Best Digital Cameras of 2013
22 April 2013 by Permi Krishna
The secret to picking up the best digital cameras is summarized by the following equation: Best Image Quality = Megapixels X Sensor Size
Put in other words, the key thing to note about mega-pixels is that they only help in a better image quality camera if they are accompanied with big enough sensors.As far as megapixels is concerned figure out the prints that you are looking for and then consult the table below:
5 megapixels: sharp 8-by-10 inch
7 megapixels: sharp 11-by-14 inch
10 megapixels: acceptable 13-by-19 inch
14 megapixels: sharp 13-by-19 inch, acceptable 16-by-24 inch
The simple reason why DSLR's take stunning photos is because they have bigger sensors (and also because they have bigger lenses).
However for choosing the overall best camera just looking at the theoretical image quality is not good enough - what you get in practice will depend on three other factors which are
1. Response Times
2. Zoom Lens
3. Image Stabilization
Response Times
This is typically found in the specs under the 'burst mode' or the 'continuous shooting' count in shots per second. For heavy duty action or sports photography something like 3 shots per second should be good enough - though for casual everyday use slightly lesser should also suffice.
Zoom Lens
The best cameras for 2013 do not skimp on the optical zoom lens anymore. Higher optical zooms let you magnify the subjects without loosing the quality - this is different from digital zooms which degrade quality on magnification. The best sub- $200 cameras now boast of optical lenses as high as 10x or even more.
Image Stabilization
High powered optical zoom though requires better image stabilization. The reason being that as you increase optical zoom, the slightest shakes in the camera body can result in blurry images. The best stabilization is the in-body one - though this is limited to mostly DSLR's and interchangeable lens cameras. In-body stabilization basically means that the camera is engineered to mechanically stabilize your images regardless of the lens which is attached.
The list below is a bunch of the best digital cameras of 2013, ranked by the ReviewGist Score which is based on top experts ratings from around the internet.
