Lab

Digital Picks

Still plodding along with your old film camera, waiting days for your photos to come back from the processor's? And we haven't even mentioned the costs. Over a fiver for a roll of film, and there's no guarantee you'll get more than a couple of decent shots out of it. With a digital camera, you can see what your snaps are like before you print them out - and the higher purchase cost is soon offset by the savings you make by not buying film. You'll save time scanning, and be able to edit your snaps and pop them on an e-mail to friends and family in a trice. So why not take the plunge and go digital?

Until recently, one of the major reasons for holding back was cost. You had to be pretty flush to buy a digital camera, especially if you wanted anything approaching film camera quality. But that's changed over the past year or so, to such an extent that you can get any number of perfectly good digital cameras for under £200.

If you're thinking of upgrading your old camera - or buying your very first digital snapper - there's never been a better time to buy.