Digital cameras are about more than megapixels and zooms. A host of extra features help you get rid of blur, capture the smile on everyone's face, and store hundreds or thousands of pictures with ease.

With a digital camera, you don't need a steady hand to take great pictures. Anti-blur (or anti-shake) is a really helpful feature that reduces the effect of a shaky camera and low light - making digital cameras even better for parties, sunsets and portraits.

Anti-blur can be digital or optical. Digital means software inside the camera alters the image to make it clearer. Optical is better as the camera detects actual shake and compensates for it before you take the picture. Combined they give even better results.

When you take a picture of a group of people, an ordinary camera doesn't always make it easy to focus on their faces.

However, some digital cameras now come with face detection, which instantly picks people out from the background, making their faces crystal clear.

Really clever face detection systems can even focus on several people at once or even track moving faces, for example footballers on a pitch. That means you get a great picture, every time.

All digital cameras come with a limited memory so we recommend you buy a bigger card to take and store more pictures. Make sure you order the right type of card - there are several types. The correct type is noted for each camera.

Digital cameras use either normal AA, AAA or lithium ion rechargeable batteries. Lithium Ion ones are better for the environment, slimmer and lighter, which mean a handier-sized camera!

You can also display your photos in style using a state-of-the art digital frame - just slot in your memory card and view your photos one at a time, or as a slideshow. Some also let you zoom and rotate your pictures.

How many photos can it store?

The memory card that comes with most digital cameras isn't very big - if you enjoy snapping, you'll need extras. An average 4 megapixel image needs about 1MB of memory.

CARD CAPACITY	NUMBER OF PHOTOS
512MB	About 500. The 'starter' card supplied with a digital camera is often much smaller. A bigger capacity card will prove more useful.
1GB	1000 photos. A great second card - buy several and keep them as individual 'albums' for different subjects!
2GB	2000 photos or several ten-minute video clips. Great if you're travelling and want a card that can handle thousands of pictures
4GB and above	The largest cards. Ideal if photography's your hobby or you enjoy taking lots of photos - but even if you don't, there'll be times when you appreciate the extra space.

Wouldn't it be useful to review all those features side-by-side? It's easy! When you view any range of digital cameras, you'll see a 'Compare Products / Go' link on the right, with a tickbox for each item. Just click the cameras you're considering to view their features in a handy table.

Also buying guides available for:

• Digital SLR cameras
• Digital camcorders