Digital cameras have arrived. If you don't already have one, you probably don't care about photography.

Instead of recording images on film, they record your photos on a memory card. You can then copy card contents to your hard disk, and from there massage, send or print your pictures.

Digital cameras tend to cost just a bit less than their non-digital counterparts. Spend a little, get a little. Spend a lot, and knock your socks off.

Digital cameras start at about $150(Cdn) and zoom up to $10,000 for professional models. Most consumer models are well under $1,000(Cdn). Think $300-$500 for a nice one.

Are they good enough to take photos for your genealogy? Definitely. Models that good have been available for several years. The newest models offer more (i.e. higher quality pictures) for less.

Words of warning? A couple. Digital camera eat batteries. In fact they go through batteries so fast, an active photographer will want to budget for that expense. A second downside is that digital pictures don't hold together well if you intend to print them larger than 8x10. (Unless you overspent on your digital camera.)

A third word of warning: The shelf life of digital cameras is measured in months. Three years ago, my model was a nice run-of-the-mill model. Two years ago, it had been discontinued, replaced with a model that provided more features and cost less.

You won't necessarily save a bundle using a digital camera. The cost of batteries, ink, and high gloss paper for printing comes to about the same cost of developing film. But the convenience is built in. A digital photo can go from taken to distributed in just minutes. And you don't need a scanner to get it to your hard disk.

There is another advantage to digital photos that doesn't get the air play it deserves. With a little forethought you can store digital photos on your hard disk so that they are easy to find years later. That's a plus that 35-mm cameras can't touch.

External Link: 
PC World Magazine's How to Buy a Digital Camera