Probably the first thing to think about is how much you want to spend. The price ranges are huge and you will most likely be able to find one that fits within your budget. From the most simple cameras of less than one hundred dollars to the most advanced digital cameras that run many thousands of dollars, there is a camera out there for everyone.

Point and Shoot cameras are typically less expensive than DSLR digital cameras. However, that is not a hard and fast rule in today's market. Intro DSLRs have come down in price and Points and Shoot cameras can be quite sophisticated.

The main difference is that a DSLR camera has interchangeable lenses, while a point and shoot camera lens is part of the camera. So the lens you buy with a Point and Shoot camera is the lens you get. Period. So one of the most important things if you are purchasing a Point and Shoot camera is the quality of the lens and that it will do what you want it to, regarding wide angle or zoom features.

As far as other features go, here are some of the basic options that are offered.

Amount of Megapixels

Many cameras of today will offer 10MP or more. A high amount of megapixels is a good option if you will be printing large prints or doing a fair amount of cropping.

Optical Zoom

The higher the optical zoom number, the closer in you will be able to focus and shoot a subject. Optical zooms can range from 3x up to 24x.

Shutter Speed

Fast shutter speeds (high numbers) are advantageous if you are shooting quick moving objects, such as sports, birds, etc. An example of a high speed would be 1/2000th of a second.

ISO Settings

High ISO settings are typically used when you are taking photos in dimly lit or dark situations. Here is where the quality of the camera is important. Just because a camera offers a very high ISO setting does not mean that the image captured will be noise-free. Noise is tiny specs that appear in a photo. If this is important to you (taking pictures in dark areas), be sure to buy a camera that produces quality photos even at high ISO settings.

Scene Modes

If you like things to be very automatic, be sure the camera you are considering has lots of Scene Modes, where you can set the camera to just shoot, for example, Sports. The camera makes the correct settings automatically.

This is the viewing screen on the camera. Generally they will range from 2 to 3 inches in size...the larger, the better. Some cameras offer this with or without an electronic viewfinder, which is the small opening you look through when framing a shot.

Automatic flashes usually work for a specific distance. If you are shooting in situations where you will need to use the flash, check out the flash distance of the camera to make sure it will work well for you.

These are some of the main camera features. There are others also. The best thing to do is to decide what you will be using the camera for and choose one that has features and options that are most important to you.