Two hundred years ago a Frenchman visited Thailand with an early pre-cursor of the modern camera-the daguerreotype and actually took pictures of King Rama the Third, which still survive. Gradually cameras became more sophisticated and the resulting photographs were of higher quality. However, considerable skill was needed to set the exposure, aperture and so on to get the desired result. Then there was the inconvenience and cost of having the film developed and printed-only to discover half the time that the pictures hadn't come out.

Now with your new digital camera the Auto settings give perfect results in most circumstances, the results are instantaneously available and can be stored forever on your computer at no expense.

They now come in a bewildering range of size, colour and chic as the manufacturers vie to outdo each other. Here are a few words of advice from the experts.

How to choose a digital camera:

You should decide how much you can afford to pay, and then visit a professional retailer and look at several models. Try taking a few shots. It is important that you grasp the operation of the camera and it should 'feel' right.

The essential quality of any digital camera is defined by four qualities-image resolution, lens aperture, zoom range, and supporting software.

• Buy the camera with the highest resolution you can afford, at least 2 to 3 mega pixels (2 million to 3 million pixels)
  
  
• Look for a 100 percent glass lens as opposed to a plastic one.
  
  
• Buy a camera with as much RAM as you can afford. The more RAM the camera has the faster it operates.
  
  
• Expect zoom to be the feature you will use most. Compare optical, as opposed to digital zoom capabilities Optical zoom is the important one. It is a physical lens adjustment. Digital zoom is only an electronic enhancement and picture quality can therefore suffer.
  
  
• Verify the available flash modes. The camera should allow various flash modes-twilight, red eye-reduction, close-up and fill-in flash for portraits.
  
  
• Check out the viewfinder arrangements. All digital cameras have a screen which displays the image from the lens, and shows the various menu options. The bigger the screen the easier in-camera editing is. However, in bright light environments [we do live in a sunny place] the screen image is not clearly visible so a separate optical viewfinder is essential.
  
  
• High-end cameras have very complex specifications and can therefore be extremely expensive but unless you are a professional and understand the various features and how and why they can be brought into play then you probably don't need them. Modern middle-range digital cameras have an outstandingly high quality performance for most average user's requirements.
  
  
• It is a good idea to buy extra storage media if you are going to be away from your computer-on holiday, for example.
  
  
• Investigate batteries, chargers and battery-saving features. Alkaline throwaway batteries are convenient because you can buy them anywhere, but they don't have a long life and they make the camera bulky. Rechargeable lithium-ion or nickel-metal-hydride batteries are light and hold a longer charge but you need to be able to re-charge them from a main power supply-a problem in the jungle!
  
  
• Most cameras will also come with an AC adapter so that you can save some battery life while shooting indoors or downloading photos to your computer. If an adapter isn't included with the model you want, it's a good idea to buy one separately. Whatever battery you end up with, be sure to have enough spares when you take your camera on a trip!
  
  
• Look for additional features you might need, such as USB or IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connectivity to connect to your computer, a battery life indicator, an AC adapter and video-out connections for outputting to a television.
  

Where to buy digital camera:

Choose a shop with a good selection of makes and models, and a qualified attendant. We suggest:

• Power Buy, 2nd floor, Central Festival Phuket, Tel: 0 7629 9025 7
  
  
• Power Buy, Robinson, 2nd floor, Jungceylon Shopping Destination
  
  
• Big Camera, 3rd floor, Central Festival Phuket, Tel: 0 7624 9440