Digital Camera Categories and Their Uses

Digital cameras come in many different categories. They are usually separated by their resolution, their lens type, controls and the many add on accessories that are available for them. Here is a summary of the various categories available to you:

* Web Cams - These are inexpensive TV cameras that can produce low-resolution image that you can send over the internet. Many are able to capture low-resolution still images as well. They usually have no storage, controls or zoom lenses. Their only use, as I see it, is for using while chatting with your friends over the internet.

* Point-and-Shoot - This is the first real Digital camera Category that actually resembles a regular camera. They can do anything that a simple film camera can do. Most will have a built in flash, some form of removable storage and a fixed focal length lens. They will also have simple automatic exposure but no manual controls.

* Intermediate Digital Cameras - These are the most widely used type of camera as they suit most consumer needs. They will have a 2 - 4 megapixel resolution and a 3:1 zoom lens, close-up focusing and possibly some manual controls.

* Medium Range Digital Cameras - This category is for the photographer who wants some special added features like; extra resolution, longer zoom lens and possibly some wide-angle and telephoto attachments, external flash and possibly some filters. These digital cameras have few limitations and satisfy most photographers needs.

* Semi-Professional Digital Cameras - This is the category that the serious photo buff uses and is used by many professional photographers as a backup camera. They will feature an electronic or optical, through-the-lens viewfinder and can take most interchangeable lenses. Their only drawback is that they weigh much more than the other cameras mentioned above. They have many automatic as well as manual adjustment that the dedicated photo buff likes to work with. They are capable of taking about 2 -3 pictures per second.

* Professional Digital Cameras - These cameras will do anything that can be possibly be done with a camera. They will have over 10 megapixels of resolution, interchangeable lenses, autofocus, and very high speed, being able to take at least 5 pictures per second. They have very large storage options, usually at least a 1Gigabyte mini hard disk drive.

So for those just starting out I would suggest you start with a simple Point-and-Shoot digital camera and gradually graduate to a a more expensive camera with more features as you get to know how each camera works and become a more experienced photo buff. Remember the first digital camera you buy probably won?t be your last as most consumers upgrade every two or three years. So go buy that digital camera and get snapping. Look at Panasonic Lumix Reviews.

10 more Ways to Make Money with Your Digital Cameras

1. Pet photos - advertise a Pet Photography business where you photograph pets with their owners. Most owners won’t struggle to take a photograph with their pet all by themselves. You can be the one who makes it easy on them. Not only can you charge for the service and your time, but you can offer the photograph in it’s digital form or as a print that you can mail to them later - either created by your own photo printer or by a photo processing service.

2. Fishing contests - be around at the end of a fishing contest to take photographs of the contestants that didn’t even think about bringing a camera. Most fishermen are more concerned about fishing than carrying cameras, and most fisherman also want a picture of their stringer full of fish or the big one that they’re going to have mounted.

3. Parades - be in position to get great shots of folks and floats in the parade and sell the prints back to the individuals or to their family members. The folks who take part in the parades are often way to busy to take pictures before or after, so someone who captures them in action might really be doing them a favor - and a profitable service.

4. Landmark and tourist photographer - if there’s a famous landmark in your area, offer your photography services to tourists who want their photo taken in front of it. Even if the tourists are carrying a camera and get someone else to take their photo, often the camera won’t be digital with a display so it means the tourists won’t know how the picture turns out until they’re long gone. With your digital camera, you should be able to show them it’s a good picture.

5. Graduations - preschool, high school, or college graduations offer dozens, if not hundreds of opportunities to capture a significant moment in someone’s life. If the family members of the graduate aren’t located in as good a location or don’t have as good a camera as yourself - you’ll have even greater opportunity at getting the shots they couldn’t.

6. Holiday Family Postcards - offer your services to families that want their picture taken and put on a postcard that they can send to their extended family and friends. By using your digital camera you can not only get photo-postcards through online photo-processors, but you can make the prints available in your online gallery and have the customers refer their extended friends and family there to purchase a larger print if they desire it.

7. Photo Novelty Items - take photographs of people that want the pictures of themselves of their loved ones imprinted on coffee mugs, mouse pads, keychains, tee-shirts, and other items. Usually you can find suppliers of such photo-transfer merchandise and equipment in business opportunity publications, such as “Mind Your Business 101: How to Select & Start Your Own Business”

8. Used Car Photos - work out an arrangement to take snapshots of cars for used car dealers who don’t have photographs of their current inventory. If any of the car dealers don’t have websites that need photographs you could, provide an additional service by learning how to make and maintain a website of their inventory.

9. Promotional slideshow production - taking digital photos of a convention, church, business, college campus, or other promotable location - you can create a digital slideshow on Video CD or DVD for your customers to promote their business, organization, or event.

10. Newborn photo service - parents of newborns are some of the busiest people in the world. Advertise your services on an on-call basis so that you can take informal snapshots for the growing family either before they leave the hospital, or after they get home. This way both parents and the child(ren) can be in more of the pictures all together, and the parents have one less thing to try and figure out.