Cheap Digital Cameras for Less

If like most people, you are looking for a cheap digital camera or maybe a bargain then read on.

Since I regularly test cameras in order to produce an accurate review, it is usually necessary for me to actually purchase the digital cameras at the full retail price. This is because the majority of camera companies have refused any request to loan a camera to provide digital camera reviews.

This has lead to me sell the cameras after I’ve finished with them. Now, I would not expect to get back the full amount that I paid but if you don’t mind buying a camera that has only been used a couple of times then you can get your hands on a cheap digital camera.

These cameras are usually in excellent condition, but if there are any marks then I will say so. Everything that comes packaged with the camera at the time of purchase will be included in the sale. This includes memory cards, manuals, software, etc and if the camera comes with standard AA batteries then I will supply brand new ones.

All cameras I sell are supplied through standard eBay auctions and I will only post within the UK. All digital cameras sold by myself will come with a personal one year guarantee which will cover any breakdown through normal use.

Looking for Digital Cameras under £100

Cheap digital cameras that cost under £100 are quite easy to find these days but you should try to be aware of some possible pitfalls you may encounter.

Firstly, a cheap digital camera that fall into this price bracket is less expensive when compared to other models on the market. Although this makes then more accessible, the quality may be slightly lower in certain areas.

The main differences between these cameras and the more expensive models are that they will have fewer megapixels, giving a lower quality of pictures. They may not have an optical zoom lens, but with digital camera prices falling, you may find some cameras do have them.

Build quality is generally not as good and shutter delay or lag may be prevalent. Battery life too may be lower due to higher power consumptions.

Looking for Digital Cameras for less than £50

Okay, you’re looking to buy a digital camera for under £50 but you don’t know what differences there are between the cheaper and more expensive models.

The main and possibly the most obvious difference is picture quality. This is largely due to the amount of megapixels on offer from camera to camera. Cameras with a low number of megapixels, although being more than adequate for viewing pictures on a computer or for emailing to friends and family but they will probably not be suitable for producing photographs or prints.

Another possible issue with a cheap digital camera for under £50 is that the chances of getting a zoom lens or digital zoom are slim. The overall build quality of the camera will not be great and the performance capabilities will be lower. This will lead to increased shutter lag or shutter delay and the battery life will almost certainly be less.

I would expect the quality of the photographs taken with one of these digital cameras to be acceptable outdoors with good lighting, but I believe that they would struggle to take a good indoor shot where the cameras shortcomings would become more obvious.

Pocket Sized Digital Camera Limitations

This post is in response to a question I received about pocket sized digital cameras. The question posed asked if there was a pocket sized digital camera I could recommend that would handle a number of different types of photo opportunity. These included taking photos of moving subjects such as horses, working well inside a house in lower light and avoiding red eye. The budget for such a camera was specified as up to £350.

The first issue I will deal with is the budget. The cost of pocket sized digital cameras has fallen over the past 18 months to the point where it is difficult to pay more than around £220 for this type of camera. Therefore even if you are willing to spend more you will struggle to find a camera to buy.

Next up is red eye. This is caused by the light from the flash unit bouncing back off the eye into the lens of the camera. The reason why this is such a big problem with compact cameras is the close proximity of the lens and the flash unit. The only way to really get around this problem is to go for a larger camera where the flash unit is positioned further away from the lens. Even when I test a camera and my test comes up without red eye I am aware that with smaller cameras you are still likely to encounter red eye from time to time.

Lowlight situations in general are a challenge for compact digital cameras. The majority do not have manual exposure controls, so you are limited in the settings you can use to overcome the problems posed by a lack of light. You can try using any specific night time scene modes to see if this will help. Some cameras also come with a long shutter mode. By keeping the shutter open for longer you allow more light into the camera. This can help combat low light. When indoors turn on as many lights as possible. You can also try increasing ISO levels, but go carefully as this also leads to noise in the photo – in other words a drop in quality. It also pays to get in as close as is reasonable. This gives any AF (auto focus) assist lamp a better chance of working and will also increase the power of the flash unit.

Finally moving subjects such as horses pose a different type of problem. You certainly need a camera with little shutter lag, otherwise by the time the camera is ready to take the shot the horse will have moved out of the frame. Other options include using continuous shooting and setting a fast shutter speed if you have manual exposure controls available.

Outside of these actions there is not a great deal you can do. Pocket sized digital cameras offer great portability and usually ease of use, but they do have some limitations when it comes to the photos they are able to take. I cannot think of any cameras of this type that are able to easily handle all the issues detailed above.

You can find my reviews and ratings for pocket sized digital cameras at: Pocket sized digital camera reviews and ratings.