Saturday, September 29, 2007

What Are The Best Batteries For A Digital Camera?

Battery consumption on a digital camera is worse than on the older film cameras, due to their onboard electronics. The thing to remember is the word battery does not mean only one cell, as some digital cameras require approximately four AA cells. And those four batteries can drain in about an hour or less of shooting. All of this adds up to the fact that batteries will always be a number one concern for any photographer to keep the camera running - cheaply, effectively, high capacity, rechargeable, and environmentally friendly.

Two very safe types for the environment are the NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) and the Ki-Ion (Lithium Ion) batteries which are less expensive to use than the traditional alkaline battery. These are an alternative to the 15 million alkaline batteries which are thrown away after a single usage. But regardless of which battery we are using, we cannot predict how long our digital camera will run by simply knowing the capacity rating of its battery. One example is the AA alkaline batteries which have a rating of over 2,500 mAh with the NiMH batteries only having a rating capacity of 1,200 to 1,900 mAh.

These numbers are what cause many photographers to falsely believe that the alkaline batteries have more power than the environmentally safe NiMH batteries. But for a fact, the NiMH batteries or the Li-Ion batteries will run the camera three to four times as long as alkaline batteries can deliver their full capacity only if the device is used slowly.

A NiMH battery with a rated capacity of 1,800 mAh will take more photographs than an alkaline battery does at the 2,800 mAh capacity. The digital cameras place a high-power drain on all batteries, which makes the rechargeable NiMH or NiCd (Nickel cadium) batteries better. The lithium batteries will also work, but are much more expensive and usually cannot be charged. The Duracell Ultra and Energizer Advanced Formula batteries also can last longer in the digital camera - but only 30% longer - which means a jump from 15 to 25 images on up to 20 to 40 images.

Many photographers place alkaline batteries in a freezer, thinking this will recharge them or keep them from running down. The fact is, alkaline batteries lose power at less than two per cent a year, so refrigerating or freezing them will not make much difference. But if they are stored in higher temperature surroundings, they lose their capacity a lot more - such as 5% a year at 85 degrees, or 25% at 100 degrees - which would require the refrigeration due to the outside heat.

The NiMH or NiCd batteries do lose power every day at 70 degree or higher weather, so refrigerating them will slow this down, while freezing them will keep its power at 90% capacity.

Another important step is the charging of the rechargeable batteries. A basic statement in a technical sense, states that "a battery that is always slow-charged will last longer than one that is rapid-charged".

Many rumors have said to quick charge a battery such as NiMh will reduce its life, but if the battery charger has been purchased that is specifically designed to rapid charge the NiMH cells there will not be a problem; the reduction of its power is more often to occur with an "overnight" charger which relies on unplugging them after a certain number of hours. What happens if they are forgotten and they charge more than they should - the life of the batteries will be reduced is what happens.


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Digital Camera Basics - Want To Stop Being An Idiot And Learn How Digital Cameras Work?

With the advancement of the digital camera and the software that is made for them, most pictures look professional from the first click of the camera. But like most things, it is important to understand the "how and why" for higher quality results.

The basics of a digital camera revolve around terms like pixel, pixel count, white balance, sensor, sensitivity, optical zoom, or digital zoom. These improve your understanding of what digital photography is all about, and will help you become a more efficient photographer.

For example, one important term is digital sensor. A typical digital camera may have a digital sensor element that is as big as a small finger nail. Most 5MP digital cameras use a sensor that is 7mm x 5mm in size. This is much smaller than the size of the negative of a 35 mm camera. However, high-end digital cameras have large sensors, and generate superior images. These are important things to know, to see how pictures can be better or worse.

Digital cameras also have sensitivity settings similar to ISO ratings on film. Most digital cameras will have settings for sensitivity equivalent to ISO 100 and ISO 200. Many also have a setting for ISO 400. A few expensive digital SLR cameras with large sensors have settings for ISO 3200 or even for ISO 6400.

Most digital cameras have an optical and a digital zoom. An optical zoom lens works by changing the focal length and magnification while the zoom is being utilized - with the image quality remaining high. Digital zoom works by cropping the image to a smaller size. The cropped image is enlarged to fill the frame, causing a significant loss of quality.

The manufacturers of digital cameras use the term "pixel count" to describe their camera's image properties. The word pixel originates from "(PIC)ture (EL)ement"- with the use of phonics added for emphasis. It represents a single point in a graphic image - not a dot but an abstract sample that can be reproduced in any size, without a dot or square appearance.

A pixel is important to understand because it is the basic unit of measurement, used to define a digital photograph. The more the number of pixels per square inch, the higher the resolution of a digital picture, increasing its clarity. Some examples would be 2,400 pixels per inch, 640 pixels per line, or spaced 10 pixels apart. Designers, artists, and photographers sometimes interchange the pixel terminology, such as dots per inch (dpi) with pixels per inch (ppi). The dpi is used when it refers to the printer's resolution for the printing density. Each pixel is made up of three color channels - red, green and blue -- and has a numerical value of between 0 and 255.

