Compact Cameras

Easy to use, Point-and-shoot automatic cameras. These are the everyday snappies that most people own. Today almost all consumer cameras are digital, although you can still find some that shoot film. Cheapest price range
Average price of a few hundred USD.

Compact cameras are small and easy to shoot, and there are hundreds of models available in every shape, size, and color. To be honest, if the goal is to take a good clean picture then you will be safe with almost choice.

1. Simple and Very Compact
2. Small form-factors you can take anywhere
3. Automatic
4. good for point-and-shoot photography

Simplified Features
most consumer cameras do not allow you to directly control exposure settings. Look to the specialized shooting modes exposure control

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Prosumer digital cameras

Prosumer" is a word often used about cameras (or other gear) that is targetted for sale to people on the border line between being consumers and professional users.
Prosumer-level cameras are the cameras that were designed with the serious amatuer in mind. Reading this site implies that you have a deeper interest in photography, and if your budget can allow for it, you will find that these cameras will allow you to do some really amazing things!

-personally, if I had only one camera with a non-interchangeable lens, I would choose a lens range of 28-140mm over a 38-380mm as it is far more versatile (as long as you are not into wildlife photography) and wide angle images usually create much better visual impact than long telephotos and you can always crop an image to digitally zoom in but you can never "zoom out".

-in general, the larger the sensor size (in mm, not the megapixels), the lower the noise at high ISO for the same number of megapixels and the narrower the depth of field & thus more pleasant portraits, but the larger the physical size of the lens that is needed.

-in general, the larger the optical zoom range, the more versatile it is but the poorer the image quality is over the whole range, hence for best image quality, settle for a 28-140mm zoom rather than a 35-430mm zoom.

-it also helps if the telephoto end has a fast f-ratio such as f/3.5 as a minimum to make low light photography accessible (eg. for available light portraits).

Although they sometimes look similar to consumer cameras, prosumer (professional-consumer) equipment is packed full of features that serious photographers will love. Prosumer cameras usually have better lenses, higher detail, and much more control over exposure than their cheaper consumer cousins. Medium to high price range
From $500 to over $1000 USD

Compact
It's amazing how much technology is in a prosumer camera. The fact that the camera is totally self-contained (lens, flash, etc) is a big selling point.

High Quality/Resolution
Both the lenses and the digital CCD offer sharp images with great quality. Newer cameras can easily shoot for print publication.

Feature Packed
If anything, there are too many features crammed into the average prosumer camera. For the enthusiast photographer, this kind of camera is deal because it allows much room to grow.

Recommended Cameras

Canon Digital Rebel XT
Canon EOS 30D
Canon PowerShot A430
Canon Powershot A520
Canon Powershot A610
Canon Powershot A620
Canon Powershot S2 IS
Canon Powershot S5 IS
Canon Powershot S80
Canon Powershot SD450
Canon Powershot SD550
Canon PowerShot SD600
Canon PowerShot SD630
Kodak EasyShare C300
Kodak EasyShare C330
Kodak EasyShare DX 4530
Kodak EasyShare V550
Kodak EasyShare Z730
Kodak Easyshare Z740
Nikon Coolpix S1
Nikon D40X
Nikon D50
Olympus E20
Sony Cybershot DSC T9
Sony Cybershot DSCH1
Sony Cybershot DSCN1
Sony Cybershot DSCS90
Sony Cybershot DSCW50

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Digital single-lens reflex camera

A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that uses a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera.

The basic operation of a DSLR is as follows: for viewing purposes, the mirror reflects the light coming through the attached lens upwards at a 90 degree angle. It is then reflected twice by the pentaprism, rectifying it for the photographer's eye. During exposure, the mirror assembly swings upward, the aperture narrows (if set smaller than wide open), and a shutter opens, allowing the lens to project light onto the image sensor. A second shutter then covers the sensor, marking the end of the exposure, and the mirror lowers while the shutter resets. The period that the mirror is flipped up is referred to as "viewfinder blackout". A fast-acting mirror and shutter is preferred so as to not delay an action photo.

All of this happens automatically over a period of milliseconds. Fast cameras do this upwards of 10 times a second.

DSLRs are often preferred by professional still photographers because they allow an accurate preview of framing close to the moment of exposure, and because DSLRs allow the user to choose from a variety of interchangeable lenses. Most DSLRs also have a function that allows accurate preview of depth of field.

Many professionals also prefer DSLRs for their larger sensors compared to most compact digitals. DSLRs have sensors which are generally closer in size to the traditional film formats that many current professionals started out using. These large sensors allow for similar depths of field and picture angle to film formats.

Brief difference between a DSLR and a digital point and shoot camera
The reflex design scheme is a major difference between a DSLR and an ordinary digital point and shoot camera, which typically exposes the sensor constantly to the light projected by the lens, allowing the camera's screen to be used as an electronic viewfinder.

In contrast, the mirror arrangement in a DSLR usually precludes the ability to view the scene on the liquid crystal display (LCD) before the photograph is taken. However, many newer DSLR models feature live preview, allowing the LCD to be used as a viewfinder in the same way as a normal digicam, although with certain limitations and with the optical viewfinder disabled.

In most other respects, a DSLR is similar in principle and operation to a standard (non-SLR) digital camera.

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