We live in an age of image saturation. On Instagram, 300 million users share 70 million photos every day. Facebook’s users upload 350 million a day, and there are at least 250 billion images on Facebook. At least 10% of the photos ever taken were taken in the last 12 months. With cheap digital cameras for sale in many forms, anyone is now in a position to pursue that goal of taking the best photo they can. So which digital camera to buy?

The choice between a digital camera vs film camera used to be the central question back in the early days of digital photography. Now, the question is digital camera vs smartphone. With so many of the best photo graphs being taken via smartphone, many people aren’t aware of the true advantages of having one’s own digital camera. But the numbers speak for themselves. Of 610 million people who own a digital camera, 72% use it as their primary camera. 95 million digital cameras were sold in 2014. Anyone who’s ever been on a digital camera shoot can attest to how the best small digital cameras pack just as much of a punch as smartphone technology, and the larger models attain a truly unparalleled clarity and beauty.

Some also might be curious if there is a benefit to choosing a camcorder vs digital camera when at the camera store. Many camcorders can take still images as well as videos, which might lead some to believe that they really need a camcorder. Yet a digital camera is engineered specifically for that clear still image that makes even the best photo taken by a camcorder look somehow off in comparison.

Whether your intention is to buy digital cameras online or to go to the digital camera store, the time has never been better to buy still digital cameras. As for which digital camera is best, that is something that everyone has an opinion on. Just know that digital cameras will give you a level of quality that a smartphone or a camcorder could never hope to match.

Questions? Thoughts? Please feel free to share in the comments below.