The pixel count also decides the size of a print in case you want to print photographs. A 3MP camera can provide excellent 4x6 inch prints, while a 4 or 5MP digital camera can deliver high quality 8x10 inch prints. With a digital camera you can pick the white balance to suit the light source. This is meant to ensure that white looks white, and not yellow or blue. Normally, your digital camera will do this automatically. You can also set the white balance yourself for better effects.

Since each pixel generates three bytes of data, a photographer using a 3MP camera will need a storage space of 9 million bytes or 9MB to store a single image. This is a huge amount of space. Camera companies therefore allow for a compression of image using a format called JPEG. This reduces the file size significantly but while doing so a lot of data is lost. To overcome this problem companies have come up with different storage formats. Canon calls it RAW while Nikon calls it NEF. The data loss is less in these formats.

The low end cameras used by beginners can shoot images whose pixel count is one million is categorized as 1 MP or one million pixel camera because the intensity of each pixel is variable, with each pixel having three or four dimensions of variability - such as red, green and blue, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The high-end cameras used by professionals, can range from 14MP to 22MP with a pixel count as high as 14 million or 22 million per image.

The thing to remember is the higher the resolution, the more realistic the image is, matching closest what the actual image is. So take your time, do some research, and talk to people who know cameras. Otherwise, a lot of money will be spent on something that is barely adequate for what you want.



http://www.articlecircle.com/technology/electronics/digital-camera-basics-want-to-stop-being-an-idiot-and-learn-how-digital-cameras-work.html

Digital Camera Accessories Cover the Bases

With many professional portrait studios opting for them as the shooting weapon of choice and more and more homes going completely electronic, there`s no denying that digital cameras are here to stay. As technology continues to advance and pictures taken on them prove incredible, the amount of digital camera accessories to make shots even better is really on the rise. Where only a few extras used to be available, digital camera fans are finding a whole host of choices these day.

There are two major categories of digital camera accessories on the market the must haves and the would love to haves. Let`s look at both.

Must Haves

. Extra memory. With digital cameras offering such ease in shooting, those who want to take high-quality pictures find themselves tearing through memory cards rather quickly. These digital camera accessories are generally pretty affordable and are more than easy to carry. Typically the size of postage stamp or just slightly larger, extra memory cards can be used by anyone from the professional shooter to the amateur on vacation.

. Spare batteries. It might be hard to consider these as an accessory, but the fact is many who own these cameras do. While most digital camera batteries can last a long time, when they run out in the middle of a vacation or a particularly fun shoot, it can be really irritating. Having a spare set can really come in handy. It`s best to consider rechargeable spares to save on replacement costs down the road.

. Weatherproof camera bag. When it comes to digital camera accessories, this one is a must have for anyone that intends to take their camera outside, ever. Providing protection from bad weather and drops alike, these accessories aren`t very expensive either and they can help store those extra batteries and memory cards, too.

Love To Haves

. Lighting mechanisms. This particular class of digital camera accessory might almost fit into the must have list. While most digital cameras take very good pictures, there onboard flashes tend to leave a lot to be desired. There are all kind of lighting mechanisms that are available that can remedy this. Some are designed to work with specific cameras and others are standalones that can assist in any photography setting. These are great for anyone who wants to take spectacular shots to consider.

. Tripods. When it comes to digital camera accessories, this is one any serious shooter might want to consider. These help take away the shake that`s involved in some settings and can really help create spectacular images.

. Extra lenses. Not all cameras will accept these digital camera accessories, but those that do can really benefit from them. Providing a way to really turn a digital into an all-purpose camera, these add ons should be considered by those who can use them.

When it comes to digital camera accessories, the options are becoming amazing. The above is just a small list of those available. While not everyone will need many digital camera accessories to take the pictures they want, it`s nice to know options are out there


http://www.articlecircle.com/technology/electronics/digital-camera-accessories-cover-the-bases.html

Digital Photography Secrets For Black And White Shots

One of the biggest benefits of digital photography over regular film picture taking is the fact these little devices actually give a photographer instant access to many different special effects. One of the most spectacular of these effects is the ability digital photography gives to switch instantly from color to black and white exposures. Rather than having to change out film types or drain color from a shot on a computer screen, digital photography does this on the spot.

The truth is black and white photography tends to be under-rated. When it`s used to create an impact with a shot, the resulting image can be amazing. Landscapes, portraits and even still life type shots can all benefit from an occasional switch over to black and white. Learning how to take full advantage of this digital photography technique, however, will take a little time.

This type of digital photography can be a little tricky to master, but since the cameras generally come equipped with monitors to instantly see results, the risk factor of walking away with a bad shot is minimized. Since pictures can be reviewed on the spot, anyone trying this digital photography technique will find they can see their pictures and make adjustments instantly if the shot isn`t quite what they`d hoped for.

To make the most of black and white pictures taken on a digital camera, there are several tips beginners can try. These tips do translate to regular film photography, as well.

See the shot
This is a very important technique for black and white digital photography and even color. It`s important to really pay attention to what the camera sees and shows before snapping the shot. In black and white digital photography, the monitor will likely switch over to black and white mode, which makes this even easier. Practice paying attention to the images as they are presented and make sure the image presented is the one you want before you shoot. If you learn to rely on the monitor or the view finder, you`ll know when more light is needed, when subjects need to be moved or even when it`s best if you move yourself.

