The days of the film camera are over. We are now firmly, fantastically, in the day of the digital.

"You can't buy a film camera any more, apart from disposables," says New Plymouth camera shop owner Roger French.

It's OK, purists: rolls of film are still available and there are about 900 second-hand film cameras for sale on www.trademe.co.nz. There are also more than 1200 digital cameras listed.

Unlocking the lingo

Megapixel: A megapixel (MP): 1 million pixels, which is derived from the words picture (pix) and element. In terms of digital cameras, it expresses the number of image sensor elements - 10 is about standard. In general, the higher the MP number, the better the quality of the photo.

ISO: The letters ISO on a digital camera's settings refer to the "film speed". While there is no film, the ISO setting has the same function it did on older film cameras: it determines how sensitive the image sensor is to light. The letters stand for International Organisation for Standardisation.

Source: Taranaki Daily News