Okay, you've gone through all the technical specifications. You've analyzed the features. You've priced everything out and found the best deal. Here are some other things to think about when buying a camera.

The Feel

Make sure you get your hands on the camera you're thinking of buying. How does it feel? You're going to be holding this thing a lot, so it has to feel right in your hands.

What about the buttons and controls? Are they big enough, and convenient to operate?

Is the LCD screen on the back of the camera large and bright? Will it be easy to view outdoors on a bright day?

Most importantly, put your eye up to the viewfinder. Is it a comfortable, clear view? If you wear glasses, how much of the frame can you see with your glasses on? Take your time thinking about this. What might not seem like a big problem at first can become a more and more of annoyance as time goes on.

Compare the viewfinder of the camera you're considering to the viewfinders of similar models. By comparing you'll get a better idea of how good your pick really is.

The Size and Weight

You're going to be carrying this thing around a lot. It's exciting to have a camera that shoots 10 frames per second at 11 megapixels, but if it's too heavy to carry around your excitement will be short-lived. Any camera will probably feel light for the first ten minutes. But can you carry it around for an hour or two comfortably?

The Sound

Masters of photography like Henri Cartier-Bresson preferred small and quiet cameras that allowed them to capture candid moments without disturbing their subjects. I'm sure they would find this hysterical: Some of today's digital cameras that could be nearly silent actually play the recorded sound of a camera shutter. Some cameras are programmed to play a song when you turn them on or off, a feature I've had no luck in disabling on my compact. My advice? Listen to your camera before you buy it.

The Price

This is common sense, but if one vendor is offering a price substantially lower than the others, it's too good to be true. A common trick of the more seedy camera dealers is to offer you an amazing price for the camera, but then try to sell you the battery, strap, and other normally-included accessories at an inflated price.

Online vendors offer advantages to the camera buyer, such as lower prices, free shipping on orders over a certain amount, and no sales tax. Nothing beats the convenience of shopping from home and you can have your camera shipped overnight.

If you think you're going to need any sort of help with your camera in the future, make sure you're buying from a vendor who will provide that help. Sometimes it's better to pay more up front to avoid problems down the road.