Contrast is everything
Since black and white digital photography doesn`t rely on color to tell the story, the contrast of shades will need to be relied upon. This is one of the most important black and white shooting tips to learn. It is important to make sure subjects stand out even more so in black and white than in color. While a dark blue shirt might look awesome against a dark green setting in color, it will likely get lost in the shuffle in black and white.

Play with lighting
While that dark shirt and dark background can present problems in contrast, lighting can help fix the issue. The best way to master lighting for this type of digital photography is to play around and be willing to experiment to see what works and what doesn`t. Try using the black and white settings in all kinds of situations to really master what needs to be done under different circumstances to effectively light up a shot.


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Basic Digital Camera Review

There are so many models of digital cameras available in today’s market, that it becomes a rather difficult task to pick the best buy among so many options. Perhaps a few steps should be taken into consideration when choosing the right camera. Will the camera be for daily use, or just for special occasions like birthdays, family reunions, etc. Will the price of the camera make much difference on the pocket?

Assuming that price is not an issue, one should choose a well known major brand camera and if possible, go for the latest model and with the highest number of mega pixels available. The higher the mega pixels, the better the picture will be specially if there is an intention of having photo enlargements quite often. A good quality optical zoom lens will also make a big difference. Choose a camera which comes with a battery that holds a good charge, this way you can enjoy lots of picture taking without having to be worried when the battery charge will come down.

The range of features available make a digital camera very cost effective and more than likely you will be able to find the right camera suited to satisfy your needs.

If you enjoy printing enlargements of your photographs, you may want to pay close attention to the printing size and what is required in mega pixels for you to have good quality results. For you to have an idea of the amount of mega pixels required for most commonly used size of prints, refer to the chart below:

For photos 2x6 inches - 2 mega pixels
For photos 5x7 inches - 3 mega pixels
For photos 8x10 inches -7 mega pixels
For photos 11x14 inches - 14 mega pixels
For photos 16x28 inches - 28 mega pixels
For photos 20x30 inches - 54 megapixels

The handling and design also matters and the lightweight ones are much nicer to carry around. Choose a camera that is user-friendly and make sure that you have a good local technical assistance in case you may run into problems with it.

There are several advantages of having a digital camera instead of the old traditional film camera. First of all, there are no films to be purchased ever. You make take dozens, perhaps hundreds of photos and instantly delete the ones you don’t like, or that did not came well into focus and just keep the best ones. You may load them into your computer album, record them and you may view your favorite photos from you camera or from your television set. Some digital cameras also come with a recording device that allows you to record special events and replay them immediately after recording

Digital cameras take pictures that are stored in digital media. It is possible to select, save or delete photos without any cost whatsoever. The photos are usually stored in media cards into the hundreds, meaning that you can take as many pictures as you like before you run out of space. Also in most digital cameras, the user can view the pictures on the LCD screen, which will allow him to pick the best ones.

No wonder that digital cameras became so popular and accessible item to almost everyone. It became a must to have one nowadays and even cell phone cameras are getting better everyday with noticeable improvements in quality of picture taken. The earlier models of cell phone cameras were somewhat limited as far as picture quality is concerned comparing to the ones we find on today’s market. The mega pixels are increasing constantly and so the quality of the cameras. If a person needs to carry both at the same time, maybe a cell phone with a digital camera built in will be an interesting option to consider

If you have not bought yet a digital camera, maybe this the right time to do so, considering the manufactures are offering so many new models with new features at bargain prices. It is wise to compare the several models among different manufacturers and also the prices from traditional and online stores. Make sure you do your research right, and most likely you will find the digital camera you are looking for.




http://www.articlecircle.com/technology/electronics/basic-digital-camera-review.html

Some Digital Camera Vocabulary Explained

When purchasing a digital camera there is a dazzling array of information about the device available. The digital camera box will have bullet pointed lists of features, and many of those consist of numbers and abbreviations that may be misunderstood. High numbers always seem very impressive, but without knowing what they mean, you may end up purchasing a digital camera that does not match your requirements. Some of the most common abbreviations and the impact they have upon your gadget experience are summarized below.

Many digital camera manufacturers base their advertising campaign and packaging on the number of pixels the camera uses to create its image. Pixels are the elements that make up the digital image. Each pixel is of a single colour, and these join like a mosaic to create the image taken by the device. Pixels are indistinguishable unless the picture is enlarged as they are the smallest element of the digital image. When enlarged they can be seen with the naked eye. PPI stands for pixels per inch, and details the level of detail in the picture. The higher the number: the more intricate the detail.

The number of pixels is displayed in terms of mega pixels (MP), and they are measured by multiplying the number of pixels in the vertical line of the image by the number in the horizontal line. Mega pixels total 1 million pixels, and the number advertised is the maximum number used by the digital camera. Mega pixels affect the size of the photograph rather than the quality, though of course if you want bigger images then a high number of mega pixels are a necessity. A digital camera with 1 MP would produce a quality 5x7 inch digital image. For a quality 8x10 image, a 2MP digital camera would be required, and a 3MP device would be the minimum requirement for images of 11x14 dimensions. There are many other factors that influence the quality of an image, and so mid range mega pixel size should be perfect for the general user.

