Put the exciting rapid advances in computer technology together with the revolution in camera design and you come up with a new era of making photos on electronic mediums rather than film.

The advantage is that the viewfinder can be used to view and edit pictures you have taken. You can reuse your 'electronic film' time and time again and you can see your pictures instantly. The disadvantage is that the quality for bigger photos is not as good as when film is used and the cameras are more expensive than film cameras.

However, for e-mailing photos to friends and for taking quick record shots for filing in the computer, digital cameras have much to offer.

Not all-digital cameras are born equal. If you find all the talk of pixels confusing, have your photo dealer show you a comparison image from each camera. If you only want a camera to use for e-mail or on-screen viewing, then you can save considerably.

Once you have captured your image on digital, you can 'output' it in a variety of ways. You can print it out on your home computer's colour printer, connect it directly to your television or even have the picture printed on photographic colour paper by your local photo laboratory.

Once your picture is a digital file, you can undertake all sorts of exciting manipulation of the image to create the most unusual effect. You can do everything and more than even the keenest photographer can make in their home darkroom.

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