Professional photographer or not, point and shoot digital cameras can always come in handy. These small digital cameras are great for daily use and are a great substitute for your bigger point and shoot or SLR camera in any rugged environment where you might be afraid to get your more expensive equipment damaged or stolen. These cameras also make for a great gift and with Christmas right around the corner you will have an easy time finding the right styles for everybody. With so many options in terms of brand, resolution, size and zoom, getting the camera that is best suited for the user can be difficult. Sticking to the basic brands is always a good idea, this way you ensure that you are dealing with a quality product, but do not be afraid to experiment. At the moment I have two Nikon cameras and one Canon camera, but I would also consider looking into Sony products as they have been known to produce some fun filled cameras with quite a bit of range.

With a wide variety of options, Nikon digital cameras are a great starting point. All of their cameras have more than enough picture quality, starting at 10.1 megapixels and ranging all the way up to 14.2. While more is usually better, there is a certain point where an increase in megapixels is not worth the price. The human eye cannot register the difference in quality between 10 and 14 megapixel photographs anyway, so it becomes a bit excessive. Rather than stressing over more megapixels, look for a bigger digital zoom or a bigger LCD screen to make your experience more enjoyable.

While I am a big time Nikon and Canon supporter, I do find some bonuses in some of the Sony cameras. I am particularly fond of the Sony dsc-w360 in black. It has a sleek design, high quality (14 MP) and a relatively good 4X zoom that makes it comparable to the Nikon Coolpix line of cameras. Whether you want a larger LCD, more megapixels or a longer zoom, it comes down to your personal preferences and with minimal differences between the Coolpix and Cybershot line, both will serve you well.

Did you know?

The first Polaroid camera was invented by Edwin Land in November of 1948.

-Ranjit

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