What To Know Before You Buy a Mini Digital Camera

Ultra-compact, or mini, digital cameras are extremely convenient to carry around on sporting or outdoor trips , but they often forfeit some qualities that digital camera users are accustomed to finding in a camera. It is important to carefully decide if the lower-quality photographs, among other aspects, are worth the convenience and money savings. Mini cameras are cool gadgets, but not for everyone.

If you will be carrying the camera around on a long trip away from civilization, you need a camera with a long battery life, or be willing to carry extra camera batteries along with you on your journey. Flash is often inferior or non-existent on mini cameras, so don’t plan to get stunning photo quality in the evening after the sun has begun to set.

As far as the photo quality goes on a compact digital camera, it will be similar to the experience of using a disposable film camera. In bright lighting and farther than four feet away from the subject, your pictures will come out fine. If the lighting is poor or you are trying to film a subject close up, all you will see is an indecipherable blur. Likewise, fast-moving subjects will also be blurry because the shutter speed of these tiny cameras will not be able to snap the shot quickly enough to get a clear picture.

On the positive side, ultra compact digital cameras are often small enough to fit on a keychain, and can be carried with you all the time, so you never have to worry about missing a picture-perfect moment. Almost all of these cameras are powered by common battery sizes, so there’s no need to carry along a charger or find unusual batteries sizes.

If past vacation trips recorded via disposable cameras were good enough for you, it’s likely that a mini digital camera will be as well. Another positive aspect is that these cameras are so inexpensive that it won’t be a huge deal if you or your family loses one, but they can be used time and time again until (or if) you lose the camera.

The bottom line? If convenience is the absolute most important aspect of a small digital camera you are considering, go ahead with your mini digital camera purchase. Otherwise, you will likely be frustrated by the lack of many common features that higher-end digital cameras possess, and you may consider even the small price of a mini digital camera to be a waste of money.