Buy a magazine like "What Vidio Camera" or similer and read from cover to cover. I recently took the notion to buy a still digital camera and totaly absorbed two magazines, read all the adds. and checked out most of the web sites in the adds. and realised how much "blinding by science" and misleading information there was. I have been taking pictures for more than thirty years and know a wee bit about cameras but a newcomer going in to some high-street shops should prepair themselves realy well or they will get muged. Try and find an older styled (real) camera shop, somewhere you can go back to and get information and good advice. By the by I eventuly bought a second hand mint Olympus C2500L For £275 a bargan or what? Decide, what you want, what you can afford, what you are going to do with your vidio and go to a reliable specialist shop. cheers