Digicam Buying Guide: Options Galore

Consumer level digital cameras are often referred to as point and shoot since they allow you to take pictures with very little effort. However they often have some fairly sophisticated shooting options available for the more adventurous photographer.

Most cameras come with a number of scene specific modes where you select the basic type of picture: like landscape or portrait and the camera will select the appropriate settings. Some cameras like the Olympus SP 310 allow you to manually control the underlying exposure settings like the shutter speed and aperture. This allows you to tailor the shot more precisely to the subject; for instance if you wish to freeze a fast-moving object in action you would select a high shutter speed.

Other options include various image effects like sepia and black and white or the ability to manipulate colours; for example changing one colour into another or making a particular colour more vivid. Some cameras like the Sony DSC T7 also allow you to adjust contrast, sharpness or saturation. Other features include the ability to set a self-timer, to adjust the power of the flash or the option to reduce red eye problems.

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