Buying a digital camera

Which camera you buy will depend largely on what kind of pictures you want to take, and what you want to do with them. You need to take into account whether or not you will be printing out your images (either from your own computer or at somewhere like Jessops, Boots, etc.) or viewing the images on your computer. Printing costs more, obviously you have to pay to print your images but you'll need to pay extra for a camera that allows you to print large, good quality prints.

Why are you taking pictures? If you want a record of events, holidays, interesting looking puddles, etc. then you can achieve excellent results with a compact digital. In fact, for casual photography a compact makes practical sense. It can be put in your pocket and forgotten about until it's needed. Further, a small compact camera doesn't draw attention in the same way a bulky digital SLR will. This is something to take into account if you are planning to wave your camera around in a public area.

If you plan to take your photography more seriously, taking photos to sell or exhibit - not something which is out of reach to serious amateurs - then you will need to invest in a digital SLR. These cameras give the photographer much greater control and many more options than the smaller compacts.

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If you want a camera to record for posterity the things you come across in your travels, such as a nice cup of coffee, then a compact camera is ideal. It's small and light enough to wait in your pocket or bag until it's needed and doesn't draw too much attention when you fish it out.

When buying a camera some things to take into account are:

A couple of compact digital cameras I would consider