Mega Pixels are NOT the most important thing in a digital camera. If you plan on making only 4x6 photos you only need 1 megapixel to get a good print. Sometimes you won't even need a full mega pixel, I have a camera that is only 0.85 megapixels and produces great quality pictures. If you plan on using your camera for email and internet use you should not set your camera at more than 2 mega pixels or it will take to long for people to download.  5x7 photos need 1.5 mega pixels, 8x10's need at least 2.5 mega pixels. There are more important things than mega pixels in a digital camera. Here is a list:

IMAGE SENSOR
There are currently (2) two image sensor chips CCD (charge-coupled device) and CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconducter). CCD chips are more sensative than CMOS. They also produce sharper images. However CMOS chips use less battery power and can capture sparkling objects better than CCD. CMOS chips are also cheaper which results in a cheaper camera.

OPTICAL OR DIGITAL ZOOM
Optical zoom is a true zoom. It is the same zoom in film cameras, the zoom lens brings itself closer to the object. Digital zoom is not really zoom. It is just cropping an image and enlarging whats left. When you use digital zoom the image is set to a lower picture quality and it usually gets grainy. You can crop and enlarge in any basic photo software. Basically optical zoom is good and digital zoom is a waste of time.

LCD VIEWFINDER
Most digital cameras have a built in LCD screen that works like a viewfinder. When you use an LCD screen you get the exact image. When using the optical viewfinder (the viewfinder on a film camera) you sometimes will get a parallax error. This is when you see one thing but the lens sees a different thing. This is because the viewfinder is an inch or two above the lens. When getting a a camera with an LCD screen make sure that in the description it says that the screen is an active matrix display. If the description says it is a passive screen, STAY AWAY. Passive screens will washout in the sun and you won't be able to see anything through it. Also make sure that you can adjust the brightness on the screen.

MEMORY CARD
There are many different kinds of memory cards. These include: Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick (MS),
Smartmedia  (SM), Compact flash (CF) xD picture card (xD), and some older models use floppy disks.
The most popular and fastest is SD. I like Smartmedia cards because they are extremly thin and very light.
Compact Flash cards and big, bulky, and slow. Your best bet is either Secure Digital, Smartmedia, or xD.

BATTERIES
It is best to get a camera that uses standerd AA or AAA batteries. Make sure that you buy rechargeable batteries for your camera because most will drain a set of batteries in an hour with the LCD screen on. The best rechargeable batteries are NiMh. They are the most powerful and longlasting batteries. Some cameras won't even turn on unless using NiMh batteries.

A good camera should have: optical zoom at least 3x, and a LCD veiw finder. Rechargeable batteries aren't a major thing but just make sure that the camera uses standerd batteries.