Being a tech teacher allots a considerable amount of questions when it comes to buying electronics.  “Which computer to buy?  Which external hard drive? Which phone?  etc.”  I neither profess nor even hint to the fact that I am not an expert on the latest gadgets available on the market at the time.  However, I will always sit down with the person and have a good look at what the new and improved versions are of whichever gadget he or she is interested in.  One of the questions I get asked a lot is, “Which camera should I buy?”  In this article I am not going to mention any brand names and definitely not any models, but I will talk about some things that you might want to consider.

1. Think about how you want to use it?  For example, do you want it at the ready all the time?  If this is a factor, I would consider getting something small, that fits in your pocket and is probably a part of some phone or other multipurpose electronic equipment?  Most phones these days have a pretty good built in camera with a high enough resolution to make the average user happy.
2. Are you serious about photography?  If this is a primary concern then you will want to consider a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflect) camera with interchangeable lenses.
3. Most cameras on the market these days will take a fairly good photograph.  It is only if you want to blow pictures up beyond an 8.5×11 that you need to start concerning yourself with how many megapixels the camera is.
4. Find one that suits your needs: underwater, stylish, durable, small, usb connection, etc.  There are so many choices and there are many new things that cameras can do like red-eye flash, panorama shots, 3d photographs, geo-tracking, and more that you need to figure out what concerns you the most and then prioritize.  Good websites to compare would be:

• DPReview Buying Guide
• Let’s go Digital Online magazine for digital imaging
• CNet Reviews Find a Digital Camera