My friend, Galit, called me the other day asking my advice about what camera her mom should buy. They were at a BJ’s Warehouse or CostCo or someplace like that and wanted my opinion on what kind of features she should get. Her mom wanted a point-and-shoot camera for candids and family shots and planned on making standard 4 x 6 prints.

Many people make the mistake that megapixels are the answer to quality. It’s not. Cameras with a lot of megapixels allow you to print larger sizes of images, but for everyday use, it won’t make much difference when you’re making 4×6 prints. If you are not planning on blowing up your pictures larger than 8”x10”, then 4 megapixels should be enough. If you plan to make very large prints or want to explore macro or detail shots, then spring for 5 or 6 megapixels.

I recommend that you first look at the features I’ve highlighted below, and then buy the camera with the most megapixels you can afford.

Here are the most important features for me when buying a point-and-shoot camera: 

• How quickly the camera responds when taking a picture
• How the camera feels in your hand
• The range of the optical zoom
• Affordability
• Don’t forget a good quality, fast 1G digital memory card

QUICK RESPONSE WHEN TAKING A PICTURE

I think this is the most important factor when buying a new camera. If you’ve ever used an inferior point-and-shoot camera, you no doubt learned that it can take forever for the camera to take the picture after you’ve pressed the button. By the time the camera snaps the image, the moment is long gone. Cameras with a rapid response are worth their weight in gold.

To test this in the store, take a series of pictures and try to capture someone walking by quickly. Can you capture action shots like a child running through the store? If the camera takes forever, move on to the next model.

HOW THE CAMERA FEELS

Feel is very important. A camera should feel comfortable in your hands and it should be easy to access the most often used features such as the zoom and the image playback buttons. If the camera doesn’t feel right in your hands at the store, it probably won’t at home either.

OPTICAL ZOOM

Most point-and-shoot cameras have an optical zoom and a digital zoom. The optical zoom is what’s really important. It is a function of the lens, whereas the digital zoom is digitally zooming in, leaving you with less resolution and picture quality. The longer your optical zoom, the more flexibility you have in your picture taking. The box will say something like 10X Optical or 4X Optical. Opt for the larger optical zoom.

Practice zooming in and out in the store. Does it take a long time for the zoom to respond? Zoom in all the way and make a close-up shot of someone. How far away are they from your camera? That will tell you the long range of the zoom.

AFFORDABILITY

Cameras are becoming more and more affordable. You can buy a great camera for under $200 these days. For everyday picture taking, there is no reason to spend a ton of money. I found a lot of great cameras on Amazon today for less than $200 from companies like Canon, Nikon and Panasonic.

DIGITAL MEMORY CARD

Most cameras come with a tiny tiny memory card that will only hold a handful of pictures. You will need a good quality digital memory card, so remember that when you’re setting your camera-buying budget. The speed of the card can sometimes make a difference in how fast the camera writes the image to the disc, so ask before you buy the cheapest one. I recommend a 1G memory card, which will allow you space to take and save videos as well as lots of pictures before you download them to your computer.

EXTRA FEATURES THAT ARE NICE TO HAVE

MACRO
I really like having a macro feature. It allows you to take really close-up shots of flowers in your backyard or your baby’s toes, for instance. Without this feature, the lens won’t be able to focus that closely on a subject and you’ll have to back up a bit.

VIDEO
Most cameras have a video function which is great when you only want to carry one electronic gadget in your pocket.

BE WARY

Be wary of the smallest and cutest cameras. Just because it fits in your shirt pocket, and costs $300 doesn’t mean it will take great pictures. It’s all about the lens in these cameras. Sure, it’s great to have a styling camera, but if your pictures turn out rotten and grainy because the lens is junky, then what’s the point?! In 10 years, you won’t remember that your camera matched your sunglasses, but you will wonder why all your pictures look terrible.