1. How many memory cards do I need?

Memory cards are the digital equivalent of film. The rule is - the more the merrier. Unless you are the sort who shoots one roll of film each trip, you should bring at least two cards in case one dies on you.

And don't skimp on the megabytes. At just over $200 for a 512MB Compactflash card, they are more affordable than ever.

2. How many megapixels do I need?

Face the facts, one to three megapixels digicams are obsolete. And no matter what manufacturers say, I do not recommend low resolution cameras for vacations.

Not only are they unable to capture the fine details in autumn leaves and buildings, printed 4R images can look a little fuzzy even to the untrained eye. However, the current high-end eight megapixel cameras may be overkill.

3. How many accessories do I need?

Just one - a small tripod. Sure, you can get wide-angle accessories, flash strobes, remote controls or even photo filters, but nothing helps more than your three-legged buddy.

It helps you to take better self-portraits than any stranger and allows you to shoot night scenes without muddying the street lights with shaky hands.

4. How do I deal with too many photos?

Get a portable hard-disk that has a slot for your digicam's memory card.

For a few hundred dollars, they have gigabytes of memory and can be a valuable backup tool. If you can figure out how to transfer the files, your portable hard-disk based MP3 player can do the same job too.

5. How do I make sure I come back with the most beautiful photos?

Don't scream at me, but until technology improves further, you might be better off shooting film if you really want the best results.

Experienced photolab operators like Mr Tay Eng Hock from Adelphi's Colour Lab agrees with me that it is still difficult for digicams to reproduce the sheer depth of colours, skin tones and contrast of film.

Photo: Ian Tan