As Digital Photography grows in popularity, so does the technology and improvements in Digital Cameras. Some may be enlightened with all the latest bells and whistles, while others are only interested in the results. A digital camera can be as simple or as complicated as the manufacturer desires, but what really counts to most people is the resolution of the photograph.

The consumer most often considers megapixels when researching their purchase of a digital camera. After all, why not get a camera that will deliver the most bangs for the buck and gives you the best results for the money you spend.

Here is some perspective. Unless you are a professional photographer, you really do not need more than six megapixels for all practical purposes. You probably don't have to go that high, however this is where the current digital camera market is at right now. The drive to go beyond six megapixels is really the marketing hype of the manufacturers that have competitive issues.

Let us go one step further on behalf of the average consumer and say you will not need more than ten megapixels, unless you are a pro and like to blow up your pictures really big. And ten megapixels is still on the consumer level, especially if the average consumer really wants to spend his money.

It should be noted that there is no technical limit to megapixels, as there are professional digital cameras that support twenty to thirty megapixels. No average consumer needs this much potential resolution in their pictures. But if you want to spend your hard earned money, or even better, start a photography business, who is to stop you.

Megapixels and digital cameras are really the main focus of this article, however, since the digital camera market was mentioned, there are other features to consider in the market as well. A larger LCD screen is one item. Zoom lenses going beyond the standard 3X is another item, as the manufacturers are listening to consumer demands. You may even find zooms up to 5X on the market.

Look this year for factors and improvements in anti blur features, anti shake and image stabilization features. These are pretty cool features as they not only help people with shaky hands while photographing, but also enable you to take pictures in darker areas without a flash.

Over the next few years, digital cameras within the six and seven megapixels category are expected to make up much of the overall sales volume. Along with this prediction it will be wise to look for specific features in digital cameras while doing your shopping and research. Included in these new features will be style and colors, wireless support for printing and emailing photos and new ways to manipulate and edit photos.