You've created the most awesome, jaw-dropping, wet your britches custom you have ever done... but your attempts to capture the car's beauty with your flatbed scanner has been horrendous. Sound familiar? Let's be honest... in the online world your customs are only as good as the photograph they appear in. Sure, that Smart Cam sitting atop your monitor ($49.99) will take a photo of your custom... if you want to call it a photo. Now, when you become serious about your customizing, and serious about sharing images of your work (whether for fun, bragging rights, online contests, or possible sales), you will quickly find yourself wishing you had a digital camera capable of really capturing the beauty of your creations.

This page is offered as a source of information to give you some background on the features and aspects of a digital camera and let you make an educated decision on what you feel your should purchase...  The key aspects of Digital Camera hunting are listed below.  

Resolution -
Resolution determines how clear, as well as how large, an image you'll be able to capture. For web-design purposes, 640x480 resolution is usually enough. But, you also need to consider a camera's versatility for other things you may want to do with it in the future also! For example, do you want to be able to print out an 8x10" glossy of your latest custom? Or 8x10" wedding photos? If so, you'll certainly need more than 640x480 resolution. You'll need something closer to 1600x1200, perhaps more. Needless to say, camera prices rise in relation to resolution. First, decide exactly what you may wish to use your digital camera for. If you're convinced that you'll only be using it for internet-related things (web design, emailing photos, etc.), then 640x480 may indeed be all you'll ever need.

Pixels -
Digital Cameras have use small dot technology to capture a picture.  These little dots are called "pixels".  The more pixels or dots the sharper your picture will be, as the dots become more condensed they offer more definition, detail and clarity to the photo.  

Consider the following chart:

Number of Pixels	Use
1.0 Mega	Basic Email and Web Applications
2.0 Mega	Print Outs of 4x6 or 5x7 with 35mm Quality
3.0 Mega +	Professional Quality, Close-ups and Enlargements - Preferred Web Picture Quality

Macro -
In digital cameras, as in traditional cameras, the "macro" ability determines how close you can get to a particular subject being photographed. But don not just settle for the word "macro" in a camera's description! Macro can be a very subjective term! For example, two different manufacturers may claim to offer "macro" capability, but one of them may be 12" and the other 5". And that's a huge difference! The camera capable of 5" macro focus would be far better suited to photographing 1/64th scale diecast (all things being otherwise equal). The smaller the macro the better it will be able to capture the smaller details. a 12" macro for instance is virtually useless for shooting customs. Look for a macro of 6" or less. Two to four inches would be great. Less than 2" would be awesome!

Zoom -
Digital cameras may have digital zoom, optical zoom or both technologies.  Digital zoom is used to create the size of the pixels making the big appear bigger.  A digital zoom doesn't actually "zoom," it simply crops the photo to make the final image appear to be closer.  Optical zoom moves the lens in and out like a traditional camera.  The Optical zoom then maintains the quality of the picture throughout the movement of the lens.  Like in the real world, a zoom lens is useless for snapping close-ups of small diecast cars. Unless you want to shoot the car from a block away. . But still, a zoom lens is worth considering if you think you may use your camera for sporting events, nature photography or other such tasks. Generally, current digital cameras with optical zooms begin at about $300-400 and go up dramatically from there.   

Memory / Storage Media -
All digital cameras store images in some sort of memory. Really, really cheap cameras use built-in, non-expandable memory. Many of Sony's latest cameras use a "Memory Stick," which Sony created specifically for their hardware. Other Sony's, the "Mavica" line of cameras, use standard 1.44" floppy disks to store photos. But the two most popular types of storage media are SmartMedia and CompactFlash cards. There's very little difference between either of those last two (relatively speaking). But the vast majority of digital cameras on the market today use either SmartMedia or CompactFlash. Other than the built-in memory cameras, all of these storage media are perfectly fine. The only true advantage one may have over another is compatibility. The Sony Mavica, using 1.44" floppies, for example, allows an extra measure of versatility. Floppys can be inserted into virtually any PC. In the same vein, you may wish to consider a camera that uses SmartMedia if you already have a different camera that uses it. Or if you think you may purchase a more expensive camera in the future that uses it. 

Consider the following chart showing memory card storage versus camera mega-pixel capabilities:

Media Card	64MB	126MB	256MB	512MB	1GB
2.0 Megapixel	71	142	284	569	1137
3.0 Megapixel	53	106	213	426	853
4.0 Megapixel	32	64	128	256	512
5.0 Megapixel	25	51	102	204	409
6.0 Megapixel	20	40	80	160	320
8.0 Megapixel	18	37	75	150	301

Example:  If you had a 3.0 mega pixel digital camera and added a 32MB storage card, you would have approximately 26 pictures to take.  This is a rough estimate and does very by camera but in most cases is a very good scale to go reference.  

Cost -
This is probably the section that you're most interested in. Everyone wants to know, "What's it gonna cost me?" Well, fortunately, digital camera prices have dropped dramatically over the past few years. And, at the same time, features have grown. But to cut to the chase, a digital camera capable of taking super nice close-ups of your custom diecast will cost you about $200-300. One with a few more bells & whistles (like optical zoom, short video clip capability, etc.) runs in the $400-600 range. Top line 4.0 megapixel (high resolution) cameras begin at about $700 and go up. Sometimes, way up. Also consider that digital storage media runs roughly $25 per 8 megabytes (the "per meg" price drops as you buy larger cards). Although most cameras come with the tools necessary to transfer the photos to your computer, you may want to invest in a dedicated card reader or connection "quick-load" base which have become more and more popular ($30-130).  Make sure to check what kind of batteries your camera manufacturer recommends - some manufactures recommend only rechargeable NiCads versus standard Alkaline batteries.  Rechargeable NiCad batteries run about $10-12 but do last longer.  Some digital cameras will not operate with standard alkaline and their use can actually damage the camera.  

Most major stores like Target, Walmart and the like sell digital cameras in their electronics sections - as well companies like Best Buy, Circuit City and so on also have VERY extensive lines.  It is recommended that you shop around - determine what you want from above and watch for sales.  Or determine in person what you like and then check for the model on-line.  It is hard to buy a digital camera on line without seeing it in person - searching locally first can save you the hassle of having to return the item later.