Another common abbreviation to be found on packaging is JPEG. This stands for the Joint Photographic Experts Group, which was created in 1986 with the aim of setting a universal standard for the compression of digital camera images. They oversee both the file requirements and the compression process for all JPEG digital cameras. The JPEG process compresses images into streams of bytes which are then decompressed back into the image that was taken. A minimal amount of quality is lost in this process, but it remains the most popular file for storage of digital camera images. This is because JPEG images can be full colour or grey scale, and are internet compatible which means that images can be sent via email to friends and family. The JPEG file is photographic specific and so ensures good quality.

MPEG may be seen on your digital camera and this stands for the Moving Pictures Expert Group which oversees video and audio encoding standards. They are responsible for the compression and decompression of video and audio including that of TV broadcast and digital TV networks. If you see MPEG on a digital camera, it means that it can take video clips as well as images.

LCD is the abbreviation for Liquid Crystal Display and refers to the display screen of your device. The LCD will be full colour and will enable you to preview your picture. You can then use the LCD to review the image on your digital camera. The LCD is also where you navigate your device and all its features and settings through the menu button. The LCD panel shows all the relevant information for your digital camera whilst in use, such as battery life, and the number of exposures remaining.

.http://www.articlecircle.com/technology/electronics/some-digital-camera-vocabulary-explained.html

Friday, September 28, 2007

Top Ten Buying Tips

* Select a digital camera with a maximum resolution that meets your largest output you're likely to want. If you want to make 8-by-10 prints, we recommend a 4-megapixel model, though a 3MP camera will do the job. A good 8-megapixel camera can take you all the way up to 16-by-20 prints. If all you want is to take pictures for e-mail or the Web, even 2MP camera will suffice. And remember, megapixels correspond only to image size, not quality.
* Make sure the camera has the right features for your needs, such as video recording, an optical zoom lens—perhaps even manual controls and a histogram. If you wear eyeglasses but like to take pictures without them, make sure that your camera has a focusable diopter, which lets you adjust the focus of the viewfinder so you can see your subject clearly.
* Choose a model with a bright LCD so you can see it when shooting outdoors. And make sure the screen is large enough so you can easily compose and review your images on the camera.
* When comparing costs, don't forget to calculate the extras that may or may not be included, such as rechargeable batteries and a charger, , and a memory card with a high enough capacity to hold all your pictures until you can download them to a PC.
* Nearly all digital cameras have a USB interface. For higher-megapixel models, try to find one that supports USB 2.0 so you can transfer large image files quickly.
* When looking at digital cameras with a zoom lens, what counts is the optical zoom—not the digital zoom. Digital zoom is actually a software function that involves cropping and magnifying an image, resulting in a loss of image quality.
* If you don't know an f-stop from a white balance, a digital camera that has lots of modes and manual settings will generally be overkill for your needs, as well as being higher in price and more difficult to use.
* Look for a digital camera that comes with a pocket-size instruction manual instead of one on a CD-ROM. It's easier to consult when you're out shooting.
* For small, young, or arthritic hands, look for a digital camera with a limited number of buttons, and make sure they're large and easy to access and press.
* Test how fast the camera performs. You will probably be unhappy with any digital camera that takes longer than 4 seconds to boot up or longer than 6 seconds between shots.



http://www.camera-4u.com/digital-cameras/digital-camera-top-ten-buying-tips.htm

ABC's of Digital Camera

Aperture An adjustable iris or opening through which light enters a camera's lens. The larger the aperture is, the greater the camera's photosensitivity. A smaller aperture, however, gives greater depth of field to a picture. The aperture setting is called the f-stop. A small aperture has a relatively high f-number, such as f8 or f11, and a larger aperture has a smaller number, such as f2.8. The aperture setting must be balanced against the shutter speed. The faster the shutter speed, the larger the aperture must be, and vice versa, to admit the right amount of light to the image sensor for proper exposure.

Compression A process that reduces the amount of data representing an image so that the file takes up less space in your camera, memory card, and computer. Compressing and saving an image actually takes less time than saving an uncompressed image. Smaller files are quicker to use for e-mail and on the Web. When a file is overcompressed, however, image quality can be seriously degraded.

Depth of field An indication of how much of a scene will be sharp and in focus. A greater depth of field implies an increased distance between well-focused background and foreground, with everything in between properly focused. A narrow depth of field concentrates its area of focus within a small range, based on the central subject's distance from the camera. For instance, if your subject is standing alone in a ballpark, using a narrow depth of field will make most of the ballpark look blurry; only the subject will be focused. A greater depth of field might keep most of the ballpark in focus.

Image sensor The semiconductor chip in a digital camera that replaces film. It captures the light of a scene or subject, which it turns into electrical signals that the camera can understand and use. The camera in turn converts these signals to digital data that your computer can understand and use. The most common image sensor types are CCD (charge-coupled device) and CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor).

