I bought a digital camera Panasonic Lumix and the instruction book is 127 pages long. I managed to take a self pic and then put it away and havent used it since. I'm a box camera user - point and click.

Haha, very nice. But i kinda got tired of the whole disposable camera thing. Plus, my bro and sis have had digital for years now and i want one D=

Haha. also sounds like something we felines would do. figure it complicated, paw at it, then put it somewhere and leave it xD

just from experience i would recommend canon. but thats just me.

hmm, still considering. thanks for the input! ^^

Go for canon! That, or Nikon. Sony is very proprietary, so unless you're already equipped with tons of sony stuff and want to keep using MS Duo as memory format and whatever, go with other brands. They're also very gadget-y from experience, i've had much better results with Canon and Nikon.

Point to look for are the battery it uses, built-in li-ion and such are nice and compact, but if you're on a trip and have nowhere to plug it in, cameras that use AA batteries have the advantage since you can just swap 'em.

Also look at the memory format, if you get some weird format that will disappear eventually. SecureDigital (SD) and CompactFlash (CF) are pretty much the standards, except for sony who uses Memory Stick (Duo?) cards.

After that, i'd say just look at the thing, at this point the resolution isn't so much of a concern anymore, since most cameras are above 3Mp, which is plenty for most uses, especially if it's to put on the net. I'd say just go to a store and mess with the camera. It can be worth it to go for something that feels like it won't shatter if you drop it a few times, and that still has a standard non-digital see thru viewfinder in addition of the screen... It might seem silly, but it's a real lifesaver sometime when you've got too much light around.

Oh, and also the less mechanical parts that move on it, the less likely it is to break. I've had plenty of "fun" ones with lenses that extend out have said lens that extend out break a gear and just die.

That's all i can think of for now.

... don't take the extended warranty! It's a scam.

I don't know. I Kinda played with a Canon and a Sony in a SuperTarget the other day. It kinda seems like i like the sony better. But with me not knowing much about cameras, I'm not sure how different they are. plus, i think the canon was 199 as to where the sony was 149.

And what's this about disappearing memory sticks? <.<

its the main drawback with flash memory, after erasing the memory, the overall memory will drop less and less.

Haha, no, no such thing as what the previous poster said, unless you've got a defective memory card that gets areas marked as bad.

Was just saying that some of the cameras that use their own new and shiny different memory card system often don't last and disappear, then you get stuck with a camera you can't find cards for, or can't get for a sane price.