Affordable Digital Cameras

Looking for affordable digital cameras? Here are some of the best cameras at the best prices. Remember that a cheap camera may seem like a great solution to your pocketbook, but may not offer the features and picture quality you need. To make sure you get the best deals do your research. Get some tips about how to choose here.

Compact Cameras

The least expensive cameras on the market today are compact cameras. Affordability is subjective. What's affordable to you may seem steep to others, but let's look at some of the best compact cameras you can buy for under $150.

The Pentax Optio E90 Digital Camera averages about $60. This little camera takes 10MP pictures and has a 3x optical zoom capability.

The Samsung SL605 Digital Camera costs a bit more averaging about $100, but for your extra money you get a camera that does pretty well when taking pictures in low light situations. It has 12.2MP and 5x optical zoom capability.

The Sony DSC-W330 Digital Camera costs about $140. It has 14.1MP and a 4x zoom capability. It also has an image stability feature and a good sized LCD screen on the back.

The Nikon Coolpix S4000 Digital Camera costs about $140. It takes 12MP pictures, has 4x optical zoom and a vibration reduction feature.

DSLR Cameras

When you're looking to buy a DSLR camera you'll have to spend a little more money than you'll have to spend for a compact camera. You'll probably have to spend at least $500. All of the major camera brands have entry level DSLR cameras that you can purchase to get you started. Here's a list of the entry level cameras made by each company.

• Olympus Evolt E420 10MP Digital SLR Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Lens
• Pentax K-x 12.4 MP Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Lens (White)
• Canon EOS Rebel T1i (500D) Digital SLR Kit w/EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens & Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Autofocus Lens
• Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
• Sony α290 DSLRA290L DSLR Camera (Black)

Shopping Tips

You can find more affordable digital cameras if you shop around the holiday season. During the holidays many stores have blow out sales, especially on electronics.

You can also find good deals on auction sites like Ebay. If you choose to buy from an auction site be sure to thoroughly check out the reputation of the seller before you buy. Most sites allow shoppers to rate the vendor they purchased from. Only buy from vendors when high ratings. Buying from vendors with low ratings or even new vendors with no ratings could be risky. Some people run scams through these types of sites and you don't want to become a victim.

Don't just buy a camera because it's cheap. The cheapest camera may not be the best camera for your situation.