How many megapixels you should have is one of the first things to decide when choosing a digital camera, because it determines how large you can print an image and still maintain good quality. The more megapixels your camera has, the larger the print.

Most entry level digital cameras these days are at least 5 megapixels or higher. This is more than adequate for sending pictures via email and will print beautifully as large as 8 x10.

The next important thing when buying a camera is which type to get. An SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera is expensive, but if you are looking for a high-resolution camera with excellent picture quality, SLR cameras are the way to go. This would be the digital equivalent of a 35 mm film camera.

If you are just starting out in photography you may want to consider a point and shoot camera. They are generally less money and much easier to use. Many of these types of cameras have preset programs which give you a variety of possibilities when shooting your photographs. This allows you to produce some wonderful images even if you don’t have a lot of photographic experience.

After you get a camera, you must choose a good memory card for your camera. The most popular types of memory cards for digital cameras are Multi Media Card (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Smart media (SM), Secure Digital (SD), xD-Picture Card (XD), and Compact Flash (CF). Certain cameras require certain memory card types, so make sure you ask an expert which memory card is right for the camera you have.

One of the most important things to consider with memory cards is how many pictures you plan on taking it at one time before downloading them to your computer. Also if you plan to use the higher resolution settings on your camera, you will able to take fewer pictures so you may want to invest in a memory card that has a larger storage capacity.