I just recently purchased the Nikon Coolpix 3100 which is a 3 megapixel digital camera. You can easily find it for under $300 and it is very easy to use - which was key for me! I literally purchased

it the day before I left for Paris, so I took my old 35 mm camera

just in case I had problems with the Nikon. I didn't use my film camera once! Just being able to erase the bad photos and being able to immediately see what you've taken is one of the best things about digital cameras. The Nikon Coolpix 3100 was just rated the #1 best buy ( Point-and-shoot cameras) in PC World's Jan. 2004 issue. One important aspect of this camera is the fact that it uses AA

batteries. I like to use rechargeable batteries as well. Some of these cameras can use up a lot of juice! I suggest doing research as to what aspects of the camera are important to you and going to a store where they will actually show you how they work! I found that the smaller stores are best. If you live in Chicago, I can't

recommend anyone better than Central Camera in the Loop. I had

excellent service there and the prices are just as good as on-line or mega-store prices.

I hope this helps! Jenni in Chicago