Tassha,
Picking between the newer (but not latest models as these are priced at a premium) of the reputed brands - Fuji, Kodak, Nikon, Canon, Samsung, Sony - you can safely say that you will get a good product.
The recent models by all of them have comparable features (anti shake or image stabilization, face detection, many shooting modes, ability to also shoot video, auto and manual focus options, flash, timelapse recording so you can set the camera to auto shoot when you want to be in the frame, good shutter speed/aperture) and great drability/quality.
What you should look for:
a. At least 5MP - larger is not necessary unless you plan to print huge blow ups.
b. Optical Zoom - Digital is not as useful. Optical Zoom is really useful when you want to quickly capture something cute that is happening not to close to you. 3X is standard. More is better so if a camera offers higher zoom than another for a comparable price, give more points to the one that has higgher zoom
c. ISO - give more points to a camera with better/higher ISO (image sensor senitivity) as that will mean clearer pictures in low light conditions
Most people dont use a lot of features that they buy so DONT get tempted by cool stuff that you wont ever use. Here are some examples:
a. If you plan to take scenery shots, look for higher wide zoom (apart from tele zoom that allows you to zoom in on distant subjects) as this will allow you to shoot clearer when you are capturing a wide area. If not, save money and dont pay extra.
b. Some newer cameras have a panorama or stitch-assist mode. This allows you to take cool shots of a room or sceneray and knit them together so that the viewer gets a feel for how it might look if he were to stand at the center and turn arounf in place in a circle (360 degree view) Breathtaking pics are possible even by a novice very easily with this mode. So if you went to the Cathe RT for example, you could take a panorama set of shots of a gym room and knit it together as a memory of the 360 degree view of Cathe's gym.
c. Sony's new models have a smile detection mode. A person's smile looks most natural and bright when they first smile. As they "hold" it for someone shooting, it freezes on their face. This camera lets you focus on someone before they "pose". When they smile, it automatically clicks. So you can capture natural lovely smiling faces. If you want to shoot in other modes, those are supported too. I hear other brands are doing this too like Canon.
I like slick/compact rather than clunky cameras although that makes no difference to image quality and end up paying a bit more just for a pretty camera.
Whatever you buy, 6 months down the line, it will probably be cheaper and there will be new models with better features. So try to balance between getting a really old model at a cheap price or a latest kid on the block where you pay more just because it is new.
~* Vrinda *~
