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While taking good photos is easier than ever before on a digital camera, you should still give the issue some careful consideration. There are a number of different types of camera available to you, all of which cater to specific needs.

It's easiest to think of digital cameras as falling into three distinct categories and work out which is best for you. They are as follows:

Point and shoot

If you've never used a digital camera before and are a novice at photography, your needs should be suited by one of these. You'll need to look out for the number of megapixels on individual models - megapixels being the number, in millions, of the individually-coloured blocks that make up the picture.
The higher the number, the more detailed the picture is.

Look for a model with about three megapixels to begin with and you'll be able to get some fairly sharp images to store and share.

Take note of the zoom type - start with digital zoom, where you can home in on an object without moving the lens. Make sure that you have a flash, a re-chargeable battery (digital cameras guzzle battery power) and enough memory for fifty or so photos.

You will probably need to purchase a memory card; any camera you buy should be able to take them. Go for 128Mb or 256Mb to start with.

Advanced point and shoot

The next step up, and the point at which things become more complicated. You will find cameras with optical zoom (where the lens moves for a more detailed shot), resolutions of around five - six megapixels (for sharp images - and the sharper an image gets, the more memory you need) and different modes; manual shooting, manual focus, flash, exposure and other parameters.


Digital SLR

SLR stands for "single lens reflex", a focus feature on many advanced cameras, and a number of manufacturers have applied this to digital to attain a fully controllable image.

The results can be excellent and artistic - you have to pay a lot of attention to the focus, brightness, distances of objects, and many more factors - but these cameras aren't cheap, and certainly more suited for the skilled photographer.

Now that you've chosen which type of camera you want, think about the following factors - conditions of use, weight, size and price.

If you want to put it in your handbag or pocket and snap shots on a night out, choose a small point and shoot model - the pictures won't be super-sharp, but you won't need them to be, and you won't be left with an unsightly bulge ruining the line of your jeans.

Hewlett Packard do some good, small point and shoot models as part of their Photosmart range.

If you're going on holiday, have got the hang of digital photography and want to take some nice pictures of landscapes, look at a higher-spec advanced point and shoot such as the Fuji FinePix.

Ready to take the step up to digital SLR? Consider brands such as Canon and Nikon but make sure that you run through your precise needs with a trained sales professional.