Many people are still sceptical about making the changeover to from their old faithful film camera to a new-technology digital. If you are mystified by megapixels or flummoxed by flash cards, relax, it’s really only the jargon that’s changed...

There has never been a better time to buy a digital camera, with a huge range now on offer, capable of producing high quality prints. Prices are also settling down, with the big reductions that follow the introduction of new technology mostly behind us.

But what to choose? There is such a long list of specifications for even the most basic of digital cameras that it is hard to connect what you need with what is available. The following are a few key issues to consider, as presented by by Paul Curtis, Executive Director Photo Imaging Council Australia, with more helpful hints to follow in later issues of the Gazette.

Resolution: Models with 2-megapixel sensors, now well under $500, will produce very acceptable postcard-sized prints, but for an extra hundred dollars or so, a 3-megapixel model will deliver a better result that can be enlarged by an extra fifty percent. If you intend to have some of your pictures printed up for display, or take on ‘digital darkroom’ activities as a hobby, there are models recently announced with 8 megapixel sensors, but 4 - 5 megapixels are more than adequate even for an enthusiast.

Optics: Even though the camera is digital, it still needs a good lens to deliver the best results. There are many models with at least a 3x optical zoom - which allows taking pictures of landscapes and groups through to head-and-shoulder portraits. For telephoto photography, there are models with 8x and even 10x optical zoom. Pay less attention to the digital zoom specification: this might sound impressive, but image quality is traded off, as you are actually enlarging a section of what is captured by the sensor, so that the resulting picture becomes pixelated, or “blocky”.

Some models have extraordinary macro capabilities that allow you to photograph a subject from as close as 1 or 2cm away - great for flower and nature photography.

A low ‘f’ number - say f2.8 - extends the ability of the camera to take pictures in low light without flash, as the lens is able to let more light in.

Shutter lag: There is a slight delay with all digital cameras between the time you depress the shutter button and when the shutter actually opens. Not a big issue unless you are taking pictures of fast-moving subjects - like active children. Some models have a longer lag than others, so it is worth asking the photo store salesperson for guidance on this, and taking a few pictures with a variety of models.

Storage: The higher the resolution, the larger capacity storage card you will need, although some quite ‘high res’ models come standard with just 16MB cards - really only capable of storing one high-quality picture. Retailers might be willing to do a deal on extra storage cards at the time you purchase the camera, and a few spare high-capacity cards will definitely come in handy.