A comparison of leading digital cameras

With so many different digital cameras out there to choose from many people wonder how to choose the right one. What kind of digital camera you choose depends on your needs. Obviously if you are a professional photographer you are going to need to choose something that has interchangeable lenses and offers a wide variety of lenses to choose from, but if you are simply going to use your camera for everyday use you are most likely just going to want something that has point and shoot capabilities, otherwise known as "what you see is what you get".

Here is a comparison of leading digital cameras to help you decide which camera will be right for your needs.

• Canon EOS-1D Mark II N - offers professional photographers extensive customization, great speed and excellent photo quality. The camera boosts 8 megapixels and is currently the fastest shooting SLR on the market. This camera works well for magazine photographers, as well as portrait photographers. This camera was designed to replace the EOS-1D Mark II and offers the same features as the previous camera but with many improvements.
  • Advantages
    • Combination of fast drive mode and high resolution
    • Large buffer
    • Highly customizable
    • Allows you to save custom camera setups to media
    • Can support memory cards bigger than 2GB
  • Disadvantages
    • Noise in underexposed image areas
    • You will notice that imperfections appear when you use lower quality lenses
• Nikon D80 - this 10.2 megapixel camera has CCD imaging senor, an 11 area AF system, a 2.5 inch LCD screen and many other in camera editing and custom functions. This camera is perfect for people who have a passion for photography to SLR newcomers who want more power than they can get with Nikon's lower end products. The main problem is with people who are using the camera for action shots because of the slower shutter speed and the slower flash sync.
  
  • Advantages
    
    • Excellent color rendition
    
    
    • Excellent noise levels
    
    
    • Large feature set
    
    
    • Very customizable
    
    
    • Very fast performance
  
  
  • Disadvantages
    
    • Full raw editor costs extra
    
    
    • Flash sync of 1/200 second
• Sony Cyber Shot DSC-T10 - this camera has decent image quality and can fit in your pocket. It comes in a variety of colors: pink, silver, white, and black. It has a 2.5 inch LCD but doesn't offer the fancy Plexiglas back panel, the camera is also a 7.2 megapixel CCD sensor. Sony also offers something called Super Steady Shot which is a tiny button to the right of the shutter that controls the optical image stabilization. The camera offers a variety of shooting modes that will cover almost every situation and offers program and full auto that will allow you to adjust certain settings, such as white balance, metering, and focus modes.
  
  • Advantages
    
    • Small size, it can basically fit in your pocket
    
    
    • Attractive design
    
    
    • Optical image stabilization
    
    
    • Quick performance
  
  
  • Disadvantages
    
    • Lens is slow and not very wide actual size is f/3.5 and 38 mm
• Canon PowerShot SD800 IS - this camera offers a slim and stylish body with a wide angle lens. It also offers very good photo quality and great performance which makes this camera great for low end users who just want to point and shoot. This camera improves upon the previous version with a wider lens and a higher resolution sensor. The camera offers 7 megapixels, has a 2.5 inch LCD and an optical viewfinder, but its best feature is its image stabilized f/2.8 to f/5.8 or 28 mm to 105 mm equivalent lens.
  
  • Advantages
    
    • Good focal range for lens
    
    
    • Quick performance
    
    
    • Optical image stabilization
    
    
    • Attractive design
  
  
  • Disadvantages
    
    • Few manual controls
    
    
    • Very noisy photos at ISO 1,600