Advise please re: Digital cameras?

l know virtually nothing about digital cameras, lm looking to purchase a camera that will allow me to put pics on the comp,

could anyone help/advise on what camera to buy or the spec to look for that will do what l want?

thanking you in advance

These days, digital cameras are incredibly affordable. I would make sure you do your online research at websites like http://www.dpreview.com or http://www.imaging-resource.com... which will help to familiarize you with features on digital cameras.

The first question to ask yourself is: what can I afford? This will determine exactly which digital camera and features you will get.

Next, look at cameras in your price range. Cameras will feel different in your hand. Make sure the controls (on/off, zoom, shutter release, playback, etc.) feel logical and intuitive to you. Check the back liquid crystal display (or LCD) to make sure it's big and easy to see.

Finally, here's some things to consider:

1) the number of megapixels. Generally, more is better, as you get higher resolution. However, it also means bigger files.

2) the type of memory card used. Most cameras these days use Secure Digital or SD memory. Cameras which use Memory Stick, xD, or some other memory format are probably electronic dead-ends, except for Compact Flash memory, which is used in high-end cameras (which also happen to be physically larger).

3) Zoom--make sure it's an optical zoom and not a digital zoom. At a minimum, get a 3 x zoom.