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Digital Camera Buying Guide

Traditional film cameras are still the most affordable and varied, digital cameras are becoming more and more attractive as prices come down and the selection expands.

Unbeatable.co.uk list a full range of cameras along with essential consumables (such as film, memory cards and batteries) and accessories (such as filters, bags and tripods).

Of course it all starts with your choice of camera, and to select the best model first work out how much you can spend, then decide what type of camera best suits your requirements

Cameras Pricing Table
Type of camera	Lowest price (approx.)	Highest price (approx)
Compact 35mm	£5	£200
Compact APS	£98	£99
Digital	£80	£2,000
SLR	£100 (systems)	£500 (camera body only) Lens price ranges: Canon lenses £80-£6,000 Minolta lenses £70-£570 Nikon lenses £70-£6,700

Next, ask yourself what kind of photos you usually take. Do you want a camera that uses traditional film, or is it worth paying slightly more for one of the new, all-electronic digital models? (Hint: it is!)

Find yourself in our Camera User Profile, below, for our recommendation of your ideal camera type.

Camera User Profile
For people who…	The best camera format is…	Why?
…Take lots of snaps, not all successful!	Digital	With a digital camera, pictures are a collection of digital data stored temporarily within a solid-state memory card. On digital cameras equipped with an LCD screen, images can be viewed immediately so you can see whether your shot has been successful. If not, you can just delete that shot and try again. You only keep the pictures you want. With film, once you’ve taken a picture, you’re stuck with it, and you don’t find out until after it comes back from being processed.
…Like to share pictures with distant friends and family by email	Digital	It’s really easy to transfer digital camera images onto your PC, since all digital cameras come complete with a data transfer cable and easily installed PC software. From there it’s just a few clicks to send your pics by email, or upload them to a website for friends and family to view. Performing the same operation is more complex if you are starting from traditional ‘analogue’ prints or transparencies (slides), since this requires a separate PC scanner.
…Use electronic images as part of their business, e.g. on websites	Digital	Again it’s the speed with which you can take pictures and use them immediately on your PC. This converts into an immediate competitive advantage for any business that uses images to sell or trade (estate agents, journalists, used car sales etc) With prints or transparencies, scanning to achieve high-resolution, professional results takes additional time and money.
…Are creative photographers who’d like to retouch images on a PC	Digital	With a digital image, you know your retouching will start from the original, first generation reproduction of the photographed scene. If starting from a print or transparency, scanning for high resolution takes time and money – and still results in a copy not the original.
…Are looking for a low-cost compact camera that’ll give good picture quality at affordable cost.	35mm Film	Compact 35mm film cameras still provide the best balance of cost and performance. We stock numerous options costing less than £50 –from disposable fun cameras, through Polaroid instant cameras, to entry-level compact 35mm cameras.
…Are looking for the smallest and easiest-to-use film camera with advanced options	APS Film	Just as APS film is smaller than 35mm film, APS cameras are more compact than 35mm cameras. APS offers a choice of three picture shapes, foolproof loading and the chance to swap films before they’re fully exposed. The only drawback is the higher price and lower availability of developing.
…Are looking for the absolutely lowest-cost camera	Disposable ‘fun’ cameras and Polaroid instant cameras	At pocket-money prices these are the ultimate carefree cameras.
…Are looking for a camera that does more than just take photos	Digital	Unlike a film camera, digital cameras are not restricted just to taking photographs. Digital cameras are fundamentally digital storage devices whose use is limited only by their operating software. This means that as well as stills, digital cameras can also capture sequences of moving images and even sound, that can be uploaded and played back on a PC. Quality of such movies is inferior to that of a dedicated camcorder, but ideal for capturing memories on the spur of the moment. And some cameras will also serve as MP3 players and digital audio players, or can connect to your PC as a streaming webcam.
…Need maximum flexibility and control for professional and enthusiast photography.	Film or Digital (depending on price)	Professional and enthusiast photography usually entails an SLR camera with interchangeable lenses, add-on flashguns and other performance accessories. There’s no doubt that, price-for-price, film SLRs offer better value, but the additional flexibility of digital is proving increasingly accessible and tempting as prices continue to fall and technology continues to improve. For example, when photographing once-in-a-lifetime scenes that cannot be repeated, a digital SLR will let you see immediately whether you’ve captured the moment. With a film SLR, maybe you got it... but you won’t know until the film comes back from processing!