By: Ashley Cerasaro
Weekender Correspondent

I’m a traditional girl. I like to cook, clean and develop my pictures the old-fashioned way: in a darkroom. When digital photography became popular, I swore that I wouldn’t succumb. I used every excuse at my disposal: I thought they were too expensive, I had just bought a brand new SLR and at the time, there was no evidence that digital prints would even last 100 years from now.

Two years later, I was browsing Wal-Mart’s digital camera section eager to bring home a new toy. I fought the good fight, but my field of work and impatience justified the purchase.

I bought the Sony Cyber-shot 6.0.

What I was surprised to find was how quickly the technology is advancing. My boyfriend bought the same model - minus two mega pixels - just last May, and paid $200 more. So if you’ve been holding out like me, the time to cave is now. High quality brands are on sale everywhere at super low prices.

Take the Nikon Coolpix L3 for example. This 5.1 mega pixel digital camera captures high-resolution images up to 2592 x 1944 pixels. Other key features include a built-in auto flash with automatic red-eye reduction, a 23MB internal memory and a 3x optical zoom.

My six-mega pixel digital camera captures high-resolution images with its 3x optical zoom and Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens. Other features include: a 32 MB internal memory, a Memory Stick PRO Duo and Memory Stick Duo media slot and special photo effects that include black-and-white and sepia for creative images.

Both models can be found at Best Buy and Wal-Mart for under $200. For more information, visit the Best Buy or Wal-Mart nearest you or check them out on the web at www.bestbuy.com.