Interpolation A process that increases the image file size and can occur either in your camera or by computer software. Interpolation allows a picture to be magnified but does not improve image quality and can decrease sharpness. It is the opposite of compression.


LCD viewfinder A small electronic screen on the back of a digital camera that displays what the lens sees. You would use it to compose your picture, choose your settings, focus and frame an image in macro mode, and view just-shot photos.

Megapixel A measure of a digital camera's resolution. A one-megapixel rating means that the camera can capture up to 1 million pixels, or points of data.

Memory card A small, removable storage device that saves the images a digital camera captures. When it is full, you can swap one memory card for another and continue shooting. A card reader can be attached to your computer for opening and saving image files outside of your camera. Memory cards come in various densities, as do any other drives or storage devices. The most common types of memory cards are CompactFlash, SmartMedia, and Secure Data (SD), with Sony's Memory Stick a distant fourth. You must use the right type of card for your digital camera.

Pixel A point of data in a digital image; the word is short for picture element. A digital camera's resolution is a measure of the number of pixels it can capture on its image sensor.

Shutter speed A measure of how long a camera allows light to fall on the active image sensor (expressed as a fraction of a second). In traditional film cameras, there is a physical, mechanical shutter in the lens that opens and closes to regulate how long the film is exposed to light. Though many digital cameras have both electronic and mechanical shutters, inexpensive models rely solely on electronic shutters that turn off the photosensitivity of the image sensors.


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World's biggest digital camera to join asteroid search

The world's largest digital camera has been installed on a new telescope designed to hunt for potentially dangerous asteroids.

The camera was installed on the PS1 telescope in Maui, Hawaii, US, the first of four telescopes being built as part of a project called the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS).

Pan-STARRS will make frequent scans of the sky, searching for asteroids that could pose an impact threat to Earth (see New telescope will hunt dangerous asteroids).

Typical consumer digital cameras offer imaging chips just a few millimetres across. The new Pan-STARRS camera, by contrast, boasts a light-detecting surface that spans 40 centimetres. Sixty separate chips lie on that surface, providing a total of 1.4 billion pixels.

"This is a truly giant instrument," says John Tonry of the Institute for Astronomy (IfA) at the University of Hawaii, who led the team that developed the camera. "It allows us to measure the brightness of the sky in 1.4 billion places simultaneously."

"This camera is an incredibly complex instrument, and getting it working has been a magnificent achievement by IfA scientists and engineers," says Rolf-Peter Kudritzki, director of the IfA, which manages the Pan-STARSS project.

Watch a video about the new camera (requires Flash player).

Starting in 2010, when all four of the planned Pan-STARRS telescopes are expected to be completed, the project will image the whole sky visible from Hawaii three times per month. This should allow it to detect objects 100 times fainter than current surveys, including 99% of the asteroids 300 metres or larger that come near Earth's orbit.

NASA is expected to have found about 90% of the objects 1 kilometre or larger in Earth's neighbourhood by 2008. Smaller objects have been less well surveyed. But because the smaller objects are more numerous, they have a higher chance of hitting Earth.

The US Congress has asked NASA to identify 90% of the smaller objects – down to 140 metres across – by 2020, but NASA says it does not have the money to implement the search (see Could Venus watch for Earth-bound asteroids?



http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn12588-worlds-biggest-digital-camera-to-join-asteroid-search.html

How to choose the correct memory card for your digital camera

Gone are the days when snapping a picture meant hours of tedious work both for the photographer and the subject. The advent of the digital cameras has made shooting as well as posing for pictures a pleasurable experience.

One of the major advantages of a digital camera is the fact that there is no need for you to shop around for good quality film. Memory cards have replaced the ubiquitous photographic film in the digital camera.

These removable memory cards are necessary for storing the images. These days’ digital cameras are equipped with memory cards that are standardized in sizes of either 16 MB or 32 MB.

More often than not, a professional or even an active photographer finds that this memory is simply not enough. That is why choosing the correct memory card for your digital camera is a necessary evil. An extra memory card with a greater capacity will provide additional space to store more images.

An additional advantage is that users can simply upgrade to a number of memory cards without having to purchase new hardware in the form of different cameras. By using memory card readers, users can also transfer images to their computers; erase them from the card and reuse it seamlessly.

Most digital camera manufacturers do not reveal the exact number of pictures that can be taken using in-built memory cards. Hence the user needs to be aware that these in-built cards do not have optimal storage capacities thus increasing the need to have an additional memory card to store data.

Memory cards are a pre-requisite if you are on vacation and need plenty of images to preserve the memories. Running out of memory in your digital camera is not a good idea at this stage, so stock on memory cards. Extra memory cards are a photographer’s inseparable companion. Therefore it is vital to have plenty of space for that memorable picture.

The capacity of a memory card determines how many pictures can be stored on it. Greater the capacity, more the number of pictures that can be saved on the card. The capacity of a memory card is usually measured in MB (Mega Bytes) or GB (Giga Bytes). The latter is equivalent to 1,000 mega bytes and can store enormous number pictures.

There are several types of memory cards that can be used in a digital camera. These include CompactFlash , Secure Digital, Memory Stick, SmartMedia, MultiMedia Card (MMC), and xD Picture Card.

