Any computer with USB (Windows 98/ME, 2000, XP and Mac O.S Ver 8.5 will support the USB port)(in some cases a floppy disk) port and a software program (normally included with the digital camera) will able to upload images from digital cameras to a computer. The detail information of how to install the software and connect the USB to digital camera is included in the digital camera package.
If USB port is not available on the computer and the camera has no serial port support, it is possible to buy an optional card reader, for example ActionTec's CameraConnect Pro has three slots for CompactFlash, SmartMedia,
and PC Cards, which can be connected to the computer's parallel port (printer port). The card reader is then used to read the card rather than the camera's internal card reader/writer.
Storing, Viewing & Printing Digital Images
Previously, I had pointed out that a digital image would take up huge chunk of memory (1 to 5 or even 10 megabytes of your computer's hard disk), As a result, your hard disk drive will be filled with image data in no time.
In order to solve this problem, an additional external hard disk drive can be added to the computer system. Now, a 40 Gigabyte drive costs only a couple of hundred dollars and can store up to 10,000 - 20,000 images.
Another benefit of using additional hard disk drives for storing images is the fact that the hard drive is always connected to your computer, meaning the images are always available to use.
One disadvantage of using the external hard drive is that it can and does fail, causing some or all of the information on the disk being lost. Because of this reason, we need to back-up the images that are on the drive or store them on a different type of memory media.
For instance,removable storage media like a CD, since it is one of the most economically and reliable methods for the long-term storage. A single CD can store up to 600 Megabytes of information or equivalent to several hundred images.
Oh! I almost forgot, you need a CD burner to burn the images on a blank
CD. I suggest you make duplicates of important CD's in case of uncertainty.
Viewing your images
There are many ways to display your digital images, for example, electronic displaying methods and printed media.
First of all, lets take a look at the electronic displaying methods available.
A) "Photo Album Software" which included with most digital cameras. This software will organise images into albums, which can be viewed on computer screen. The software also automatically name and number the images.
B) Another way of displaying digital images is using Digital Photo Frame. You now can upload the images to the photo frame then you have options like displaying the images as slide show on the display, or one image to be displayed continuously.
C) Online, you can also choose to store images on the website because there are sites offering free space for storing images. The main advantage of storing your images online is that you can share your images with anyone who has access to the Internet.
D) Television. Most modern digital camera allow the user to view images on television screen by connecting the digital camera to TV through an A/V input. The disadvantage of this is that the quality of images on TV screen is lower than on computer screen.
Last but certainly not least, digital images can be printed out using regular printer. Currently, there are some websites out there, providing
services that help you to obtain photographic prints. Anyway, you could achieve photographic prints by using an inkjet printer with special ink.
The Digital Camera Lens
Digital cameras as well as regular cameras have different lens sizes ranging from wide angle to zoom. But digital cameras use equivalent zoom to
denote different lens size. For example, a digital camera with lens size of 35-100 mm would be equivalent to a regular camera with a zoom lens
of 35mm-100mm.
Digital camera with a 35mm lens and a 10x zoom, will have a range of 35-350mm. Also the quality of the lens is something that should be considered when buying a digital camera. Some high-end digital cameras have additional lenses (normally to be purchased separately) to attach to the original lens in order to enhance and extend the capabilities of the standard lens.
The Camera's Viewfinder
Digital cameras and regular cameras both have an optical viewfinder. Viewfinder is the optical "window" you look through to compose the scene.
For digital cameras there are three types of viewfinder: Optical viewfinder (the simplest type); Electronic viewfinder (LCD viewfinder); TTL (Through-The-Lens) optical viewfinder (the best type).
Besides the viewfinder, almost all modern digital cameras allow user to
preview images using the camera's LCD display. But recently most digital cameras only have LCD screen to preview images.
Batteries
Most digital cameras' batteries will last around 2 - 4 hours of continuous usage. These batteries (mostly standard AA sized batteries) included
rechargeable batteries (for example, 'Info Lithium', Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), Nickel Cadmium (NiCAD)), and Lithium batteries (non-rechargeable).
Things to be considered when choosing a digital camera
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Buy the cheapest one that meet your needs since the resale value of digital cameras is very low and digital cameras will be outdated pretty soon.
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Make sure your digital camera is compatible to most computers, for example does it support a USB connection for downloading, and etc.
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Since digital cameras use up batteries fast, be sure that your camera can use external power supply, like AC power converter or battery pack.
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Make sure your digital camera has a photo-editing program.
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Ask friends and associates for their recommendations.
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Uploading images to a computer can be a pain if you have to hook up your camera each time. Get an inexpensive USB memory card reader and leave it attached to your computer. The Dazzle 6-in-1 (US$49) or Belkin 8-in-1 (US$54) will read almost any card made.
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If you are new to digital photography, it is preferrable to choose the one with intuitive and easy to go through camera's menu.
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It is preferrably buy a camera with written documentation not the one on CD-ROM, because you have to print out yourself.
