What kind of digital camera do I need if I'm a novice shooter?

What kind of digital camera do I need if I'm a novice shooter?

Mark Comon (Vice President, Paul's Photo, Torrance, CA) gives expert video advice on: What kind of digital camera do I need if I'm a novice shooter?; What kind of digital camera do I need for shooting sports?; What kind of digital camera do I need for shooting portraits? and more...

If you're a beginning digital photographer, any digital camera today will work for you. It depends on what kind of pictures you want to take. All the cameras today have a green auto idiot-proof mode. So you can start with a camera today and know nothing and get great results. Just have the camera store where you buy it set it up for you so it's all in the no-brainer mode. Now, a lot of you are intimidated by the SLR-type camera, you want to start with a small camera, that's fine. Just know that you're limited by the small camera features--less zoom, longer shutter lag, no ability to adjust things later on. The SLR-type camera, for a beginner, is a great camera if you're not afraid of having it too big or too expensive. All the digital cameras today work perfectly for novice photographers.