But perhaps no product has been more affected by digital technology than the camera.

Although it may seem like digital cameras are a recent phenomenon, the first digital camera available on the U.S. market was released by Kodak some 15 years ago. The DCS-100 had 1.3 megapixels, which are units of graphical resolution digital cameras use to display data, at a less-than-reasonable price of $13,000.

Fifteen years of advancement in digital camera technology has not only increased the number of megapixels for entry-level digital cameras—it’s hard to find a digital camera with fewer than three megapixels—but brought the cost of digital cameras down to far more reasonable prices (under $80 at some stores).

And thanks to the storage capability of digital cameras—perhaps the biggest advantage to digital camera technology—users can view photos on an array of outlets like the camera itself, a computer monitor, on web pages or on paper after developing them on printers. Some digital cameras, or autonomous devices, have rendered computers obsolete. Through the camera’s USB port, the camera can connect directly to printers to develop pictures. Even televisions, DVD players, entertainment gaming systems and cell phones are capable of reading and displaying digital images.

But because digital imaging is ubiquitous in its availability, it’s important now more than ever to understand the particulars of digital cameras, the best (and worst) ones to buy and how to take professional-looking pictures.

With the electronic guide, you’ll learn how to do that and much more, including how to avoid being ripped off when buying a digital camera, how much is too much for a digital camera, the three levels of digital photography, and how poor skill can’t be negated by cameras with all the bells and whistles.