Just blink and there are 10 new models on the market. It's hard to know who you should look to, since these machines are such a blend of traditional camera technology and modern electronics.

Who makes what? As far as the electronics go, the major component is the CCD, the photosensitive part which captures the image, and luckily for the traditional camera companies, these are most often developed by some other company.

Different brands of cameras may actually be using the same CCD. That doesn't mean the image quality would be identical. Camera design can affect the quality of images as can the software the camera uses to download them.

A big part of the image quality of any camera, digital or otherwise, is the lens. The better the optics, the better the image. This is true for digital cameras which come from behind compared with film cameras.

Some companies make optics a top priority which gives their cameras an edge, while others tend to make price the biggest consideration.

While it may look like the only difference between the top-of-the-line models and the ones with a more affordable price tag is simply features, from experience there is a real difference in image quality. There was a difference as stark as night and day between the Nikon CoolPix 900 and 700 for example.

Which digital camera you buy depends on your needs. If you want only to e-mail snapshots to friends or family, a less expensive model with fewer features will do.

If you are an amateur photographer, a digital camera enthusiast or if you want to use the camera for work, the extra money from a top-of-the-line model will be well spent. To compare specific models, I find that the Internet is the best resource.

The image quality was just a touch better than Nikon's CoolPix 950 although the chassis does not feel as sturdy. On the lower end, Kodak's cameras are well designed and offer easy-to-use bundled software.