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" Start With Your Smartphone Cell phone cameras are getting better and better, rivaling entry-level compact models. If you have a phone with a great camera, you may not need a separate device. Consider investing in a digital SLR or hybrid camera if you want higher quality, but if you just want an easy way to get vacation shots, you&amp;#039;ll likely be fine with your smartphone. Snap Up the Right Model When it comes to picking out a digital camera, you have to weigh how much you&amp;#039;re willing to spend to get good pictures \u2014 and how big of a camera you&amp;#039;re willing to lug around. Looking for a device you can slide in your pocket or purse? Then a compact camera is for you. Your trip photos may not belong in a museum, but they&amp;#039;ll be perfect to post to Facebook or print and put in your family album, and you&amp;#039;ll save money over higher-quality models. High-end superzoom compacts offer a better lens and more capabilities for your money. The Goldilocks of digital cameras, hybrid models, offer you the image quality and lens-flexibility of a digital SLR, with a lighter price tag and smaller size. You won&amp;#039;t mind carrying this camera with you as much and it still takes great snaps. If nothing but the best will do, don&amp;#039;t settle for anything less than an SLR. These high-end cameras cost more most of the time, but you&amp;#039;ll have most of the perks of professional cameras, including interchangeable lenses, high-quality photos, and a whole line of accessories. It&amp;#039;s a lot to carry depending on the model and lens selection, so keep that in mind if you&amp;#039;re going to be on the move. What To Look For: Compact Cameras  Ignore digital zoom. Optical zoom is the spec to look for and is important for sports and action shots, as well as nature photography. If you take a lot of sports shots, it may be worth investing in a superzoom model.  Don&amp;#039;t get too caught up in megapixel counts. Instead, look for a camera with good low-light sensitivity and optical image stabilization.  Low-end compact cameras won&amp;#039;t be much better than your smartphone camera (and may even be worse). If you have a good smartphone, then invest in a higher-end compact camera to see a noticeable difference in image quality.  What To Look For: Hybrids  Not sure what you&amp;#039;ll need? Pick up a hybrid with a basic lens. The beauty of these models is that they offer a ton of flexibility, so you can buy more lenses to swap in as you need them.  Already own an SLR? Then buy a hybrid made by the same manufacturer. You may be able to use the same lenses (though you may need to invest in an adaptor).  Keep the advantages of a hybrid in mind. It&amp;#039;s great to get more advanced lenses, but if you&amp;#039;ll be adding on a flash and a bulky zoom lens, it won&amp;#039;t be much lighter than an SLR. In that case, you might just want to step up to an entry-level SLR.  What to Look For: SLRs  You get what you pay for with SLRs. By that we mean great image quality even with entry-level models (they&amp;#039;re pricey after all!), but the more you&amp;#039;re willing to invest, the better your camera will be.  Check on the video capabilities of any SLR you&amp;#039;re considering. While many compact cameras can replace digital camcorders, SLRs are notoriously poor at shooting video (particularly variable videos), as most have difficulty refocusing (with the exception of some newer models). If you want to be able to shoot HD video of your vacation, you&amp;#039;ll either want a compact model, or you&amp;#039;ll need to bring along a separate camcorder.  Next:  Ready to hit the electronics store? Snap up one of these top pick digital cameras from the Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI). Cheap Compact You can&amp;#039;t get much more affordable than the Canon Powershot A3300 IS ($179, amazon.com). This inexpensive point-and-shoot camera took fantastic photos in GHRI tests (particularly for a compact camera), and offers a whole host of fun settings like fisheye.  Feature-Filled Fave On the higher end for compact cameras, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V ($299, amazon.com) boasts an onboard GPS to automatically tag the location for all photos taken and a nice selection of specialty modes, ranging from 3D to sweep panorama. Recorded video quality rivaled that of many camcorders in our test.  Sporty Shooter If you want a model that can keep up with your active lifestyle, the rugged Olympus TG-310 ($200, amazon.com) should fit the bill. This waterproof, drop-safe camera can go sink up to 10 feet and offers some fun shooting modes.  Hybrid Pick The vanguard model of the hybrid cameras is still one of our favorites. The Nikon 1 (starting at $499.95, amazon.com) offers superb image quality and quick focusing, and we found it easy to operate too. It also offers a whole host of lens options for plenty of versatility.  Entry-Level SLR Dreaming of making the jump to an SLR? The Canon Rebel T3i is a relatively less painful $699 (amazon.com) and offers great image quality (minus some of the expensive extras on $1,000-plus models). It comes with an intro kit that includes the standard 18-55mm lens. Next:   Get the Most From Your Model Don&amp;#039;t let your trip be the first time you take your new digital camera out for a spin. It&amp;#039;s important to get to know its features and capabilities in advance so you&amp;#039;ll be able to quickly pick the right mode for the picture you want. Some tips to make sure you never miss a shot:  You might want to take a look at the manual. While there are plenty of general photography tips that can help you get the best shot, your individual camera&amp;#039;s guide will have information on your device&amp;#039;s flash range, specialty modes, and more.  Whether you want to take the time to read the instructions or not, spend some time playing with your new camera. That&amp;#039;s the easiest way to figure out what cool modes it offers, how to adjust the settings on the fly, and how to get the exact shots you want.  A tripod will help you get more professional pictures and it&amp;#039;s an invaluable tool for night photography. You don&amp;#039;t need to get a massive one that will weigh you down; there are plenty of cool, more reasonably sized options like Joby&amp;#039;s GorillaPod line.  Pick up some extra memory cards. Extra storage won&amp;#039;t set you back much, and will save you from having to delete photos to make space while you&amp;#039;re on the go.  If you don&amp;#039;t plan on blowing up all your photos to poster size, reduce the pixel count (image size) in your camera&amp;#039;s menu settings. You&amp;#039;ll still be happy with the photo quality,and you&amp;#039;ll be able to fit more on your memory card.  Get Better Pictures Whether you&amp;#039;re toting a smartphone or a tricked-out SLR, these tips will help you get the best vacation photos every time:  Get up close and personal. It&amp;#039;s best to stand as near to your subject as you can before relying on your zoom. This will help you get a clearer picture (your camera will be less sensitive to movement or hand tremors). Try macro mode, for super close-ups.  Avoid your camera&amp;#039;s flash whenever possible, especially if the subject of the shot is still. Images will come out better and more natural looking without it. In low-light situations, use a tripod if one is available or lean your camera on something still. (For more advice, be sure to check out our top tips for night photography.)  Take some time to compose your photo if you can. It&amp;#039;s probably better to take a step back if you can, before you take the photo. You can always crop it smaller, but you can&amp;#039;t add to a photo if, say, you&amp;#039;ve cut off someone&amp;#039;s feet in the shot.  Follow the rule of thirds. The first thing you learn in photography class, this basic principle suggests dividing your frame into three parts horizontally and vertically. Instead of placing your subject dead center, capture them off to the right or allow some space above their head for more visual interest.  Don&amp;#039;t worry if your photo isn&amp;#039;t perfect. If the lighting is off or the color doesn&amp;#039;t look quite right, you can probably fix it with whatever basic photo-editing program came with your camera or laptop (like Windows Live Photo or iPhoto).  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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