When purchasing your next camera you should look at a real digital SLR if you need any or all of the following features:
reliability; SLR bodies almost never fail; by comparison, point and shoot cameras are built for light weight and low cost big bright accurate optical viewfinder good quality images in low natural light, e.g., indoors without blasting everything with flash ability to attach specialty lenses, e.g., very wide angle lenses for interiors, scenery, and architecture, or long telephoto lenses for sports photography Choosing the right camera system is covered in a separate article on this server: "Building a Digital SLR System".
Accessories You may want to purchase a lens cleaning kit.
You will definitely need at least one memory card. Most of the compact digital cameras take SD cards. If you are taking JPEG photos rather than RAW, you'll be able to fit between 250 and 500 images in a 1 GB card.
1 GB SD cards: SanDisk 2 GB SD cards: SanDisk 4 GB SD cards: SanDisk (good for a long trip into a remote area where you can't copy images to a computer) Personally, I have found that it is more convenient to use a single memory card for an entire project or trip rather than juggling multiple cards.
If you want to wear the camera on your belt consider purchasing a small padded case. Lowe and Tamrac are generally the highest quality brands. The manufacturers' own brand cases are generally the lowest quality.
Tamrac publishes a useful fit chart. Lowepro's is a huge PDF.
Tamrac Ultra Compact Tamrac T17 Tamrac Digital 1 (slimmer digital cameras, plus extra pocket) Tamrac Digital 2 (compact cameras) Tamrac Digital 3 (SLR-like) If you have time and a good local shop, it is best to buy the case in person so that you can make sure you like the fit.
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FREE Book: Uncovers Professional, "Insider" Tips And Tricks For Taking Awesome Digital Photos With Your Digital Camera... (Even If You're A Complete Newbie To Photography!) Click here to access "How To Take Photos Like The Pros" We coach digital photography and suggest you get started with the free guide, and then Watch this Youtube video channel "Free Digital Photo Tips"