I want to shoot stills and video clips for the Web, use creative effects when shooting and manipulating images, have professional-level control, output prints that are 8x10 inches or larger on a high-quality photo printer, and use accessories and different lenses.

• Resolution 5 megapixels or greater
• Lens type Supports lens converters or interchangeable lenses or zoom with widest focal range possible
• Storage media High-capacity CompactFlash, Hitachi Microdrive, or Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard
• Photo file format JPEG, TIFF (YCbCr or RGB), RAW
• Interfaces USB 2.0 or FireWire
• Exposure controls Automatic, aperture- and shutter-priority, manual, choice of metering modes, autobracketing
• Focus controls Automatic with selectable focus points, manual
• Flash modes Automatic, fill, slow sync, hot shoe or contact for external flash
• Software Full-featured photo editor, software for PC-controlled capture
• Multimedia Voice annotation
• Cool features to look for Compatibility with existing 35mm-camera lenses and accessories, customisable user modes, dynamic histogram display, image stabilisation