If you are a gadget junkie then you probably queue the night before to buy new releases of electronic products. Others may recommend you wait a while before jumping straight in as the prices are bound to drop. This may be so but with gadgetry like digital cameras, technology is moving at such a fast pace that waiting for prices to drop on new releases means that when you eventually buy them, they are already outdated.
The question worth asking is whether the new features on offer on new cameras are really worth the money of buying a new release or is it just as good to purchase the last model. The answer is it depends exactly what you are looking for in your digital camera.
The features of a digital camera will vary depending on price and model so it is first worth considering which features are the most important. Megapixels vary greatly and new models are being released with even greater megapixels, thus giving an improved quality result. Exposure mode tends to be automated, allowing the camera to calculate the exposure control depending on available light. It is also possible to buy cameras with manual controls to give you the option to set your own shutter speed.
Image stabilisation is a feature that has progressed across models and new models will virtually eliminate handheld shake and this is definitely a feature that improves the overall photo, particularly if your camera has a zoom lens of over 3X. Cameras are now available with extended zoom lenses and wide angle zoom range.
Technology plays its part with new release digital cameras with face detection software, which programmes the camera to find a face and focus. New models may well feature smile shutter mode, which tells the camera to shoot a photo when the person smiles – now there's a clever camera! Blink warnings may also be an option to alert you to your subjects blinking.
Focus and shooting modes have developed, allowing some new cameras to have extra focussing functions. More advanced cameras also offer many shots per second. LCD screens are also moving forward with technology, with touch screens becoming more common and including features to add music and create slideshows.
It may seem that new cameras with a myriad of features are harder to operate and more confusing but the added beauty of new release digital cameras is that they have fused all the science together into easy to use packages. So you may crave latest release gadgetry or you may just want a decent camera that does all the work for you. If either is a case, don't wait until the prices get cheaper but purchase that all singing, all dancing model now.