Not sure what type of digital camera you should get?

General Buying Tips

1. It is easy to get lured by the digital camera with the most megapixels and features. Remember that unless you want to make very large prints 2 megapixels may give you all the camera that you need.

2. The same goes for features. Some of the digital cameras on the market offer many advance features and the amount of creative control that they can provide you with. If you are relatively new to photography or just new to the world of megapixels  ask yourself if you would use all the features. Don't forget that they can also make things more complicated and more difficult to get used to.

3. As with conventional photography, things such as lens quality, quality of build, weight, and zoom lens are all still important. Therefore make sure you get a model that suits your own personal requirements.
 

Entry Level Digitals - Under 1 Megapixel-Entry level cameras contain a grid of 640x480 pixels. These cameras are fine for looking at pictures on a computer, but the quality of a printed image is poor once the picture is enlarged to a standard 4x6in.

1 Megapixel cameras for small prints-Step up to a megapixel camera and you will find a grid containing upwards of 1152x864 pixels. Theses cameras allow you to produce a good quality, 4x6inch print with a photo  printer . Prices of digital cameras have dropped in the last year and you can expect to pay around $100-$200  for a 1 megapixel camera with a zoom lens.

2 Megapixel cameras for larger prints -Further up the scale are the 2 megapixel digital cameras. Standard 2 megapixel cameras will give you a reasonable good 8x10 pictures. Obviously any 4x6 or 5x7 prints should be more or less pin sharp with two megapixels.

3 Megapixel cameras for prints up to 8x10-Once you reach the 3 megapixel bracket the quality of print is normally excellent up to 8x10 and you should be able to crop your picture to a smaller size with good results. These cameras often offer a number of features associated with 35mm SLR cameras and manual override of the automatic settings are more common, allowing you greater artistic control as you get to know your camera and want to experiment a little.

 4, 5 and 6 Megapixels cameras-With the introduction of 4, 5 and now even 6 megapixel digital cameras. Image quality is exceptional and prints beyond 8x11 are available. Cameras in this range come equipped with the latest state of the art features. Some of the benefits at this level are: Increased standard storage capacity but be aware that a single high resolution image at this level could consume 16mb of storage. Optical lenses generally around 6-7 times. Burst mode. This is the ability to shoot more than one image for just one click of the camera. Typically around 3 frames per second for six frames. Greater aperture range. A greater range of ISO settings.

Digital SLR cameras- Digital SLR cameras look like regular 35mm cameras and have interchangeable lenses and other professional features. These cameras are for the Professional or if you take digital photography very seriously. They cost from  $2000.00 upwards so do some homework before making a selection.

Now that you have an idea of what size and how you plan on using your new digital camera  go over to our review and resources page and check out the links to different sites that specialize in digital camera reviews.