Choosing the Right Camera

Just like most other technological devices there are lots and lots of different types of cameras to choose from. You have to consider both the technology aspects and your personal preferences to determine the best camera to fit your needs. I will discuss both these aspects.

There are basically three types of cameras to choose from: point and shoot, transitional, and DSLR. They go from lightest to heaviest, smallest to largest, simplest to most complex, least breakable to most breakable, least quality photos to best quality photos and finally least expensive to most expensive.

Point and Shoot Cameras

The advantages of a point and shoot are:

Inexpensive
Very small and very light
Most durable and least likely to break
Convenient. They fit just about anywhere - a pocket, handlebar bag, side pocket of a backpack, etc. and consequently the are there when you spot a good photo. It's sometimes such a hassle to drag out a bigger camera and take a photo that I decide it's simply not worth the effort to take the picture. I know this from experience.

The disadvantages of a point and shoot are:

Picture quality
Limited zoom lens length (don't count on a digital zoom, the quality on them is pretty bad).
What you see is sometimes not quite what you get. Because the lens for the LCD screen and the one for the actual picture are not lined up you may center a person's head in the LCD screen, but when you take the picture an ear may be cut off.
Speed - point and shoot digital cameras were always notorious for their slowness, particularly their ’shutter lag’ (the time between pressing the shutter and when the image is taken). This is constantly being improved but the instantaneous feel of many DSLRs is still not there with point and shoots when it comes to shutter lag, start up and even focusing time.

DSLR (digital single lens reflux cameras)

The advantages of a DSLR are:

Picture quality
Speed - DSLR’s are generally pretty fast when it comes to things like start up, focussing and shutter lag.
What you see is what you get. Because the lens for the LCD screen and the one for the actual picture are one and the same, the photo you take will be exactly what you see in the LCD or viewfinder.
Manual Controls - while many point and shoots come with the ability to shoot in manual mode, a DSLR is designed in such a way that it is assumed that the photographer using it will want to control their own settings. While they do come with good auto modes the manual controls are generally built in in such a way that they are at the photographers finger tips as they are shooting.
Depth of Field - this is an extension of it’s manual controls and ability to use a variety of lenses but a DSLR can give you depth of field that puts everything from forground to background in focus through to nice blurry backgrounds.
DSLRs offer a wide array of ISO settings which lends itself to their flexibility in shooting in different conditions.
They will have the widest variety of zoom lenses, you can go as wide or as telephoto as practical
They will offer the widest variety of options such as f stops, shutter speed, programmability, flash settings, etc. I don't even use half the settings on my point and shoot camera, if I had a DSLR I wouldn't even use an eighth of them.

The disadvantages of a DSLR are:

Expensive
Bulky. They will take up a significant amount of space plus the fact that it will be a hassle getting it out for a photo and then putting it back.
Due mostly to all the moving parts, these cameras would be the most fragile
Weight

Transitional Cameras

Transitional Cameras: Transitional cameras (a name that I made up) are halfway between point and shoot cameras and DSLR cameras. They are a good compromise if you need excellent picture quality, it is what I brought with me on my Alaska to Argentina trip and so far I am very happy with it.

Other things to consider:

Generally speaking the smaller cameras are powered with AA or AAA batteries which is very convenient as you can either buy batteries on the road or bring along rechargeable batteries and charger. Most other cameras come with a lithium ion battery which are great since they last much longer but you have to bring an external charger specific to that camera. Lose this recharger and you are in trouble! Either way I would strongly suggest bringing along an extra set of batteries, there're few things worse than having a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity and finding out your battery went dead.
Generally speaking pictures in a smaller cameras are downloaded to your PC by a generic USB cable. Lose this cable and you can pick up another one fairly easily. Most other cameras come with a USB cord specific to that camera. Lose it and you are in trouble. Card adapters are another option. You can sometimes buy an adapter that you slide your camera's memory card into and then slide the adapter into a memory card or USB slot. Some cameras now are equipped with a SD memory card which you can insert directly into your computer if you have that slot. Always take into consideration as to how you download the pictures to your computer. There are usually several ways to accomplish this so you can choose the easiest way for you.
I've always liked to have a viewfinder for two reasons: first I can turn off the LCD screen to save significant battery life and second I can never see the screen if it's real sunny out, especially if the screen is not lit very well. One exception I've found is the really small cameras. They are so small I can't even use the viewfinder.
Picture quality is also determined by the lens quality, get a camera with a Carl Zeiss lens or one comparable to it.

For Your Information: I have owned two digital cameras during my lifetime and I still use both of them. The first one is a Sony Cyber-shot 3.2 Megapixel point and shoot camera. I don't even know how long I've owned it, how many countries its been in, or how many bicycle trips I've taken it on. I'd conservatively guess it's 10 years old, it's been in my panniers well over 30,000 miles, and taken over 20,000 pictures and it still works like new. My second camera is a transitional Sony DSC-H7 8.1 MegaPixels. I specifically bought it for the 2 1/2 year Alaska to Argentina trip. We're in Honduras and I have absolutely no complaints about it. I'm partial to Sony since they served me so well. Here is a quote from a bicycle forum member on their camera:

"I've taken my Sony A-100 DSLR with 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 lens (2.3 lbs) on three cycling tours. I carry it in an Ortlieb pannier inside a ziplock bag. I also use it in light drizzle/rain occasionally. It's had no issues in two years & 40,000 clicks including about 1500 miles in a pannier."

Point-and-Shoot Cameras: Don't be fooled by those tiny 7.1 Megapixel point-and-shoot cameras. Just because they boast the same number of pixels as some of their larger counterparts doesn't put them at par with them when it comes to picture quality. In fact, you can have too many pixels in a small camera. The photo receptor in a point and shoot is quite small and there is a limit to how many pixels you can crowd on without losing quality. This is one reason why a DSLR or transitional camera with its bigger receptor can take better pictures.

That being said, I love the small cameras and they offer tremendous advantages over the larger ones. If you don't need great photos I'd suggest getting one of these. If you want crystal clear, sharp, and colorful images that will be blown up into 8x11's or larger, this is NOT the camera for you. I used an old 3.1 Megapixel point and click for a year long bicycle trip across Mexico and the USA and I loved it. I printed out 5x7's and was very happy with the quality.