<p>Whether you want to take photography up as a hobby, or you just want to be able to take good pictures of your loved ones, a digital camera is a sound investment that will stay with you for a long time, as long as you find the right one for you. Here are five mistakes to avoid when shopping for a new digital camera:<br />
<strong>Not shopping around.</strong> Be sure to do plenty of research to find the camera(s) that have all of the features you want, and then shop around for the best deals. You&#8217;ll be amazed at some of the prices differences you&#8217;ll find for the same camera at a number of different stores, so comparison shopping really does pay off. Try a variety of resources, from ebay to chain department stores to discount online retailers.<br />
<strong>Not trying out the camera first.</strong> Even if you purchase your camera online, you should first try it out at a store to see if it&#8217;s a good fit for you. It may be that you don&#8217;t like the &#8220;feel&#8221; of it in your hands, or that it&#8217;s simply to large or small to use comfortably. You never know until you try it out.<br />
<strong>Paying for pixels.</strong> Today&#8217;s camera manufacturers would have you believe that the more pixels, the better, and people pay big money for those pixels. The truth, however, is that a high pixel count can actually compromise the integrity of the images you capture with your camera, in the form of digital noise. Spend your money on the features you want, rather than on pixels, and you (and your wallet) will be a lot happier with the camera you end up with.<br />
<strong>Sweating the digital zoom.</strong> There are two kinds of zoom &#8211; optical and digital &#8211; and very few people know the difference between them. What you need to know when you go shopping for a new digital camera is that digital zoom really just magnifies the pixels in your photos, creating grainy, low-quality photographs. Focus on optical zooming power when comparing cameras.<br />
<strong>Not accessorizing.</strong> Even your camera needs accessories. Reserve some room in your budget for things like high-capacity memory cards and extra camera batteries (or, purchase rechargeable batteries and a charger if your camera doesn&#8217;t come with them. Also, a good camera bag to hold your camera and all of its accessories can be a lifesaver when it comes to protecting your camera and hanging on to those tiny memory cards.<br />
It&#8217;s easy to get lost and confused in the world of digital cameras when you&#8217;re not familiar with the technical aspects of how certain features work. Keep all of these tips in mind when shopping for your new digital camera, so as to avoid some common purchase pitfalls.<br />
<strong>About the Author: </strong>Ela Rigatti is an amateur photographer who lives with her digital camera in one hand. When she&#8217;s not shooting new images, you can find her looking for a cheap place to buy ink for her son&#8217;s printer or looking for great deals on new camera accessories.</p>

5 Mistakes To Avoid When Shopping For A Digital Camera