Although these memory cards are compatible with several digital cameras, SmartMedia and CompactFlash continue to be the most widely used cards. Compact Flash cards have the biggest storage capacity and are extensively used in high-resolution digital cameras because of their increased storage capacity.

These cards are of two types; type I that is 3.0 mm thick, and type II which is 5.0 mm thick. Professional photographers often go for type II memory cards as they have bigger storage capacity than the type I cards. That need not be the case for an average consumer.

These cards also have a controller chip, which allows for greater transfer rates. However only digital SLRs can use this chip comfortably because the average digital camera does not have the internal buffer required to use this chip. CompactFlash cards are the cheapest of the memory cards available for a digital camera and are quite popular among camera owners.

MicroDrives are much cheaper than CompactFlash memory cards and may interest a less active photographer. However these cards are slower than CompactFlash cards and can also undergo shock damage wiping out all saved data. These cards are delicate and any rough handling can damage them completely.

Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard memory are the smallest available memory cards, but are not ideal for digital cameras and are very rarely used here.

Recently companies like Fuji and Olympus have shifted the emphasis on xD cards, thus taking away the importance of SmartMedia cards in cameras. The xD Picture Card can be used in small cameras as well as in CompactFlash compatible cameras.

Memory Stick cards were developed by Sony for use in the Cybershot series of digital cameras. Memory Stick is compatible exclusively with Sony digital cameras and is of no use in other brands.

It is of vital importance that you choose non-exclusive Memory card formats for your digital cameras. This is because some companies have designed cards that work only on their branded cameras.

One of the things to be kept in mind while choosing any memory card for your digital camera is the time required to transfer the images or files to your PC. Often times the bigger cards require a lot of time to transfer the data to a PC and consumers are left twiddling their thumbs.

An additional criterion in choosing the right memory card for your digital camera is speed. High speed memory cards can record data more quickly and also allow rapid data transfer thus saving time. However you need to be aware of the fact that a large memory card does not necessarily mean a fast one.

One large memory card could simply be more costly than a number of smaller ones, which could suit your requirements. Older digital cameras are also not designed to hold large cards. So opting for large memory cards may not be the wisest move.

First of all, determine what format and size is supported by your digital camera. If the support is only for 16x, it makes no sense to buy a 32x card. Another point to note is that an external card reader can easily help you transfer files to your computer. Memory card readers allow users to connect to their PC without the need to connect their digital camera as well.



http://www.memorybits.co.uk/articles/digital-camera-articles/120

Canon Camera Memory Cards

Canon Inc. has consistently released quality cameras, so it should be no surprise that in 2006, Canon dominated the market. Canon’s Digital Rebel line of cameras gained them many ardent fans, and their latest in the series, the Digital Rebel XTi(400D), looks to be a smash hit as well.

Canon is known for producing a wide variety of digital cameras. Their standard point and shoot cameras have always been a top choice for the budget minded consumer. And their high quality digital SLR’s are ideal for professional photography. Canon cameras have consistently received high ratings for solid construction, and superior image quality.

Another reason for Canon’s continued success is their use of Secure Digital (SD) Memory Cards. Other camera manufacturers, such as Sony, made the decision to use proprietary formats that will only work interchangeably within the brand. Digital memory cards are the modern day equivalent of rolls of film. They are measured in megabytes (MB) and can range in size from 16MB to 4GB. Depending on the format of the images, and the size of the card, you can potentially store thousands of pictures. One of the primary advantages with this type of media becomes evident when your storage is full. Instead of having to buy a new roll of film, you can transfer the photos to your computer, or delete them off the card, directly from your camera.

Digital cameras usually come with either a minimal amount of built-in memory, or a small memory card. These standard options, in almost every case, do not provide enough storage space for practical use. Even casual users will appreciate the increased capacity memory cards offer. Those who plan to use their cameras for professional photography, or require ultra-high resolutions should consider high-capacity cards that can handle larger file types.

Memory cards come in a variety of formats including Secure Digital, CompactFlash, and Memory Stick, to name a few. There is little difference in image quality between the major brands, so it’s best to base your choice on the amount of memory the cards offer, as well as their write speed. Depending on which card you purchase, you may have the ability to use it for additional storage on your other media devices, including digital music players. The majority of cameras will require one specific type so it is important to purchase a card that will be compatible.

Recently, several high-speed cards have been released to the market. These cards are often more expensive than their regular speed counterparts, but avid photographers will find this to be an invaluable enhancement. A faster write speed means that less time is tied up in saving the image. This becomes extremely noticeable during the live-action photography used for sports games.

One of Canon’s most popular cameras is the PowerShot SD600. It offers six megapixel resolutions for highly detailed images. It also features a 3x optical zoom, and the legendary DIGIC II imaging processor. The DIGIC processor offers many enhancements in addition to a 35% reduction in power consumption. It also increases photo resolution, vibrancy, and color, while speeding up startup, autofocus, and shutter response. The SD600 also has the ability to color correct, and edit photos right from the camera. Not needing a computer for post-processing has proven to be a major advantage for photo enthusiasts. The camera uses the latest in MultiMedia Card (MMC) technology, the MMCplus. Fully backwards compatible with standard MMC’s, the latest cards offer a 52MB/sec transfer speed to provide the highest data transfer rate available. Compatible cards range in sizes from 128MB to 2GB so you can take up to 1100 photos at the SD600’s highest resolution. Best of all, Canon has found a way to compress all these features into a lightweight, pocket-sized package.

