Digital cameras are brilliant because you can take a surfeit of pictures, view them without the cost of printing and delete anything that shows Nana licking her falsies in the background – it’s all about cost-saving, convenience. We’ve become so used to instant that we expect it from everything: especially cameras – sharing, emailing and reproducing – instantly.

Unfortunately, the choices are endless: plenty of brands, numerous models and a range of colours. Since the colour doesn’t really affect performance or quality, it’s safe to choose a colour you like. As for the rest, here is what you need to know:

Megapixel (1 million pixels) is the unit used to measure the resolution of a digital camera – the higher the megapixel value, the higher the resolution or better quality of the picture. So, go for the largest Megapixel camera you can find or afford, especially if you want to print your pictures.

The resolution of pictures doesn’t matter as much when viewing them on a screen, but it matters when printing. If you want to enlarge and print your pictures without them becoming blurred or indistinct, then it’s important to begin with a high quality image.

Optical and Digital Zoom are two completely different things: with Optical the lens moves closer to the subject. This is the number that you should look at because it’s the one that will give you the best quality when zooming. Digital zoom doesn’t actually move closer but instead crops and digitally enlarges the subject, often leaving you with something blurred and out-of-focus – basically, the camera guesses.

In most cases, a Digital Camera saves your images to a Memory Stick. If you plan to take many photographs, you will need a really, large memory stick. It’s also good to have a spare, just as you would carry a spare film for an old-fashioned camera – you never know when you’ll need it – downloading your cherished photographs to a computer isn’t always convenient.