Digital Cameras

Digital cameras are very convenient, allowing you to view what you shoot immediately. In some occupations, such as Real Estate, they are indispensable.

With digital cameras you are able to instantly view your images. When you transfer them over to your computer you can lighten or darken them and crop them to get the image you really want. Look for a camera that transfers images through a USB port or through a card reader, both are very quick.

These cameras do not require film because they have a small memory chip used to store images. The Sony Mavica cameras store images on a floppy disk or a CD. Once captured, images can be stored on your hard drive, printed to a CD, or if you have an AOL account, you can upload to the “You’ve Got Pictures” account. AOL’s picture service is free and unlimited.

All digital cameras have an automatic mode, allowing you to point and click. They also come with either a digital zoom and/or an optical zoom. The digital zoom has no moving parts and you lose quality as you zoom in. The optical zoom is similar to a regular camera, retaining quality as you focus on your image.

When choosing a digital camera look at the resolution (dots per inch) it shoots. If a camera shoots at 640 x 480, it is medium quality and good for 4 x 6 prints. A camera that has a resolution of 2048 x 1536 will print good quality images up to 8 x 10.

The batteries on a digital camera can go fast. To conserve their life, use the viewfinder instead of the LCD (liquid crystal display). You may also want to purchase a second battery to serve as a backup.

If you would like more information on working with a digital camera, you can go online to: www.shortcourses.com/guides/guides.htm.