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It seems to those of us who love gadgets that just about everyone either has a digital camera or is thinking about getting one. That's not exactly true, however, for there are still lots of people around who haven't made the move, even in their minds, to digital.

This Gadget Gal overheard a conversation between two women the other day while she was waiting in line at the post office. One said, "I wouldn't want a digital camera because I'd be afraid I'd lose all my pictures if they were on the computer." The other agreed adding, "And I sure wouldn't want to carry my computer around to show off pictures of my beautiful grandchildren.' The postmistress, who knew me, looked my way and asked, "What do you think of digital cameras, Dr. Marsh?"

The ladies obviously didn't want to know what I thought, so I mumbled something about all cameras being wonderful, no matter what type one used. I was proud of my diplomatic answer although it was a big lie, for my digital camera is one of my favorite possessions. There's no way I would ever buy a regular camera again.

Let's face it, digital cameras are:

1. Easy to use.
   They are certainly as easy to use as traditional cameras. How you take pictures hasn't changed. What has changed is that you don't have to load or unload film and send it off for processing. You do have to learn how to load your pictures into your computer, but with many digital camera systems, this happens almost automatically. All you have to do is to insert a memory card, attach a cable, or put in a disk. Then click a button and your pictures will appear–usually in a folder on your computer screen.
2. Quick
   You don't have wait for your pictures to be developed. You can see them immediately, send them without delay, or print them when you want.
3. Economical.
   There's no more paying for film or for developing no matter how many pictures you take. You will have to keep the batteries charged and find places (like CDs and DVDs) to store your pictures. And you can save your pictures in so many forms–print them, add them to CDs or DVDs, save them to a file on your computer or on another hard drive, send to others etc.
4. Talented.
   On many digital cameras, there is an LCD screen so that you can see if the photo you took is the one you want. If not, just take another picture. Check out the options available for you camera. You may find that your camera can capture short video sequences and do stills in unique ways. Although it can be said that digital images, even from the most expensive cameras are not as good as those from traditional cameras, that's only true when you're talking about large photos. If you are thinking of photos larger than 8"*10", then a traditional camera is a better choice.
5. Forgiving
   If some of your pictures are awful, throw them in the computer trash. You don't have to deal with bad shots. You can pretend you are just like professional photographers who take lots of pictures of the same subject to get one really good one. With inexpensive photo editing software like PhotoShop Elements, you can correct your photographic mistakes. Brightness, contrast, and color can be manipulated, and you can crop your pictures so it looks like you are terrific at centering. Then, too, you can add all sorts of nifty effects to your pictures–make them look old, add print, insert overlays, create illusions–you name it.

For family use, consider a camera with 2 or more megapixels (MP) in the $150 - $500 range, with a zoom lens, and a memory card. Usually you'll want to order a larger memory card than what comes with your camera. That's because the larger the memory card, the greater number of high quality photos you can take without emptying the card's contents (your pictures) to your computer. It's a great advantage not to have to stop taking pictures after taking 8 to 12 or so photos.

Thinking back to the post office scene. Should I have taken a digital picture of the women? I had my camera in my purse. But since I didn't know them, and they most likely wouldn't ever see my pictures, they'd be sure their images would be lost somewhere in my computer's insides anyway. Someday, however, their grandchildren will set them straight.

Here's one example of a nice digital camera, but to be sure, there are lots of others to choose from:

Canon Powershot S230 3.2 MP Digital ELPH Camera
2x Optical Zoom
$299.88 from Amazon
Try the reviews at Cnet for more options http://reviews.cnet.com