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What is the best digital camera to buy?  Well that of course depends on whether you want a small camera that you can fit in your pocket, or you are looking for a camera that has the very best picture quality, regardless of size or price.  Very often the best photo opportunites occur when you are least expecting them.  So I think a subcompact camera is the way to go, you can just drop it in your pocket from time to time when you are going out, and you are ready to snap a photo if the opportunity arises.

You may also want to buy a larger high quality digital SLR for photos that you plan and times when you don’t mind hauling around a large object.  But the new subcompacts are what this digital technology is all about in my opinion.  Its always been possible to take high quality pictures with a large film camera, but subcompact film cameras had poor picture quality and were difficult to use.  Even the popular Rollei 35 mllimeter subcompact was fairly hefty compared to today’s subcompact digital cameras.  This has really changed photography.  Everyone is taking a camera along when go somewhere now.

The July 2007 issue of Consumer Reports Magazine rated the new subcompact digital cameras and their number one choice was the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N2.  This is a ten megapixel camera that weighs only 6 ounces.  It has a 2.9 inch LCD and picture quality is rated highly by Consumer Reports.  Another thing to consider when buying a subcompact is battery life and shutter lag.    DSC-N2 gets good ratings on these parameters also.  The DSC-N2 costs around $350 and represents the leading edge of the new subcompact digital photography technology.

Only a few years ago it was very difficult for the average investor to day trade stocks.  The commission rates, even at discount brokerages, was a bit high to take advantage of small moves in stocks.  But the bigger obstacle was they way trading was regulated by the SEC.  Capital requirements were very high for making a series of trades in a short period of time.  But regulations were changed, allowing traders to have 4 times their equity as intrady buying power.  “Intraday buying power” was not a phrase you would ever hear in a retail brokerage house until recently.  Online brokerages such as Ameritrade have viewed the changes in regulations as an opportunity to provide another category of trading for their clients and have added many features to support day trading activities.

I look at day trading as a way to control risk when trading volitile issues.  The fact that I can get into a stock and back out before the close means I can sleep at night and know that I won’t wake up the next day to find some unexpected news event has sent the stock spiraling downward. 

Day trading is not a strategy that I plan to use that much, but its nice to have the ability to get into and out of positions quickly.  Long term investing in solid companies does make the most sense for a large part of my portfolio, but for that portion of funds I use for speculative trades, I can now take somewhat larger positions than I would for a short term trade of  several weeks, and just follow the trade very closely for the day.   

Ameritrade is only charging about $10 a trade, but I may look into Zecco.com which is advertising about 40 free trades per month.

Shopping online is quick and easy. I have found that Circuit City’s online store is a very smoothly run operation.  If I order an item on monday it usually arrives at my door from their California warehouse by wednesday or thursday.  And they seem to ship most items without charging a shipping charge.  This varies with their special offers and the price of the merchandise you buy, but they have almost always have had a free shipping offer when I have ordered something.

They also have a program where you can send in your old electronic devices and they will give you a credit to be used towards purchasing new items.  I haven’t yet tried this but it sounds like a nice idea.