Point and Shoot or Interchangeable Lens?

Consider what you'll be shooting (for instance, family vs. sports), the purpose of the pictures (website postings vs. printed photographs), and so on. Then ask yourself, what fits my lifestyle and how creative do I want to be? Can I carry a larger camera with lenses around or do I need to keep it simple? Do I want or need to override the camera’s exposure settings?

If sheer ease of use is what you're seeking, then point and shoot cameras provide simplicity. Point and shoot cameras are ideal for beginners, or for amateurs who wants to take casual party pictures. A good point and shoot camera should offer a decent zoom and similar capabilities to an interchangeable lens camera, such as manual override of various settings that may affect the quality of the image. If you're looking to take quick, quality pictures, these cameras are likely to be sufficient.

Point and shoot cameras can appeal to experts as well; those who like to capture "the decisive moment". Because point and shoot cameras are typically easily portable, with no need for elaborate technical adjustments or additional equipment, world-class photographers often keep a point and shoot camera handy for when they require a "lean and mean" approach to photo-taking.

Samsung’s innovative DualView Cameras are designed for self-portraits and couple shots. DualView cameras have two screens that help you frame your shots—the DV300F has a 1.5" front LCD screen for self-portraits and a rear LCD touch screen with easy access to your photo library.

In addition to having two screens, the DualView DV300F has a 25mm wide angle lens. The 5x optical zoom widens the shooting range to help fit more of your subject into the image.

The WB150F SMART Camera, with its 14.2 megapixel sensor, has built-in wireless functionality , allowing you to email and post pictures directly to the internet when you have access to Wi-Fi. You can even control your camera from up to 10 metres away by using your smartphones, the Remote Viewfinder app lets you preview images, adjust the camera settings, zoom in and out, frame the scene and tag the shot with the location – all from your phone, wirelessly.

Long optical zoom cameras, such as the WB150F SMART Camera, allow you to focus on targets which are further away. With a shorter zoom, you are likely to have to crop later, which is time-consuming and may crop precious pixels out of the image.

A quality lens, such as the 30mm NX Pancake Lens, will help you photograph larger apertures by allowing in more light in order to freeze a scene while also providing little distortion. If you tend to shoot in low light or need edge-to-edge sharpness, then consider a lens with a large aperture (FStop), such as the 30mm NX Pancake Lens. Lenses such as these that use an aspherical element in their optical design, improve sharpness and keep distortion at a minimum.

Shooting outdoor sport and need to be close? A telephoto zoom lens, such as the T50200IB 50-200mm, provides the versatility to pull back for images such as portraits, but zoom in to capture the action. This lens also incorporates ED glass in its optical design, helping to minimise colour distortion.

In addition, shooting modes that permit the manual choice of shutter speeds (Shutter Priority AE) or aperture (Aperture Priority AE) help unleash your creativity by allowing you to choose how movement is captured and the range of focus within your scene. If you are looking for ease of use, you can also shoot in Auto, just like a Point and Shoot.

When shopping for cameras, make sure that your camera uses a standard memory size such as SD or MicroSD (like SD, but smaller). Some cameras use proprietary memory card formats, which may be harder to find and more expensive. There are multiple ways to clear memory and transport photos, including moving the SD card from the camera to a computer or printer, using cables to connect the camera to the computer directly, or, ideally, using Wi-Fi to send images to your computer or directly to friends and family via email.