There are very few in the world who do not like pictures. The experience of being able to capture life's moments forever is cherished by all. Still the way we want to capture them are different for all. Some like instant gratification, while others would wait for hours to get that perfect shot of the sunset. Let us try and help you choose the right camera.

Define your need

Firstly, try to answer the question what would you be doing with your camera. You may come up with one of these answers:

• My camera should be thin and light.
• It should be able to click pictures in low light.
• It should be extremely easy to operate, even my grandmother should be able to click pictures with it.
• I think I am getting better with taking pictures, but I am not ready for a professional camera yet.
• I want the feel of a camera that has the feel of a professional camera but is not as complicated.
• It should have an option of interchangeable lenses.
• I want a camera which has a lot of zoom.
• I want to learn photography the right way and want an entry level professional camera

Though it is a comprehensive list, it is not exhaustive. These are just examples of what your starting point could be in choosing the camera to suit your needs. Remember all these things before you hit the market. 

Choose the category
Now that you have a fair idea about what you want from your camera, you can choose from the three broad categories available, i.e., point-and-shoot, pro-sumer or SLR. 

Point and shoot cameras are good for people who want portability and ease of use. These cameras are pretty small in size and offer some default modes that help consumers click photos easily. These include landscape, indoors, florescent lighting, sports and more. Though they are extremely handy and easy to use, they sacrifice on manual controls and are not liked by advanced users who want more from their cameras than just a simple point and shoot option.

A grade above these cameras are the pro-sumer options. These are also called super zoom or advanced point-and-shoot cameras. They lose out to consumer cameras on size, since they are considerably larger, but are a good starting point for someone who is moving up in the photography ladder. These cameras provide a lot more flexibility to the advanced user with the controls that they provide, have bigger sensors to take better pictures, have less shutter lag and provide a lens with a larger optical zoom. They generally have 10-20x zoom.

Digital SLRs are considered the holy grail of photography. They provide a lot more flexibility in terms of interchangeable lenses, less shutter lag, exposure, white balance and other controls.  They are also the most expensive of the lot with staggered pricing depending on the kind of lenses, the size and number of sensors used in the camera and the technology used.

Things to Remember

These are some of the parameters that would let you choose a camera that can satisfy the needs that you identified earlier:

Zoom Lens: Zoom lens allows the camera to focus on a part of the full frame without distorting the image. Just ensure that the zoom figure that is mentioned on the camera package is optical zoom. It is the amount that a camera a zoom in by moving the lenses inside. Digital zoom on the other hand stretches the picture using software on the camera's chip, which in effect is not of good quality.

Battery: Cameras generally come with two kinds of batteries, rechargeable AA sized batteries and in-built Lithium-ion batteries. The AA batteries could be your better bet because they are easily available and rechargeable if you are going on a long trip without a charger. Proprietary  lithium batteries are on the other hand much lighter and smaller but are more expensive than their AA counterparts, in case you need a spare battery. Lithium batteries are best for smaller cameras that need to be thin and light and are used more sparingly than a professional quality camera.

Image Stabilization: With smaller cameras it is difficult to keep your hand steady while taking pictures. Optical image stabilization is the technique that helps a user by reducing the effects of a shake in the camera by smartly moving the lenses. A similar but not as effective result can be had by using software. Opt for cameras with optical image stabilization.
Face Recognition: This is one of the latest things to come out of the digital camera stable. Sometimes, while taking a group picture, the camera focuses well on some faces, while the others are not as clear. This technique negates that problem and ensure that all faces in the photograph have the correct, sharp focus.

Do not Fall for Marketing Jargon

Like with all consumer technology products the marketers use jargon like mega pixels and digital zoom to misguide consumers. Megapixels, though a good parameter, should not be the only consideration while buying a digital camera. Many times an 8-megapixel camera may give you poorer results than a 6-megapixel counterpart. Though there could be many reasons for it including the quality of lenses, available light, software, zoom level etc.; but one of the most common culprits is the sensor size of the camera. Going back to the film days, 70mm film gave better quality than 35 mm, only because it was bigger and gave more space to capture the image. Similarly a larger sensor in cameras provides better results and is more important than just megapixels.
Though, a lot has been said about zoom, users should not look at digital zoom in cameras. Only the optical zoom figure in the specifications is what matters.

Set your budget

Sure, I want a Ferrari, only if I could afford it. Unless you can buy something, it is just desire. Thus, go back to the drawing board with the budget in mind and choose the capabilities that you may want the most at this point in time. Choose a camera that provides you those essentials at a reasonable price.