Q: I am a realtor. I need a digital camera with a wide-angle lens to take interior and exterior shots of the homes I have for sale. I don't know exactly what size lens is ideal for this purpose. Can you tell me? Of course, I would like the camera to be as inexpensive as possible. I don't need too many megapixels since the photos will most likely be displayed on the Web or printed no larger than 8x10.--Cathy Britvich, e-mail

A: There aren't that many wide-angle choices in digital cameras; the widest fixed-lens model is 24mm (35mm equivalent), though most are 28mm. The latter should suffice for you since wider lenses can introduce some distortion, and you'll be shooting lots of parallel surfaces. Many models take lens adapters that can use wide-angle add-on lenses, but I tend to find these systems a bit unwieldy. If your budget were larger, I'd recommend a digital SLR--you can buy ultra-wide-angle lenses for those, albeit expensive ones.
Lori Grunin, senior editor