To zoom or not zoom. Pay
close attention to a camera's optical zoom. Cameras tend to have 3 times, 6 times, or even 10 times zooms, usually displayed by a 'x' sign. The zoom puts you in control of how much
you want in your photograph. Choose longer zooms (6x, 10x) for wildlife and sports photography to get in closer. Digital zoom is of little importance when choosing a camera - it just
cuts away the edge of the image and enlarges the section in the middle.
The truth about pixels
Pixels do not determine the quality of the image; they do determine how big the image is. How good the image looks is determined by the quality of the pixels, the lens and the
processor inside the camera. Think about the biggest size of print you will ever need and choose the right number of pixels.