The IXUS is another popular line of Canon cameras. The IXUS 430 has a wide appeal due to its sleek design and ease of use. With 4.3 megapixles, and a 3x zoom, you’re able to capture even the most distant targets, with crisp clarity. Navigating the menus is fairly intuitive, and the controls are all conveniently located. The IXUS uses Compact Flash cards for storage which range in size from 128MB, all the way up to 8GB, giving you an extensive variety of cards to choose from. The Integral 512MB I-Pro Compact Flash card is ideal for high resolution images as well as rapid shooting. It can save up to 380 pictures at the IXUS 430’s highest resolution. The SanDisk Extreme III 2.0 GB Compact Flash card is another great option. Designed specifically with professional photographers in mind, it offers some of the latest features in digital storage. It has a minimum of 20MB/sec read and write speed which allow for faster image capture, and data transfer. It uses Enhanced Super-Parallel Processing Technology to provide superior performance in all conditions. The Extreme III is shock and vibration tested for handling the rigors of travel. The card also ships with a mini-CD with software to help retrieve photos that are accidentally deleted, as well as a travel case. The Extreme III can hold 1524 at the IXUS’s highest resolution.

Transferring the photos from your flash card to your PC is an easy task. Many of today’s personal computers come with several different types of memory card readers already built-in. Should your computer not have this option, you can always purchase a memory card reader. These readers connect to your computer and allow you to transfer files with ease. Photo printers are also commonly built ready to accept photos directly from memory cards. The ability to transfer your photos across devices is one of the main advantages of removable storage.

Canon has always made a quality product, and consumers have noticed. Their sales are booming as their cameras reach a wider audience. To get the most out of your camera, you’ll need a memory card. It will allow you the freedom to snap as many shots as you need, without having to worry about running out of room, and this should put a smile on every photographers’ face.



http://www.memorybits.co.uk/articles/digital-camera-articles/120

Purchasing a Digital Camera

Purchasing a Digital Camera

The term "Digital Photography" can be used to cover both still and video photography, when purchasing either of these technologies the same criteria can be used to make sure that you acquire the correct piece of equipment for your needs.

There are many things to consider when buying either a digital camera. The first thing to do is to figure out what your budget is. Camera prices range from a few pounds for low-end models to thousands for the high-end models for professional use. Decide how much money you would like to spend and what the usage of the camera will be. Try to answer questions such as: Are you going to take family photos, shoot landscape photos, travel a lot with the camera, use a lot of flash photography, Speed of aperture for the faster action shot is also important with the stills camera. The same applies for camcorders, are you looking for camcorder to work in bright sunny conditions or darker cloudy conditions such as using on a skiing trip

Once you have decided on the budget and the usage look for potential cameras. If you have decided to look for your camera on the web you may want to make use of a more specific search engine phrase such as" Sony digital camera" or "digital photo printing services", in doing this your results are going to be highly targeted to your particular digital camera needs.

If you create a table you can list the cost and features of each of the different types of camera or camcorder, this will help you to narrow down your search for the correct camera to fit your needs.

The features you should be looking to add to your list should be the following:

New cameras are packed with an ever increasing number of mega pixels. Is more mega pixels better? A quick answer would be yes - but a better answer would be "it really depends". More mega pixels are important if you are going to print photos (especially enlargements) or if you are going to zoom in and crop fine details out of big photos. If you plan to watch your photos on your computer screen and maybe just print a few 4X6 prints every now and then than 2 mega pixels is more than enough (yes... just 2). Most screen resolutions are about 1024X768 so even when viewing the photo in full screen mode you can only view 1024X768 which is less than 1 mega pixels. A 2 mega pixels, 4X6 photo print will have a DPI higher than 300 which is more than enough for a high quality print. If you plan to print photo enlargements then a rule of thumb is to be able to print at least 300DPI resolution. The following is a table for different print sizes and the mega pixels needed for such print quality:
page 4X6 2MP
page 5X7 3MP
page 8X10 7MP
page 11X14 14MP
page 16X20 28MP
page 20X30 54MP
Unless you budget is infinite when you buy a camera with more mega pixels you make a compromise between mega pixels and other features. For example is it better to spend money on more mega pixels or on better lenses? Or maybe on an external flash? It all depends on how you will use your camera. Evaluate your usage and decide what is more important to you.

In some situations it is very useful to have a good zoom capability. For example when you take a portrait photo you want to make sure the object's face fills the photo frame while when you take a group photo you want to make sure everybody is in the photo frame.

Some manufacturers state the camera's zoom figure without specifying if it is optical or digital. Optical zoom works by physically moving the camera's lenses and changing the focal length. By changing the focal length you can make objects appear bigger and fit the full photo frame. Digital zoom works by applying built-in software in the camera to define a portion of the photo which you are interested in. Once chosen the software crops the rest of the photo and enlarges the area you chose to fit the complete photo frame. The downside of this digital process is that the enlarged photo quality is lower than the original photo's. The conclusion is that optical zoom is superior to digital zoom so when you compare different camera's zoom always compare their optical zoom capabilities. You can totally ignore the digital zoom figures.

