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A grandparent gave my niece a generous gift card to a big-box retailer for Christmas. She purchased a mid-range digital camera. This was one of the smartest buys this super-shopper adolescent has ever made.

BONUS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

In film and developing costs alone, her purchase has probably saved her parents hundreds of dollars annually.

Even better, my ambitious niece is learning photography skills firsthand. She is experimenting with photo editing, lighting, staging and other skills. In fact, some of her photos have already been published!

HOW TO SELECT A DIGITAL CAMERA FOR A TEEN:

Scanning the digital camera display at any major retailer can be enough to send your eyes rolling back up into your head! As you check out the product offerings, look for several key features:

MEMORY CARD CAPACITY

Each digital camera employs a tiny memory card, which is inserted into the camera itself. The memory card looks almost like a tiny floppy disk. How much memory does each card hold? What replacement cards are available?

It's a good idea to pick up an extra card or two. After all, once the memory card is full, the camera will hold no more photos. (Of course, the user can delete unwanted images to make more room.)

MEGAPIXELS

Many people wrongly believe that the best digital cameras are the ones with the highest megapixel rating. This refers to the resolution the camera can attain. Higher resolution images make better photos, particularly for enlargements.

However, the higher resolution photos consume considerably more memory (on the camera and on your computer). Many photographers actually set their cameras for lesser resolution, if photos will not be printed on a large-scale format. For basic pictures or action shots, a lower rating may be sufficient.

IMAGE STABILIZATION

This is a super-handy feature for sports photography or other active images. Even if you set a camera for high-speed photography, the image stabilization feature will prevent blurry images of moving targets.

EDITING SOFTWARE

Many digital cameras come with photo editing software. If not, users may have to purchase or download an appropriate program.

Check product feature listings to determine how images may be loaded to a computer and what software must be used to manipulate and edit those pictures.

Also, most digital camera packages will include USB cords for connecting to a computer.

POWER SOURCE

Digital cameras use batteries. In fact, they devour them quite quickly. The best deal is usually a rechargeable battery. If a camera uses traditional AAA or AAAA batteries, then a battery charger and rechargeable batteries are a smart add-on purchase.

Some cameras use pricey lithium batteries. These can really add up, in a very short time!

PORTABILITY

Professional photographers may require larger cameras with detachable and interchangeable lenses and other accessories. Is this really necessary for a teen on-the-go? Petite portable, packable digital cameras are ideal for active adolescents.

PRICE

Digital cameras may cost $50 or $500. A suitable unit may run you about $150. Some of the cheaper ones are basically throw-aways, which hardly work.

By the way, my niece's camera is a Kodak Easy Share digital camera with 5 megapixels and 5x optical zoom. She takes amazing photos with this very simple equipment. It even captures short digital video!

Learn more about this author, Linda Ann Nickerson.
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