Digital Cameras & Digital Photography

Tom Bonner asked:


In the early days of digital photography, the only way to transfer images from the camera to a computer was with a cable. The interface was usually USB, but some early digicams used SCSI or Firewire connections as well. As reusable memory cards became popular, card readers appeared, allowing users to quickly move images from the card to their hard drive.

Surprisingly, even today, many digital photographers still transfer their images to their computer via a USB cable. Card readers are inexpensive, faster and more reliable, yet many digital camera users still haven’t acquired one.

1: Card readers offer speedy transfers

Undoubtedly, the biggest advantage to a card reader is speed. Images transfer at a rate several times that of a camera USB connection. Obviously, It is advantageous anytime you can shorten the image acquisition period. As memory cards increase in capacity and cameras offer greater pixel density, however, transfer speed becomes a major issue. My first digital camera only had 8MB of storage memory, and I felt it took a long time to transfer the images to my hard drive by USB cable. Today a single raw image could be twice that size. A card with thirty or forty images of that size would take an eternity to transfer by cable.

2: When reliability is a priority, choose a card reader

While speed is important, reliability is crucial. The problem with connecting a camera to your computer is that the camera has to be on all the time the transfer is being executed. If the battery dies during the transfer, the current transfer will be lost. Even worse, there is a danger that the memory card will be corrupted if the power goes down during a read. It’s true that many newer cameras have longer lasting batteries, but memory cards are also getting larger, so that might not be much help. Some camera manufacturers actually recommend that the camera be powered by an AC cord during the transfer, in order to alleviate any problem of the battery dying during the copy.

There are no power consumption worries with a card reader. Power comes directly from the USB or Firewire connection. Unless there is a major power outage or the computer crashes, the power to the card reader will remain stable.

3: Digital camera connections are plug and pray

Connecting a camera to the computer is fairly simple, but I have experienced many instances where the computer refused to recognize the camera. Rebooting the computer typically fixes the problem, but that is still an annoyance.

In contrast, card readers are generally found immediately by the computer. Plug the reader in, insert the memory card and you can start transferring your files.

4: Card readers allow you to walk away

Once you’ve begun a transfer, you are free to do other things. Eat dinner. Watch TV. Take a walk. Even go to bed for the night. You don’t have to “baby-sit” the file transfer process. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving my digital camera unsupervised in the “on” mode for an extended length of time. Maybe I’m being too conservative, but leaving my camera on overnight just doesn’t seem wise. With a reader, there is no off or on. When your file transfer is completed, everything just waits until you return.

5: You are free to use your camera while your files transfer to the computer

If your camera is tied to your computer, transferring files, you obviously can’t be off shooting. In contrast, you can load a memory card into your reader, start a file transfer and then load a fresh card into the camera and continue making images. The ability to transfer pictures while you are off shooting new ones is yet another major advantage to a reader.

So what are you waiting for?

If you are serious about digital photography, I suggest you ditch that USB cable and get a good card reader. You’ll soon wonder how you ever got along without one!

Ralph Serpe asked:


Digital cameras are available in a variety of different sizes, colors, brands, zooms, resolutions, etc. The features are endless. There are so many features available in today’s cameras that many first time buyers become overwhelmed and have no clue what digital camera to buy.

So what should a beginner digital photographer look for when buying their first digital camera?

In order to answer this question let us pose a few more:

WHAT KIND OF PICTURES WILL YOU BE TAKING?

This is an important first step in deciding what digital camera to buy. If you are planning on becoming a professional photographer and will be taking high quality shots to possibly sell, any old digital camera will not do. You will have to pay careful attention to the types of features you will need like resolution, megapixels, zooming, etc.

If you are a casual photographer and simply want a descent camera to share with friends and family then you may not need a bunch of fancy gadgets and features.

WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?

No matter what your needs and wants are as a photographer your finances will ultimately dictate what type of camera you can afford. Set a budget and stick to it.

WHAT RESOURCES WILL YOU NEED?

Depending on the digital camera that you purchase, you may need additional resources to use it to its full potential. If you plan on doing any photo editing or printing, you will need a computer and a printer that is compatible with your camera and software. The editing software is usually included with your digital camera but other devices like memory cards are usually not.

WHAT RESOLUTION WILL YOU REQUIRE ON YOUR CAMERA?

Before you buy your first digital camera make sure you learn more about its capacity to produce high quality images. This is determined by the number of megapixels the camera has. The more pixels, the higher the resolution. This is important because you want your images to retain their quality when you enlarge them.

HOW MUCH MEMORY WILL YOU NEED?

You will need a memory card for your digital camera in order to store your pictures. When you buy a digital camera, make sure it has a card slot for external and additional memory. This allows you to change full memory cards conveniently while shooting your pictures.

WHAT ABOUT THE LOOK AND FEEL OF YOUR CAMERA?

Buy a camera that you are comfortable holding while taking pictures. So before you actually purchase your digital camera, make certain that you actually pick up and test each camera. Consider where the buttons are located and how they are spaced out and see also if you feel comfortable using the view finder. See how heavy it feels around your neck as well.

WHAT ABOUT THE BATTERY LIFE OF YOUR CAMERA?

Digital cameras use up battery life rather quickly and batteries are not exactly cheap. Make sure you purchase a camera that uses rechargeable batteries, this way you can get multiple usage out of your batteries. Take also into consideration an AC adapter when you buy a digital camera. You can attach this to the camera when you are viewing your pictures or uploading them.

WHAT ABOUT THE LCD SCREEN?

The LCD is a small screen usually located on the back of the camera. You can use the LCD screen instead of looking through the traditional tiny viewer. The LCD screen also enables you to preview pictures that you have already taken. There is a drawback to using an LCD screen however, as it does use up a lot of battery power.

DO YOU NEED ANY SPECIAL FEATURES?

You should consider whether or not you will need any special features on your camera. This all depends on what type of pictures you plan on taking. If you want your camera to have good zooming capabilities, you can opt for those with optical zoom lenses. Other features such as remote control, tripods, etc. can also be considered when you buy a digital camera. Be careful though. The more features you have on a digital camera, the more difficult it will be to figure out and use.

With this information I do hope you will be able to figure out what you need before you buy your digital camera. I feel the most important thing is to be patient. Take your time shopping and researching. Learn everything there is to know about the features of digital cameras and what you really need.

Once you narrow down your choices to a few different models, look for the best possible price. There are many different camera sellers online and off. But don’t buy a digital camera from just anyone. Make sure the seller has a good customer service history as well as good prices. Best of luck in figuring out what digital camera to buy!