Developing photographs in UK is a rather expensive proposition – especially if you like taking photos as much as I do!! So when I saw a digital camera I thought of the amount of time and money I would save on developing film rolls and invested in one straight away!! Obviously that was a while ago and I paid a premium price for owning one of the first digital cameras!! Things have moved on now and prices have fallen considerably since, but the features to look for in a digital camera are still the same.

Here are some of the things I looked for when I bought my digital camera:

Pixel resolution: The higher the pixel resolution the better the quality of the pictures. Below is an easy basic guide:
Camera resolution and Print Size
Below 1 million - Ideal for email
1-2 million - 6 x 4 inches
2-3 million - 7 x 5 inches
3+ million - 10 x 8 inches
The type of the paper and printer matters too. Photo quality paper and printer are recommended to produce best results.

LCD screen: The LCD screen can either be used as a large viewfinder or for instant review of the pictures taken. This is a great feature and if you don’t like the picture you’ve taken just delete it and retake another one!

Optical and digital zoom: Most digitals cameras come with a digital zoom, but it is worthwhile to pay a bit extra for the optical zoom too. This is because optical zoom provides image magnification without the loss of optical quality. Digital zoom allows you to zoom into specific parts of a picture, however the image quality is ruined as the resolution is reduced.

USB (Universal Serial Bus): Look for PC connectivity for your digital camera – saves a lot of hassle later! The USB connection is a fast and easy way of connecting your digital camera to your PC.

Memory card (digital film): Digital cameras store pictures on a removable memory card, which acts as digital film. Once the card is full you can insert another or wipe the full one by downloading the pictures onto your PC and then simply reuse. The higher the memory e.g. 32MB the more pictures the card can store.

Keep all the above points in mind before taking a decision on what you want to buy. Sometimes it is better to go for an expensive make than compromise on features. But if in doubt just get on the net. Most big high street retailers are on the net and they allow you to do a cross comparison of brands and features, and that hopefully will make your digital camera purchase easy for you!!