One of the responses you received about digital cameras talked about a 3x DIGITAL zoom. Please make sure whatever camera you buy has an OPTICAL zoom, which means the lens actually moves when it is zooming and you get a higher quality photo. Digital zooms magnify the image and if something is blurry, you get a bigger, blurrier shot. So optical zooms are the way to go and most quality cameras will have optical zooms. I would spend a few extra dollars to get a high powered zoom. The Panasonic line has cameras with more than 3x zoom power. Also check to see if the camera has MACRO capability, meaning you can get very close to an object and can photograph minute details. I suggest an optical viewfinder (in addition to the review screen on the back of the camera). The more megapixels, the better. A compact flash (CF) or secure digital (SD) cards are the most popular and you can download to your camera through a supplied cable or by taking the memory card and inserting it into a card reader (usually about $10 to $15 extra). I have a personal preference for Canon cameras, but Nikon and Panasonic make good models. For reviews, you can check _www.cnet.com_ (http://www.cnet.com) or _http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html_ (http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html) **************************************See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)