Today's digital cameras have gone way beyond just point and shoot. They come with dozens of features, meaning you can customize your camera to your specific needs.
Some of the things you will want to look into when purchasing your camera are confusing, so make sure you know what you are looking for when you go shopping.

The quality of the resolution of your photos is determined by the megapixels (mps) of your camera. Tiny dots called pixels make up your digital photos; a megapixel means 1,000 pixels, or 1,000 dots.

The higher the number of pixels your camera has, the better the resolution of your photos. If you want to crop your pictures or plan on printing larger prints, you need to be sure you purchase a camera that can meet those needs. 

Optical or digital zooms are available on digital cameras. Optical zoom is like the one on a traditional camera and works the same way -- it goes out, bringing you closer, or in, to take you further away from the subject.  A digital zoom takes the picture as it is and enlarges it; this can lose image quality because it is simply enlarging the pixels (dots) of the picture. Pictures may seem blurry or out of focus.

Preserving the image quality can be as simple as turning off the digital zoom feature on your camera.  Later, during editing, you can zoom in on a specific part of the photo with much better results.

A manual focus can be a great deal of fun, allowing you to focus in and make different parts of the photo stand out.  This allows for a lot of creativity in
your work. And most cameras still have an autofocus, so you can go back to the basics if your aren't feeling extremely creative.

Think about the features that are important to you and look for those features. One important thing to remember is that you will be carrying it around, so consider the size when you purchase your camera.

The price of digital cameras has been lowered dramatically as the popularity increases. You can now purchase a digital camera for anywhere from $30 to $400. As always, remember that you get what you pay for, and don't expect to get top quality photos from a cheap camera; you may end up disappointed!

There are many types of digital cameras on the market, and it will help if you know what they are when you start to shop. Some of the newest models are Digital SLR, Electronic View Finders, and Range Finders.

Digital SLRs are very much like film-loaded cameras. A series of mirrors and prisms control the optical path to produce a digital image on the LCD screen. You actually see what you are photographing when you look through the lens.

Electronic View Finders and Range Finders work much like a video camera, and optical view finder controls the picture instead of a lens. You don't look through a lens to take a picture; instead, you are looking at a digital image.

Many of these cameras have the technology to allow video footage; therefore, it is enabled by the manufacturer. You can shoot up to three minutes of video footage depending on the quality of the digital camera you are using.

Your new camera should have at least 2 megapixels resolution; anything up to 8 MP will provide great shots. 1.9-2.5 MP seems to be standard on today's market, but you can get more than 8 MP in some cameras on the professional market. Any less than 2 megapixels with frequently create poor-quality pictures that are fuzzy and blurred.

Ask to see samples of the pictures taken by that specific camera before you buy, and check the focus and zoom. The quality of the lens will make a big difference in your photos, so be sure it has a good lens. Another important item on your digital camera is a flash; without this, you will not be able to take pictures inside.

Understand all of the features and controls before you purchase your new digital camera. It can be confusing to remember how it works when you get the camera home if you don't understand how each feature works.