[blackvioletred]

what is important to keep in mind while choosing an digital photo camera?

[Hybr!d]

I would read some reviews on cameras in your budget, plenty available online.

[philthomas]

stevesdigicams is a good review site .... most popular models will be listed here.

If you are a complete newbie ...... look out for megapixels and optical zoom.
The higher the megapixels, the better the quality, especially printing out large prints.
Optical zoom is mechanical zoom, whereas digital zoom is firmware/software driven and not the same quality. In fact these days, any cmera without a minimum of 3 X Optical zoom, should be avoided.

It's hard to recommend a camera, as there are so many factors to consider.
If you give us a bit more info, such as what you are going to use it for, whether you want a compact or standard size and a rough budget, we can probably point you at a few.

[Daffypuck]

Ill say this, unless youre planning to print poster size images, you dont ever need anything greater than 5-7mp. MP has nothing to do with the quality of the image. All it means is how big of picture you can make. I have an older camera thats only 2.1mp & it works great! If youre just looking for a fine point and shoot camera to take on vacation and then rush home to see your pics on your computer, then I would suggest any of the Sony cybershots line. Heres one for sell no shipping costs and a memory card large enough to hold 1200 pics!!

[iknowcomputers]

Buying in brand name cameras, and what brand is the highest quality, will determine how long the camera is going to last you. Do take into consideration, however, the frequency of technology breakthroughs in digital imaging. It changes pretty frequently.

[Tom Billington]

I would stick with brand names

The best digital camera is one that will suite your needs. Are you after a small pocket size camera or a larger one.

There are many different questions you need to ask yourself when choosing a camera

[ITstudent2006]

Obviosly there is a lot to look at when buying any product. Especially in the technology field whereas breathroughs and upgrades are almost automatic and the camera you buy today is outdated yesterday LOL.

The following is what I would look at personally:

-meagapixel (if you're not printing pics over 5x7 or even 7x11) no need for higher then an 8.
-zoom (there is digital and optical)
-optical zoom (i'll put this simply) optical zoom is the lens actually zooming in to spot. You lose no clarity or resolution when using optical zoom.
-digital zoom is the camera blowing up the picture making you seem closer but you lose clarity and resolution this way, the more digital zoom you use the more pixelated and grainy the picture will look.

When considering the amount of zoom you need, consider the use of this camera. Will it be used for sporting events, games, hunting, or maybe just inside. Zoom never hurts so it's a personal preference as far as zoom goes.

The last thig I look at is brand. Brand does mean everything. I personally think Canon and Sony are number 1 & 2. I believe they are manufactured to last phsically as well as maintain product wise.

THere are many features to a camera therefore the three I mentioned are minimal in a sense.

Like an previous poster had stated. "there is a lot of useful resources on-line"

Hope this helps

Rick