Digital Cameras
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Have you been dreaming of a new digital camera, but held back from buying because of the hefty price tag that might accompany your purchase? Worry no longer--it's time to wake up and get to the store. The quality of digital cameras has shot up in the last year, and prices have plummeted.Today, the price of a 5- or 6-megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera has dropped below what a 4-megapixel camera was selling for less than a year ago. Take the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P150, for example. When it debuted, this 7-megapixel model sold for $500. Today, you can find it at some online retailers for $369--a price drop of 26 percent.
What should you expect to spend for a digital camera? How low can you go?
"$200 to $300 is a sweet spot for the mass market," says Michelle Slaughter, director of digital photography trends at InfoTrends. "In this price range, consumers can obtain a good point-and-shoot digital camera with an image resolution of up to 5 megapixels and a 3X optical zoom lens."
