Mike, first of all, if you are going to e-mail your photos, you can get along with less maximum resolution than 3 mb. Even 2 mb will be on the high side, especially if you send a jpeg compressed file at full resolution.
Here's what I would suggest: If you want the 3 mb capability, which will make great prints as well, then make sure the camera is adjusted for a lower resolution for your email photos, or else create a copy on your computer in jpeg at the desired resolution. Also be sure to get a camera with a good optical zoom lens so that you can make your object being photographed as large as possible in the frame.
If the camera uses CF, you can easily download the image using a CF card reader, preferably connected to a USB port. After I download my images into the computer, I improve them, using Adobe PhotoShop. To make a high resolution photo for email, first I crop the image, if needed, and then adjust the size to no more than will fit on the average screen of those who are going to receive it. Typically about a 4" x 6" size, and save it in jpeg at medium to high resolution. You'll get a file size of perhaps 300,000 pixels, which is fine on a screen, and which will take only a few seconds to email, using a 56K modem. As long as the photo size remains fairly small, you can have quite a lot of resolution without requiring too much time to send the photo. The result will look great on the screen, and it will also make an acceptable print.
Note that adjusting the image with Adobe PhotoShop before you send it allows you to improve the contrast, brightness, color balance, and even the sharpness. The improved image will be much better than the raw image from the camera.
I have used this method successfully in sending photos email for publication by newspapers.
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