If you're buying a digital camera for the first time, you can quickly get lost in the details-there are lots of them. However, before looking at specifics, you should think through how you want to use the camera and its photos.

Will you be shooting indoors? This will determine the quality of the flash you need.

Will you be photographing static scenes such as home interiors, or action shots such as sports? This will determine the best viewfinder and lens.

Will you be photographing wide angle scenes such as landscapes and home interiors, telephoto scenes such as portraits, or close-ups such as stamps and coins? This will determine the focal length of the lens you need and whether you need a zoom lens, auxiliary lenses, or macro mode.

Are you a casual user, or a serious amateur or professional photographer? This will help you determine how many manual controls you'll want on the camera.

Will you print the photos as snapshots, enlargements, or embed them in word processed or desktop published documents? Or will you publish the images on a Web page, e-mail them to others, or include them in a presentation? This will determine the best resolution for your situation.

There are so many digital cameras with so many different features that it's hard to compare them unless you know what features are available and how they affect your photography. Here is a checklist of features you can use when choosing a camera for yourself. Just keep in mind that a checklist provides only a rough guideline because a list of features and specifications doesn't always tell the whole story. Lens quality is hard to quantify, as is the quality of the software inside the camera that's messing around with every image you take. To make the best camera choice, read reviews from sources you trust and try to look at side by side comparisons of images.

Camera Types
Point and shoot camera Minimal control but easy to use. Prints up to about 5 x 7.
Megapixel camera Better prints, good up to 8 x 10.
Multi-megapixel camera Even better prints and even larger file sizes. Great prints up to 8 x 10 and larger.
Professional camera Expensive but lots of creative control.

Here are some web sites that you might find interesting and helpful.
www.kodak.com Digital Learning Center
www.internetbrothers.com
www.pcphotomag.com
www.hplearningcenter.com