Before you buy a digital camera, ask yourself some serious questions. Otherwise, you'll either end up spending a ton of money on something too complex for your needs, or acquiring an inadequate tool for your application. Remember: digital cameras employ electronic technology, and electronic technologies tend over time to improve in capability relative to price.
There are really only two questions to ask. First: "What do I plan to do with this camera?" The answer to this question will help steer you to the best set of features for your needs. The second question is: "What can I afford?" In the digital camera world, as in most places, "more" or "better" means "more expensive." The "big cheeses" tend to get whatever capabilities they want. The rest of us have to balance our desires with our checkbooks. This article will assist you in making intelligent decisions for your specific digital camera needs.
If you're a snapshot photographer like many of us, you need less capability in your camera than a professional photojournalist or fashion shooter. Indeed, you may not want a number of features because they'll make taking pictures too complex, as well as adding unnecessary costs.
On the other hand, if you like to dabble in artistic shots, or if you're a pro-photographer who understands how to manipulate apertures and f-stops and macro lenses and such, these features will become increasingly important to you.

Ask yourself these questions:
· Do you want to document events or do you want to pursue digital artistry?
· Do you plan on taking a lot of pictures in a short period of time?
· Do you plan on taking many pictures before downloading your images to your computer?
· Do you plan on taking pictures in low light, or action photos?
· Do you prefer compactness and portability, or versatility and options?
· Will you be taking pictures of small items?
Do you want to take some snapshots and post them to an Internet Web page, or e-mail them to friends and family? Maybe you want to sell things on one of the Internet auction sites, or produce a company newsletter. If so, you can probably get away with lower resolution; in fact, a 640 x 480 camera may work fine for you. They offer plenty of resolution for computer-monitor viewing. And they typically come with other features you'll need for this sort of application.
Are you going to use your camera for printing to a color inkjet printer? While not as high-resolution as professional printers, they provide reasonable results, particularly if you use coated paper and the more expensive "photo-quality" ink cartridges. This may be fine for casual viewing, or for hanging little Susie's artistic works on the refrigerator. Note that most cameras have sufficient resolution for these sorts of informal snapshots and for the lower-resolution work on the Internet, too.
Are you going to use photos taken with your camera for high-resolution printing (e.g., photo-quality prints), or are you going to go for larger-format images, such as 8" x 10" up to poster-size? Then you'll need as much resolution as you can buy. If you plan to print photographs on a good (at least 720 dots-per-inch) color printer, or upload to an online photo-finishing service, look for a high-resolution camera.

A 1+ megapixel camera can provide nearly photo-quality output for 5 x 7-inch prints, but today's latest generation of 2+ megapixel cameras lets you print bigger, more beautiful images than ever with only a bit more of an initial investment. Some of the additional features you'll get with this class of camera may exceed the needs of some consumers, but they're great to grow into.
There are now lots of places where you can have digital images printed, providing photo-quality archival output. This may be preferable to buying an expensive printer and "archival" papers and inks, and then going through the fuss yourself.
Chances are you will want high-quality prints of your best work. And since digital photography, unlike traditional photography, lets you take an unlimited number of pictures with no additional expense, you'll find you shoot more, and your pictures and photo-taking skills improve along the way. For any photo enthusiast, the investment in a 2+ megapixel camera easily pays for itself over time.