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Top 5 Digital Cameras for Beginners

By Michael Carr, About.com

Buying your first digital camera can be a scary process, with dozens of models out there in the lower end of the price spectrum. Take the guesswork out with this list of top digital cameras for beginners.

1. Nikon Coolpix 4100

This camera will deliver some fine photos, with a decent 4.2 megapixels and a handy 3x optical zoom. Best of all, this is a very simple camera to use.
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2. Fuji Finepix 3100

This camera features 4 megapixels and a strong 6x optical zoom. What's nice about this camera is that it looks and feels a lot like a film camera.
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3. Canon Powershot S410

This is a compact and stylish camera that delivers all the basics quite well. It has everything an average person with everyday use would need. Its four megapixels capture nice images. The lens range is the equivalent of a 36-108 mm on a 35-mm camera.

4. Olympus Stylus 410

A good basic camera with a few extra perks: the LCD screen's quality is astounding and it can take a little more of a beating with its durable, all-weather design (but don't dunk it in the pool!). It records QuickTime and mpeg movies. Basically easy to use, the menu is a bit hard to navigate at first.

5. Kodak EasyShare CX7330

The Kodak Easyshare CX7330 3.1 megapixel camera that delivers oversized 11x14 prints and a 10x combined zoom. This is a decent point-and-shoot. You won't find any fancy features, but for the basic user, it will do the job well.

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