Cameras are a man's best friend. Not all people may agree with this but in this age of advanced technology, a great number of people own one or more digital camera. In fact, it may surprise many of you that there are still folks who use the film camera.

It cannot be denied, however, the most popular today is the digital camera owing to its advantages. It is easy to use, is faster to capture images and allows the user to preview his shots right away.

Digital cameras today come in different types. These are the compact, the bridge, mirrorless and the DSLR.

The compact type, as its name suggests, is small, user-friendly and automated. To use it, you just have to point the camera to the subject you want to take a photo of and shoot right away. Compared to the other types, the compact camera is very affordable and ideal for beginners who are still learning the ropes of taking control of the camera and capturing the images they desire. This one is also strongly recommended for people including teenagers who want to take quick pictures of their holidays and gatherings by just a simple click of a button without much difficulty.

The bridge camera, for those not very familiar with it yet, is similar in appearance to the DSLR. In most ways, though, it shares the same feature with that of the compact camera owing to its permanent lens. The difference is that this type gives the user more control without the complexities of the DSLR. Its main features are the manual controls, a long zoom lens and small image sensors. This camera is referred due to the fact that it bridged the gap between the compact point and shoot types and the digital SLRs.

The mirrorless is another type of camera available today, slightly smaller than the DSLR. This is relatively new and features larger sensors compared to the bridge and compact types. No mirror is inside and the user is also allowed to change lenses if he desires. In terms of quality, this camera produces images similar to those taken by the DSLR. As of May 2010, the top manufacturers of this camera type are Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Olympus.

For people with sufficient background in photography, the DSLR camera is the ideal choice. This type provides users with greater control over the camera. A top advantage is that users can change the lenses and the settings that will allow them to take the best images. In the settings, a user can adjust the shutter speed such as when taking photos of events with lots of action to include sports and car racing. Other settings that can be changed are the ISO and exposure.

So as you advance your photography skills, there are digital cameras that you can get that fit your needs. The compact types, being the more affordable camera, are also best for gift giving particularly when you have a loved one or best friend who loves capturing memories.



Source by Kalyan Kumar