> I am trying to buy a new digital camera, and the process has me blithering already. I read the blurbs at Sam's club and such places and most of it means nothing to me. The clerks don't know beans about what they are selling. I could go to a camera store and pay double, but then I couldn't afford the camera I need.
>
> What the heck is a "dock?" Several of the models I am looking at mention that.

It's a cradle that the camera sits in while you transfer pictures to the computer or printer. No more useful than a simple USB cable, really.

> Also, I'd like to have some zoom for those long shots, but I also need to do extreme close-ups. I'd like to have a camera that would photograph a fingerprint, but if it will show newsprint clearly, I would be satisified.

Zoom on digitial cameras is divided into 2 categories: optical and digital.

Optical zoom works by moving lenses around, in the same way that it does in a film camera. Typically, compact digital cameras have optical zooms of x3 to x5, though some of the less compact models go up to x10 or x12.

Digital zoom works by resizing a portion of the image after it is recorded on on the sensor. Personally, I'd reccomend ignoring digital zoom, and only paying attention to the optical zoom rating.

For close up work on the scale of a fingerprint, you want to make sure it has a "macro" function. Even without that though, most cameras will be ably to make out newsprint, so long as it's not too close to the lens.

> I am tickled pink by the size of these cameras. They will almost go into a watch pocket.

Some of the smaller ones are no bigger than a cigarette lighter.

> I don't care about shooting digital videos, and I am trying to stay under $300. I think I am leaning toward HP, because both of my printers are that brand, and I have a lot of HP software on my computer.

It shouldn't make any difference, really. More important is if your printers can accept a specific type of memory card (as you mention below), you'll want them to be compatible. Though there's no reason not to get an HP camera if you like them.

> What is all of this stuff about megapixels? Is 5 megapixels really 5,000,000 dots? That seems like a lot for one picture, so I guess it it the total amount of storage available in the camera.

It is the resolution of the sensor. 3 Mpix is good enough for a 4x6 print or resonable quality. 10 Mpix is about equal to the resolution of a 35mm negative, and can be blown up to poster size quite comfortably.

> And if they say X amount of "built in memory," does that mean that the camera doesn't use a removeable chip? I like taking the chip out of my camera and inserting it into my HP 100 printer so that I can unload it without running down the camera batteries.

Except for the very smallest cameras, they will also have removable storage of some kind, with the exact type depending on the manufacturor (Sony use memory sticks, Fujifilm and Olympus use xD cards, and so on). The built in memory is so that you don't need to buy a card, if you don't plan on taking more than 4 or 5 pictures at a time.

> I also like using AA or AAA batteries, because of availability. I don't have much luck with rechargeables anyway.

Most cameras use their own proprietary battery format, as AA's don't deliver great power. But there are certainly some out there that use standard battery types.

> I know there are a number of good digital photographers on RinkWorks, so I would appreciate any information that will help me avoid a trip to the shrink.
>
> RinkWorks. . . . my number one source of tech support!
> Howard

There are plenty of good resources out there that will help you compare and contrast cameras once you know what you're looking for. I've provided a link to one with a decent search engine with some guesses as to what you might want plugged in.

I hope that's of some help.

winter"http://flickr.com/photos/wintermute23/"mute