Digital camera tracker monitors most digital cameras on the market. We have found that after making thousands of entires there is an aspect of digital cameras that has become a bone of contention with us, image stabilization. Many of the camera manufacturers descriptions use misleading sales terms such as ‘Anti-Blur,’ ‘Anti-Shake,’ and ‘Image-Stabilized.’ For the typical digital camera buyer the descriptions are accepted as a fact that the camera is capable of using technology to help eliminate camera motion. In reality what is actually happening is the camera’s ISO is being elevated to help freeze motion. In other words the camera is cheating, or as we like to say it, “fake image stabilization.”

True image stabilization is achieved by either stabilizing the actual lens element or the sensor itself which results in sharper images at slower shutter speeds.

Are financially inspired digital camera manufacturers being misleading, confusing, or deceptive by using terms such as ‘Anti-Blur,’ ‘Anti-Shake,’ or ‘Image-Stabilized’ to describe true image stabilization?

Yes they are!

What should you do?

Do your research! If you’re headed into a camera shop or online, know your terms.

Look for the term “Optical Image Stabilization.”

Learn how to spot and avoid a lemon and how to buy the perfect digital camera.

If you are looking for the best buy in a Digital Camera then looking on the Internet is a good start. Throughout the various sites on the Web you’ll see many great deals on digital cameras. Unfortunately, mixed in with all those good deals are a few lemons and over priced headaches no body should be so unlucky to be stuck with.

Having the ability to know which of the many Digital Cameras advertised on the Internet are really great deals and which ones are the lemons will mean whether you win or lose on your next Digital Camera purchase. And knowing the difference between a lemon and a sweet camera can be difficult, unless you have the right information. Below are steps that will help you quickly tell if a digital camera is just a lemon in disguise.

How to Spot a Lemon

• Do you know the one function that should be available on any digital camera you buy? – Image stabilization – Once you use a digital camera with image stabilization you will NEVER use a camera that does not have it again. Really! It’s that neat. Think about it… a large number of the pictures you will take are going to be indoors or in other words, marginal lighting situations. Without stabilization you run a higher risk of blurry (ruined) photos.

• There’s a reason people don’t use the various capabilities of their digital camera. – Buried Menus – One of the main reasons the average digital camera owner does not change settings on their cameras is that they are too hard to figure out and it takes too many menu selections to get to them.

• Not enough power – Battery Life – these days there is no excuse for your digital camera’s battery pooping out on you in the middle of your son’s birthday party. Current digital cameras can deliver 300 to 400 images per battery charge, even if you are using the flash.

• Nobody likes a slow camera – Slow Operation – There’s lots of technical jargon like shutter lag and preliminary metering flash to explain why a camera may be slow but the bottom line is, you’re not going to enjoy a slow camera.

• Low light can really challenge a digital camera’s ability to focus – low-light focusing aid – Many compact digital cameras have auxiliary lights that help them focus in dim settings. Again, once you use it you’ll always want to use it.

How to Research Digital Cameras Before You Buy

• Do you know the first place to look when you’re shopping for a digital camera? – Aggregate Review Sites – Aggregate review sites include summaries from all main digital camera reviewers as they become available for each digital camera on the market, all listed in one place. This will save you a ton of time searching across the Internet for a particular digital camera review. Let someone else do the legwork. Note – Aggregate News Sites generally do not have nondisclosure agreements with the various digital camera manufacturers so you may find more colorful opinions on various digital camera models.

#1 Digital Camera Add-On

• Regardless of which digital camera you purchase you will not be able to depend on the amount of storage memory the camera ships with – 1 Gigabyte Card – Considering how inexpensive memory cards are becoming it makes sense to pack your new digital camera with enough memory that you’ll never have to worry about running out. You’ll thank me later.

Here’s our 6 personal favorite point-and-shoot digital cameras that match the above criteria: