You are set to go buy your new camera. You’ve got your money in hand and you’re ready to start shopping. Before going off to purchase the most gleaming model you can afford, prepare yourself with the following essential buying tips.

1- Realize the reasons for wanting a new camera. Consider your capabilities and interest in photography, and how a digital camera fits into your lifestyle. Different models are better suited for different situations. See if you might fit into one of the three photographer-types listed below:

Novice User: Are you new to the world of digital photography? There are many affordable point & shoot cameras that have advanced features that are easy enough to learn and yet still advanced enough that even a casual photographer can take great pictures.

Intermediate Photographer: If you take a wider array of photographs — from quick snapshots to vacation photos to sporting events — you’ll need a versatile, full-featured camera that can handle a range of zoom scenarios, photo subjects, lighting conditions, and so on.

Serious Amateur: You've been taking pictures for a long time and are willing to pay more for the advanced features you can only find with a digital SLR camera with changeable lenses?

2- Determine your ideal camera type, point and shoot or SLR. Make sure you understand the relative strengths and limitations of point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras, and which is best suited for the photos you want to take. Due to ever increasing advanced features being included on "bridge" cameras, the differences between them and digital SLR's has become less prominant; though each of the two classes have their own distinct advantages.

3- Get a feel for the camera. Get a feel for the camera and take some pictures with it. You will get much more use out of a camera if you feel comfortable holding it and have no problems learning the controls.

4- MP (MegaPixels/Resolution) is meaningless. To get better pictures you want to a camera with a quality image sensor which is either a CCD or CMOS sensor.

5- Make note of the zoom and focus features. Higher power zoom lets you get closer to the action, and optical zoom is more important than digital zoom because it doesn’t reduce image quality. Auto focus features also are important, but a camera with manual focus features can give you greater flexibility.

6- Help reduce the risks of blurry photos. A built-in image stabilizer can go a long way to eliminate blurred images. Electronic image stabilization is a good start, while optical image stabilization is even better.

7- Lower light capability matters. How well your camera performs in low light matters as much as how well it takes photos in bright sunlight. Cameras that have high ISO sensitivity (ISO ratings 800 or higher) will be better able to capture properly exposed images with reduced blur in dimly lit situations.

8- Consider advanced features. Think about what additional technology features you want in your camera — such as face detection or in-camera retouching — to help you achieve better results and enhance your overall photography experience.

9- Accessories make the camera. Know what accessories you would like to use and what other devices you want to connect to your camera, such as an HDTV to view your photos, in order to make sure it has the right inputs and outputs.

10- Dare to shop and compare. Before deciding on a specific model, look at the models above and below it. Sometimes you can get amazing features for only a small price difference.

After you have decided which camera is the best one for you, further your education and love of photography by learning more about exposure and other tricks a little beyond the basics, or how to use Adobe Photoshop which will help you enhance your photos greatly with just simple fixes.

If you ever drop your camera or otherwise damage it, make sure you check around for an affordable digital camera repair shop online. The most commonly searched terms are Canon camera repair, Nikon camera repair & Sony camera repair when looking for somewhere to take your camera when it breaks. This is because Canon, Nikon and Sony have most of the market share when it comes to digital cameras, not because there is anything wrong with their products.