FINDING THE RIGHT CAMERA

From disposable party cameras to high-tech digital snappers, choosing a shooting star has never been easier!

Nothing captures a special moment like a good photo, and the latest cameras offer fun for the whole family. It's never too early to get your kids snapping away, especially with the Barbie Cool 'n Squeezy bubble-cam. This bump-resistant squishy camera is perfect for your little princess and comes with a 35mm colour film, stickers and even a wobbly pink frame. Encourage your budding David Baileys with the fun SpongeBob Squarepants outdoor camera, complete with a Kodak film, photo album and 24 stickers. Teenagers want to take pictures, too, so why not pick up a few disposable cameras for those all-important parties? The Agfa Le Box has a flash unit for shooting at night, or double your savings with the funky Jeans Quicksnap Twinpack from Fujifilm. And if you can face the inevitable cleaning up, nothing's more fun than the cool Polaroid i-Zone, a camera that prints instant photos onto stickers.

Simple Snapping
Modern APS cameras use smaller films and are much easier to load than 35mm models, making them ideal for special occasions from school concerts to birthday parties. Kodak's Advantix T60 has a pop-up flash and a self-timer, and you can choose to shoot in panoramic mode - great for holiday landscapes. But to get really close to the action, you'll want a camera with a zoom. The Kodak Advantix F620 has a 2x lens that gets you twice as close to your subjects and an autofocus system to keep everything pin-sharp. It's available in a great value gift set with a carry case, two films and a photo frame.

Digital Delight
If you want instant playback and no more expensive film costs, think about a digital camera. These are cheaper than ever, and you can now get prints of your favourite digital images from High Street photo processors and selected Asda stores. The Vivitar ViviCam 3625 and Fujifilm A202 have colour LCD screens to frame and view your shots, making them easier to use than most film cameras. The Vivitar can play back images on a TV set and the Fujifilm has a large 16Mb memory card to store over 100 pictures.
Spend a little more and you'll get a camera that's perfect for everything from illustrating a website to serious art. The Vivitar ViviCam 3715 has a 3.1 megapixel chip for high quality images and comes with user-friendly software to help you improve your pictures on a home PC. Fujifilm's A204 digital camera has a long 3x zoom lens with a sophisticated autofocus system. It can even record short silent movie clips that you can playback on your computer or e-mail to friends around the world!

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