Todays market is overwhelmed with tons of different models and new ones are being launched almost weekly. Top brands cover all aspects of digital photography as well as all types of users. First choose the right camera and decide how many mega pixels (MP) resolution you want. Basic rule of thumb says that 2MP will give you film-quality photos up to 6x9 inches, 3MP up to 8x10, 4MP up to 11X14 inches and 5MP up to 14x17 inches. Of course, more mega pixels means more expensive camera so this choice depends on funds you have for this purchase. Amount of mega pixels is not the only thing that determines quality of pictures, though it is the most significant. However there are many more features you need to consider when choosing a camera. Here are a few that are most important:

Choose a camera that has optical viewfinder beside the LCD screen. LCD screen has one drawback that is almost unusable under sunlight, and of course, cruise vacation means a lot of sunshine scenes. Thats why you should definitely need to have option of using optical viewfinder.

Image storage this question depends on few sub-questions. How many pictures do you plan to make? How long your cruise is going to last? Do you have your computer (laptop) with you? Here you need to make a simple calculation before you go to cruise. First check how many pictures you can store on your present card. Then multiply that with how many pictures you are about planning to make during cruise and you can approximately know how much memory you need. Example: your camera store 60 pictures on one 128MB card. Then you decide: On my 7-days cruise I will make about 100 photos. So simply get another 128MB card, which makes 256MB total capacity, and it should be enough for about 120 photos.

Tip: Always have more cards with smaller capacity rather than only one with big capacity. In this way if one card gets corrupted or damaged you will have

your photos saved on the others. Whole different situation is if you carry your laptop with you on cruise. If thats the case you can transfer your photos on it on daily basis. Also, on almost every ship there is a photo shop available so you can use their service (either for transferring photos on some media or having them printed out), but keep in mind that they will charge for it. Price of this service varies from company to company and if you plan to use it, you better check prices before.

Batteries are also very delicate detail. Most of todays modern cameras use rechargeable NiMH batteries. Murphys Law says that they will get dry out right at the moment you need them the most and there is no place near by where you can buy the new ones. This has been confirmed so many times that you should really follow general rule - always and absolutely always carry an extra pair of batteries with you (not to mention they should be charged night before).

Take some time and read manual and find out about settings. Learn how to use outdoor mode for shutting beach scenes and at evening dark mode for formal night. If you fail to manage these functions you will end up with pictures of poor quality.

Watch out for water - digital cameras are not waterproof, unless it is strictly specified. If you plan to have some photos during water sports activities it is good idea that instead of using your digital camera buy and use one _ cheap disposable waterproof camera that are usually available around. Preserving moments for lifetime memories has never been more affordable and easier. Top brand manufacturers offer_ variety of choices and options to help you make the most of your cruise experience.