Who Should Not Buy a Mini Camera

Ultra portable digital cameras are a great option for many people, but there are a few reasons for certain people not to buy mini digital cameras, because they’d just be wasting their money.

Don’t buy if you need large pictures – one of the first things that is sacrificed on smaller cameras is mega pixels and the ability to take large pictures without sacrificing quality. Even the best mini digital camera won’t take pictures much bigger than the equivalent of an 8×10 photograph, and some are even smaller.

If you will be continually shooting in less than ideal locations, you need a camera that is designed to change settings after every photo to account for the environment, and probably a tripod. This goes for anyone, the only way to get pictures in low lighting or low-contrast shots is to have a high-end camera, preferably an SLR, an understanding of how to adjust lenses and settings to take the best photograph, and neither is going to be accomplished with a point and shoot digital camera of any kind,  especially ultra compact digital cameras.

Most mini cameras aren’t going to be very good at macro, or close-up shots, either, so you either need to step a few feet back from the subject or give up on that picture. The quality (or even existence of) zoom varies a lot between different compact cameras and different brands, but it’s usually not going to be as strong as a traditional digital camera, because it’s still got to be small and narrow enough to retract and lie flat against the rest of the camera’s body. Again, however, if you’re taking many macro photos, you need a more professional camera anyway to get consistently good results.

It might sound like tiny cameras aren’t good at much of anything, if anyone who considers themselves a photographer or wants to take more artistic shots should probably skip on ultracompacts and keep saving for a mid-range digital SLR.

However, small cameras really are perfect for about 90% of the stuff that most people want to take pictures of. People, landmarks, and landscapes in good lighting will all photograph well enough to have printed and framed. They can be carried around effortlessly and are quick to turn on and take photographs without effort or expertise, and they are easy to learn how to handle. Most of the camera retailers will include software to transfer pictures to your computer, and get them emailed or printed with the click of a mouse, so they make a great starter camera and an excellent gift for teenagers and senior citizens alike.