Digital Camera Requirements

• Web site search to review pictures (both realistic and test patterns) taken by others and look out for spherical distortion, line aliasing, graininess, and jpeg artifacting/banding/smashing.
• Stick with one of the major name brands.
• 5-6 megapixel is 35mm film equivalent.
• Larger image sensor chips. Larger ones are typically better than small.
• Real optical zoom. Preferrable 10x. Straight digital zoom is worthless and a low-blow selling point.
• Real lens, larger size, non-distorting (no spherical problems). Larger lens usually collects more light for better pictures indoors.
• Macro function for very close up imaging.
• Good low light level handling (no grainy pictures with room lighting).
• Built in flash with red eye reduction (usually multi/burst flash mode).
• Real battery pack consisting of AA's or AAA's. Good battery run time. No funky battery packs at all (expensive, can't swap out, never find after discontinued). AA or AAA batteries allow for the ubiquitous rechargables and their chargers.
• External power supply (wall wart) so batteries can be bypassed for long term and time lapse pictures.
• Real manual focus option that is easy to use (auto focus can be brain dead somtimes).
• Common and easy to find flash memory chip. This allows for easy upgrades and multiple chips for more picture taking without having to stop and dump. Also allows for standard card reader. Chips that come with cameras are always too small and will be immediately upgraded to something more realistic.
• Standard USB option that allows for easy transfer of images off the flash chip and into the computer. The USB option should be smart enough to also allow the camera to show up as a generic storage device without having to install funky drivers on every computer the camera connects to.
• Good RAM buffer in the camera for multiple and rapid succession picture taking (saving 1 at a time is SLOW). This often isn't directly advertised but shows up as taking 6-10 pictures in rapid succession.
• Raw image save option (usually TIFF) for high quality, lossless images.
• High quality compressed save option (usually JPEG, "Fine Image" setting) for normal picture taking at smaller file sizes but without the JPEG compression noise.
• LCD view finder that can show focus and can actually be seen and usable in daylight.
• Standard tripod mount for camera (screw in at base).
• Built in self timer for family pics. Time lapse option for effect pics.
• Movie recording a plus, but these usually don't look very good. A still camera is for taking pictures, not videos. Just like a video camera is for taking videos and not high quality stills. Eventually the two technologies will effectively merge, but it will be awhile.
• Automated scripting and programming is a plus.
• Make sure any text overlay on the image can be disabled. Getting numbers and date stamps permanently burned into a picture is rarely a plus.