Christmas has always been a season of sensory overloads—happy feelings from all those get-togethers and family reunions, the scents and flavors of festive food and office parties, and the almost unlimited visual treat from just about everywhere you look.

As such, the holidays present an almost endless source of memories—and photo opportunities to capture those moments that you’d want to reminisce over and over again.

Now, take a look at the photos you took last year. Are you happy with the pictures? Or did it take a lot of your “photoshopping” skills to fix those dark and blurred images?

Chances are, it might be time to get a new camera.

If you’ve been disappointed with your first digital camera but is still muddled by all that megapixel talk, here are some quick tips on how to pick the right camera for you.

1. Ask yourself a few questions, such as; What is your budget? Knowing how much you are willing to spend will prevent buying a camera you don’t need, or really want and narrow down your choices.

What do you need the camera for and what type of photography will you be doing?

And finally how important is size and portability to you? No matter how great your camera is, it won’t do you any good if you always leave it at home.

2.Familiarize yourself with some of the terms such as megapixels (the resolution of your camera and how sharp your images can get); ISO (speed of your camera’s light sensitivity at a particular setting); Aperture (this is the duration of the light being cast on the sensor as the shutter opens and closes), etc. Ask some friends for more detailed but simple to understand explanations.

3.DSLR or Point and Shoot? DSLRs have the advantage of being able to swap out lenses, full 1080p HD video on most models, and provide a splendid amount of features, but they can be quite pricey. Point and shoots on the other hand are less expensive and have improved quite a lot. It also has the advantage of fitting in your shirt pocket. Still they have limited capabilities compared to DSLRs.

4.Beware the zoom ploys and the “megapixels myth.” You don’t need to buy the one that has the highest megapixel or farthest zoom capabilities. Contrary to popular belief, more megapixels isn’t always better, it can even be worse if the increase in megapixels isn’t complemented by the size of its sensor. Remember that 6mp is enough for taking snapshots, as you won’t probably print larger than 8x10. The same goes for zoom. Zoom is nice but most of the time you could just walk a few steps closer to get the same effect. Digital zoom also tends to distorts images so don’t be fooled by the high zoom numbers.

5. Ask around and read reviews. Check out the pros and cons of the cameras from reputable review sources and don’t be shy about visiting the camera shops or asking around for some advice.

Be patient and don’t go buying on impulse. Cameras aren’t cheap, and you want to make the most out of that Christmas bonus right?