the acronyms getting to you yet? This screen is the same as a flat panel computer monitor. On a digital camera this monitor is used for many things. It is the only way to change many of the cameras settings, even if your camera has a mechanical setting wheel on the top. The LCD will also offer a preview of the picture before you snap it, and review of it after you snap, usually for 2 seconds. With the LCD you can review all the pictures
contained in the camera on the memory card. You can verify that the picture you want is properly exposed and stored. The LCD is the most fragile part of a camera not protected by a cover when the camera is not in use. Many of the more rugged cameras have smaller or recessed LCDs to protect them from damage. If you drop your camera and break the LCD screen you will be buying another camera: the camera is ruined.
Your options are to buy a camera with a small LCD screen, around 1” diagonal, a medium 1.5” diagonal or a large LCD with a two inch or larger LCD. LCDs are difficult to see and use in bright sunlight; you will still use the viewfinder to frame the picture.
This may be a lesser consideration than the other features of the camera, nevertheless, make sure that you can adequately see the options menu on the screen, with or without your reading glasses!
Memory cards
Once the image has been compressed, the camera stores that image on a memory card. The memory card is used over and over again. Once full, you erase it by moving the pictures onto your computer or printing them and then erasing the card. An erased memory card is the same as a new one. You don’t ever need to buy another as you did with film.
There are many types of memory cards. Some names of the cards are Compact Flash or CF, Smart Media, Secure Digital or SD. Older technology cards, such as CF (compact flash) and Smart media are larger, and less “dense” than newer cards, such as SD (secure digital) and xD (eXtreme Digital) cards. Inside all the cards is the same type of non- volatile memory – your pictures are preserved even when the card is out of the camera.
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