the nikon coolpix series takes some pretty nice pics. i personally have a canon powershot s30 and have been amazed at the quality of pictures that i am getting. the only thing that takes some tinkering with is making up close skin shots look really good. i like that with my 128mb card i can also record about 4 minutes of video (has a nice microphone too).

whatever camera you get, i would also recommend getting the hp photosmart 100. this is a 4X6 photo printer, but is by far the best $175 i have spent. you will be amazed that you can make pics look that good at home.

I agree with BoneBlaster. The Nikkon Coolpix 995 is a great camera with 3.3 megapixels. I've used one, but don't own one (yet). It does a good job with x-rays and anything else you want to doccument, however, I've heard that some people have had difficulty while trying to interface with their computer. You won't go wrong with this camera, but there are newer cameras that are 5 megapixels. Choosing a camera is tough with the rate technology is advancing. Best of luck in your decision making.

Podling

A great website for digital camera reviews is www.dpreview.com. This guy named Phil Askey breaks down cameras with 20 pg reviews! You can also do side-by-side comparisons of features from cameras you are considering. I think Nikon has a reputation for the best macro (close-up) photography as well as good white balancing. Sony probably has the best optics with their association with Carl Zeiss. There are plenty of other great brands as well. 3.3 megapixels is sufficient unless you want to crop small parts of pictures and blow them up. 5 and soon to come 6 megapixel cameras are nice for huge glossies and "digital zooming", but you pay for it ($$$!). The older Coolpixes by Nikon are good for the OR because the lens swivels independently of the LCD screen so that you can take pictures directly over the surgical field with less risk of contamination or without having to step up on a stool. The Coolpix 5000 does not have this feature. The Sony DSC-707 has 5 megapixels and some swivel capabilities as well. Check out the website and go wild (as you can tell I have).

for what purpose does one need a digital camera? i havent seen residents go in and take pics really

11,
It's in the first post: pics for teaching files to be used later on for lectures, grand rounds, conferences, etc. Or just to have some gruesome stuff to gross out your friends.