Buying a camera in today's market can be confusing, tiring and frusturating.Fortunately though, you're on Mology.com where you can utilise our intuitive, patented Selection technology to guide you towards your Best Camera. (If you've already found your Best Camera and would like some tips on using it, Digital Photography School is an excellent resource for tips and advise on how to make the most out of your camera.)

You may still have some questions though: like how many megapixels do I need, are eight enough? Or if a digital zoom of 1,000x is worth buying a camera for? This brief Compact Camera Information Pack aims to help you answer some of the questions and help you make your purchasing decisions.

How many megapixels do I need?

A camera with around one-three megapixels is good enough for general photography, but is basic; most mobile phones today include a camera of around this resolution. A four-six megapixel camera allows the picture to be blown up to A4 size and still remain sharp. A seven and above megapixel camera will allow you to produce professional-quality images.

What's the difference between optical and digital zoom?

Simply, the higher the optical zoom the better: with 3x magnification as a good benchmark that'll allow you to take sharp, high-quality pictures from a fair distance. Manufacturers often listed extremely high digital zoom as it just stretches an existing image and so image quality rapidly diminishes. Optical zoom is what you should look for.

What does a Face Recognition feature do?

A 'Face Recognition' feature works to automatically identify faces in pictures and automatically adjust focus and colour balances to make sure it correctly captures faces in your photographs.

What is (Optical) Image Stabilization?

Image Stabilization works to reduce blur in your images: it's especially handy if you're using optical zoom, shooting in low-light conditions or even shooting in environments where you might be moving around a lot, like a party. A camera with Optical Image Stabilization is best, as it actually moves parts within the camera to compensate for shaking motions rather than just making digital enhancements.

I want to learn more!

Our friends at Jessops have a comprehensive-yet-friendly Digital Compact Cameras Buyer's Guide; Currys, too, have an informative Digital Cameras Buyers Guide, with a handy "Jargon Buster" section. CNET (Australia) have an almost expectedly good Digital Camera Buying Guide.