10 tips for buying a digital camera

What parent doesn't love taking pictures of her kids? And with the holidays right around the corner, you'll have plenty of opportunities to capture special moments. But forget about developing your film, getting enlargements and then snail-mailing them off to the grandparents. With the latest technology, enjoying your photos is easy and instant. "A digital camera is an easy way to share pictures with family members across the country," says Marcia Mallett, a consumer-marketing specialist for Staples. "Relatives can even select and print their favorite photos themselves." Ready to make the switch from film to digital? Keep these 10 tips in mind as you shop for the right camera for you.

1. Do your homework. Arriving at the store to find rows of shiny digital cameras with a huge array of features and vastly different price tags can be overwhelming, so do some research before you head to the store. Read about digital cameras and familiarize yourself with the features available and the meanings of buzzwords like pixels, optical zoom and memory.

2. Determine your needs. Once you've read up on the basics of what digital cameras can do, figure out what you plan to use yours for. Will you mainly be viewing your pictures online and emailing them? Or do you also want to be able to make high-quality prints? Are you someone who takes a ton of pictures at each event or just a few? Your answers will help determine what features you'll need.

3. Set a budget. Today's digital cameras can range in price from $100 to over $1,000. It's easy to get carried away and spend a ton of money on options you don't even need -- or to go for the least expensive model and find you're missing features you do want. For a quality camera with the basic features most consumers will need, expect to spend between $200 and $400.

4. Figure out how many megapixels you need. One important difference among various models is the number of megapixels a camera has. The higher the number of megapixels, the better the quality of the images. If you plan to share images by email and make prints up to size 5x7", 2 megapixels is sufficient. If you want to email photos and make prints up to 8x10", then opt for 3 megapixels. If the ability to print professional-quality images in all sizes is what you're after, then you'll need a 4 or 5 megapixel camera.

5. Go for optical zoom. Just like on a traditional film camera, a zoom lens on a digital camera allows you to get a close-up view of your subject -- such as your baby taking her first steps -- from a distance. When selecting a digital camera, choose one with optical zoom rather than just digital zoom. Digital zoom makes an image look larger, but at the cost of image quality. With optical zoom, you can expect an enlarged image that is still of good quality.

6. Consider how many pictures you want to be able to take at any given time. The amount of memory a camera has -- which is measured in megabytes (MB) -- determines how many pictures you can take and store before you have to delete or transfer some images. A 2 megapixel camera with 32 MB of memory, for example, can usually hold about 35 photos. According to Mallett, most digital cameras come with between 8 and 16 MB of built-in memory. To give yourself the most flexibility, you'll likely want to buy additional memory cards.

7. Make sure the camera you're considering is compatible with your computer. You'll probably want to use your home computer to email, store and print the digital photos you take, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the camera's compatibility and memory information to make sure the camera and your computer are a good match. This information can be found on the boxes for the camera and its related software, or you can ask the salesperson for the camera's "minimum system requirement."

8. Get a feel for the camera. Before you commit to a camera, handle a few different models. "You want to see if the camera feels good in your hands," explains Mallett. "Make sure it doesn't feel too heavy, too small or unbalanced." People with bigger hands, for example, may find it difficult to keep their fingers out of the frame when shooting with a petite camera.

9. Try before you buy. Many stores have their digital cameras on display for customers to touch and see up close. Take advantage of this opportunity to look through the viewfinder, check out the display screen (can you see the images you shot clearly?) and assess the interface (is the camera overly complicated or are the buttons pretty intuitive?).

10. Think about which "extras" are worth it. Besides the camera itself, you'll find most stores stocked with a number of accessories. "You'll definitely want to consider a larger size memory card for your camera," suggests Mallett. "Consider a 128 MB or 256 MB card to ensure you have plenty of memory to keep snapping off pictures. Digital camera users take far more pictures than traditional 35mm users simply because they can add and delete images without burning through the expense of film." If you are going to be printing pictures, remember that the quality of the picture depends on the camera, printer and paper you use. If you are looking to print photos to keep for years or hand out to friends and family, you should consider high-quality inkjet photo paper. If your current printer is not specifically designed for photo printing, it may be time to upgrade, as printing quality has improved dramatically over just the past few years.

Staples has an easy-to-use tool to help you compare product features and select the right camera for your needs at staples.com/youdecide.