Even Cheaper Cameras Are Good
All cameras can take pictures. Some of those will be good pictures and some will be bad. Most of them will be adequate and will perform the function for which they were taken.
Whether your pictures are good or bad will depend on a number of things. Quality is dependent as much upon the camera as on the size of your sensor. Megapixels count for nothing if your camera and lens are substandard and nothing is overall more important than the photographer himself.
The biggest difference between the cheaper and more expensive cameras is versatility. Cheaper cameras, on the whole, have less functions and less flexibility. More expensive cameras have more options and are usually more rugged. Changeable lenses and bigger and better sensors make for the improved quality in expensive cameras.
But, things have changed a lot in recent years. Now, even cheap cameras are able to produce good quality images in units that also have a good degree of versatility. Even “old” digital cameras, such as the Canon A60, can hold their own with the latest models even if, as in the case of the Canon, there is only 2 megapixels on the sensor. And most cameras, like the Canon A60, allow the photographer to alter settings such as the focal length, shutter speed, aperture and ISO setting.
It is hard to go wrong with current cameras. Even if your budget is limited, you should still be able to buy a camera that fits your pocket as well as your needs.
Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com