You may be interested in a low-cost digital camera that fits in your pocket... or in the benefits of resolution, screen size, and zooms. Here's what you'll get from each.

Today, even lower cost cameras have some useful features. You'll find colour screens and a digital zoom even on the lowest-cost options.

So if your budget is limited, try a digital camera for under £100. With up to 7 megapixels on some models, they're ideal for snapping family get-togethers or your summer party - and great fun, too!

One great advantage of digital cameras is that they're small and light enough to carry anywhere. Even those with built-in zoom lenses can 'retract' the zoom lens into the camera, making it even slimmer.

Most digital cameras fit comfortably in a pocket, but for something really compact, look for a camera smaller than 14 x 10 x 3 cm. You'll see sizes in height (H) x width (W) x depth (D).

A digital photo is made up of millions of tiny dots, called pixels. These are measured in millions, or megapixels (MP). The more megapixels
your digital camera has (or the higher the resolution), the clearer your photos will be and the better your prints will look.

A higher number of megapixels also means you can enlarge your photos without losing out on picture quality. So if you want to take big photos that you can put in a frame, look for a higher resolution.

How big can I print?

The more megapixels your camera has, the better your photos will look at large print sizes. Remember, the more megapixels, the more space your pictures will take up on your memory card!

IF YOU WANT TO PRINT...	TAKE A LOOK AT...
Pocket-sized snapshots for sharing with friends	Any camera with 3MP and up will be fine, letting you print great-looking pictures at sizes up to 15x10cm (6x4")
Larger prints to put in an album	Cameras between 3MP and 4MP give excellent detail when printing at up to 20x15cm (8x6")
Family pictures for framing and hanging	A 5MP camera can produce prints of up to 25x15cm (10x8")
Larger pictures and posters	An 8MP camera can print up to A4 size (30x21cm) and prints from a very high megapixel camera (10MP and up) will look good even at A3 size, 60x42cm!

All digital cameras have a screen that lets you review, save, or delete pictures after snapping. The bigger the screen, the easier it is to see what you're shooting, and to view and share your pictures once they're taken.

The largest screens are 5cm (2.5") and above. Some digital cameras also feature helpful extras like a power boost for sunny days and high-sensitivity settings for taking photos in low light.

All digital cameras come with a zoom, so you can get closer to the action and capture people's expressions. There are two different types of zoom to choose from - optical and digital.

Digital zoom enlarges the centre of the image, although you might lose some detail. Optical zoom is much better, as it uses lenses to magnify the image until it looks close enough to touch. Most optical zooms give 3x magnification - meaning the image will seem three times closer - but you can also buy cameras with 5x, 10x or more.

Get more from your digital camera

Also buying guides available for:

• Digital SLR cameras
• Digital camcorders