I have never personally owned a camera in my entire life lol. I guess my approach has always been just to remember places I've been and things I've seen rather than going around snapping pictures of everything.

But now I want to buy one. Problem is, I don't really understand what to look for. I know I want a digital one, and I know it has to be portable (the kind most people carry around these days), not one of those professional types with big lenses sticking out. But beyond that, I don't know how to evaluate the specs at all, except that more megapixels means better, generally.

So, any advice? Any specific recommendations? I guess my budget is around $150-200ish but I guess I could go up to 250 if there's a good reason for it.

Thanks.