Electronics Superstore: Get the quick take on buying a digital camera

MP means megapixel, or a million pixels. It's a measure of the resolution of the camera's sensor and picture clarity. More is usually better, but you can save on the camera and memory if you need only 3-4MP rather than 5-7MP+. Also, the physical size of the lens and the sensor affect the picture quality and shooting flexibility. Super compact cameras have small lenses and small sensors, so while you'll get more pictures because you'll carry them more often, you do give up some quality.

Different types of digital cameras
Think about which type of camera suits what you'll actually use it for. Find the features, usability and size that fits:

- The latest compact, high resolution cameras take very good pictures and offer an excellent balance of size, quality and features: the 'Sony Cybershot DSCP200 7.2MP Digital Camera 3x Optical Zoom', 'Canon Powershot SD550 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom' or 'Sony Cybershot DSCN1 8.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom' have larger sensors. The 'Canon Powershot SD450 5MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom' or 'Sony Cybershot DSCW5 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom' are also good options. (The camera you carry takes better pictures than the one you left at home!)

- Some may prefer better features and optics in a larger but still-compact camera: 'Canon Powershot S80 8MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Wide Angle Optical Zoom', 'Sony Cybershot DSCV3 7.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom' or 'Canon Powershot A620 7MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom'

- Super compact cameras may let you get even more snapshots: 'Casio Exilim EX-S500 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Anti Shake Optical Zoom (Grey)', 'Sony Cybershot DSCT7 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Includes Docking Station)', 'Nikon Coolpix S1 5.1 MP Slim-Design Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Includes Dock)', 'Fujifilm Finepix Z1 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Black)' or 'Sony Cybershot DSCS40 4.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom'. For most people, the super compact cameras don't offer enough advantage to offset the compromises in the optics, flash and battery life - especially cameras without optical zoom and viewfinders. If it's critical, get a tiny camera - but you get more features and quality without much more size in the cameras above.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are cameras with far more features and much better optics:
- Closer to an SLR camera, but not as large - look for something like the 'Sony Cybershot DSCH1 5.1MP Digital Camera with 12x "Steady Shot" Zoom', 'Canon Powershot S2 IS 5MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom', 'Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30K 8MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Black)' or 'Canon PowerShot S1 IS 3.2 MP Digital Camera with 10x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom'.
- You can now find great, affordable digital cameras with interchangeable lenses, like the 'Nikon D50 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor Lens'.

Camera buffs may find they want one compact camera and one SLR-type camera.

How do I decide which one to buy?
Like everything, decide what you want and how you will use the camera:
- Do you get enlargements (5"x7" or larger) now? Would you feel bad if a vacation photo isn't high enough resolution to enlarge and frame? If so, get a 5-7 megapixel (MP) camera.
- If you mostly take 4x6 snapshots, a 3-4MP camera may suit you fine, and your photos will take less space on your memory card and hard drive. For a child, 1-2MP may be enough. And photos you email or post on the web will probably be edited down to 0.5MP or less.

You can sometimes get a good value on older models - but the newest models often take pictures more quickly, are easier to use, and might not be much more expensive. Focus on the best of the older models if you're looking for value, like the 'Canon Powershot SD200 3.2MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom'. Or consider some of the newer budget models: 'Canon Powershot A410 3.2MP Digital Camera with 3.2x Optical Zoom' or 'Sony Cybershot DSCS40 4.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom'

Key considerations:

RESOLUTION. You want roughly 300 pixels per inch (ppi) for the size prints you want. For example, if you want 5 x 7 prints, that means 1500 x 2100 or 3,150,000 or 3.15 megapixels (MP). (240 ppi is enough, but you want extra pixels for cropping/trimming the photo.) So, if you want to be on the safe side, buy 4-5MP or more.

But ... if you never get enlargements and will never print many photos; and what you really need is something small and cheap that you can carry around for snapshots - without worrying about it - then get 3MP. Even at that resolution, you can print at 4"x6"-5"x7", and email photos. The other advantage of lower resolution is that youcan fit more pictures in memory and on your hard drive. (Each MP uses up about 500kb = 0.5 megabyte at high-quality settings.)

Of course, you could always buy a 4 to 7MP camera, and only use high resolution for some shots. More pixels also lets you crop (trim) the photo and still have enough pixels for a good print. There are also often other differences in high-end models - like larger sensors. If money and hard drive space are no object, get more MP.

OPTICAL QUALITY. More megapixels won't help you if the quality of the lenses and sensor doesn't match. Larger lenses work better in low light and generally give better quality.

CAMERA SIZE. Up to a point, smaller is better, because I'll carry it around and get photos I otherwise won't get. But at some point you lose some optical quality; flexibility in low light; and often use of filters, external flash, etc.

OPTICAL ZOOM. Zoom is essential for composing good photos and making the most of your pixels (by zooming in on what you want). Try to get 3x optical zoom. Unless you have a lot of MP to work with, digital zoom isn't as useful, it discards part of the picture to zoom in on one part. You can do that on a computer, or on the camera, later on.

SHUTTER LAG. Many newer models have a much shorter startup time and "shutter lag" - the time between when you click the shutter and when the camera takes the picture. Slow cameras can be frustrating to use - you can't catch that baby smiling.

MEMORY AND BATTERIES. No camera comes with enough memory, and not all have rechargeable batteries, so add that into the budget.

You will want from 512mb to 2GB (for high-res cameras) of memory, though 256MB may work for some users. The various card formats vary widely in price per megabyte. Get the right one for your camera, they're not interchangeable!

If your camera uses standard size batteries but doesn't come with rechargeables, get two sets of nickel metal hydride/NiMH rechargeables or a lithium ion battery pack. Don't get NiCad batteries. Regular alkaline batteries are useless except in dire emergencies.

A few other things:
- Cameras without a flash, an LCD and a viewfinder (for when it's too sunny to use the LCD, or your batteries are low) are best for children or limited use.
- Some compact cameras don't have manual features to control shutter and aperture. But you can get some control on most, if you use it right.
- An autofocus (AF) illuminator helps focus in low light, a common problem.
- You may want a case to protect the LCD, if it's bouncing around.
- Video modes are most useful if the camera captures sound; if the resolution is 640x480, ideally 30fps; and if the length isn't limited.
- If you want to use commercial services to print a lot of pictures, you will want a fast Internet connection.

Books
Books to get started: 'Complete Digital Photography, Third Edition (Digital Photography Series)', 'Digital Photography: A No-Nonsense, Jargon-Free Guide for Beginners', 'The Complete Guide to Digital Photography, 2nd Edition : Completely Revised and Updated (A Lark Photography Book)' and 'Get The Most From Your Digital Camera'

Do I need a computer?
You can use the kiosks at stores, or the card readers in certain printers. But most will still want a computer to manage and edit photos.
- Your computer will need a USB port, to connect, and a few gigabytes of free hard drive space for photos and image-editing software.
- You'll want a CD or DVD burner to offload the photos.
- Check the camera manufacturer's site to make sure there's a driver available for your PC/Mac operating system.