With ever growing storage capacities digital cameras today can hold hundreds and sometimes thousands of photos on a single media. You can always have a few more in your pocket and changing is very fast. The result is that a digital camera has practically infinite capacity. You can shoot as many photos as you want and at the end of the day just dump them on your computer disk. There is no time lost changing film and there are no photo opportunities lost due to lack of film or reserving film for later.

Advances such as the internet can make us neglect the many different digital photography resources that are currently freely available to us such as the town book shop or town library which can often be an obvious place to obtain guidance about digital camera products, you should certainly make use of these kinds of havens of great digital camera data as suitable digital camera product information may very often be hard to find

About the Author

Peter has been supplying electrical consumer goods since the early eighties and has a particular intrest in making sure that consumers purchase the correct equipment for their required use. Peter can be found at http://www.ultimate-digital.co.uk

Battery Devouring Digital Cameras and the People Who Love Them

Millions of people have fallen in love with their digital camera; and for good reason. They are compact making them easy to tote along anywhere a person may wander, they are capable of producing images of outstanding quality which can easily be shared online with others anywhere in the world, and with digital storage, they are a space saving wonder. In addition, digital cameras allow users to save the expense of film and developing. But perhaps the greatest attraction of these cameras is the control they provide over the images one creates during the editing process.

Unfortunately, most of those who love digital cameras have also come to know their dark side; their thirst for power. From the first touch of the button to power a digital camera on, setting the focus, shutter speed, zooming, and providing a flash for image capture, to reviewing images taken and editing, these cameras are energy junkies.

The good news is that there are things which can be done to help make it easier to live with power craving cameras and to curb their appetite. Certainly, having a camera with rechargeable batteries is by far the best option and charging the battery per manufacturer's guidelines can help sustain optimal functioning. For the people who love their digital camera, there are also steps that can be taken in the way they use it to help reduce the rate of power consumption.

* When finished shooting, remove the batteries from the camera if it will not be used for another 2 or 3 weeks. This will prevent a trickling discharge that can occur when left in the camera.

* Use the on/off function appropriately. Certainly a digital camera should not be left on for any extended period of time as the energy is wasted. However, if another shot will be taken within a few minutes it is better to leave the camera on as it consumes a great deal of energy to power on/off. If the camera has a sleep mode, it is best to set the timer for that function to the shortest interval in case the user forgets to turn the camera off.

* Disable or don't use features that aren't needed. Zoom for instance uses a great deal of power. If the same result can easily be achieved by simply moving the subject or stepping closer, do that instead. Use of the flash function is also energy intensive. Flash should be used only when it will be effective. For instance, if lighting is already sufficient or the subject is out of flash range anyway, don't use the flash function.

* When possible use the viewfinder to set up a shot as the LCD screen consumes a great deal of battery power. Use of the LCD screen can improve some shots such as in the case of close-up/macro photography but in most instances use of the viewfinder is sufficient. (Remember, photographers operated without LCD screens throughout the history of photography!)

* Use other power sources when appropriate. For instance, use an AC adapter when downloading images and use the computer for review and image deletion rather than performing such functions directly on the camera.

* Do things manually when feasible. From powering the camera off to focusing; auto anything takes more power.

* Some experts indicate that some types of media storage consume more energy as well. For instance, Compact Flash is said to be a more energy conscious form of storage than MicroDrive Media.

Certainly, the many features offered on a digital camera are convenient and desirable. Users merely need to be aware of the tremendous demands placed on the camera battery by these same features. Understanding this allows a digital camera owner to make a choice between ease of use and conservation of the battery.

About the Author

Christine Peppler shares information on home entertainment and home electronics products, including digital cameras, on her website at: http://www.homemedias.info.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

SONY DIGITAL CAMERA: EMBRACING PERFECTION

Known for producing quality electronics, Sony is also one of the pioneers and the best producers of digital camera. Truly using a Sony digital camera is embracing perfection with its many features exclusive to a Sony digital camera.

Indeed, one of the best ways to capture your memories forever is thru photos and what better to do it than with a Sony digital camera. Photos are used to remember or when we reminisce of the wonderful times of our lives. And only vivid and detailed photos can help us bring back all those memories. And quality photos are exactly what a Sony digital camera offers to its consumers.

Equipped with the best optics and imaging technology available, the Sony digital camera line ensures its consumers that a Sony digital camera will only capture more detail, more color and more brightness imaginable.

Every Sony digital camera has an exclusive Sony technology that enhances photo capturing experience. Armed with the Real Imaging Processor (RIMP), any Sony digital camera allows high digital processing that reduces picture noise and delivers smoother and more detailed images. The RIMP is an intelligent Sony digital camera technology that allows faster shooting time, swifter burst shooting and almost simultaneous processing of your images (enables immediate display of your image) for your Sony digital camera.

All Sony digital cameras are furnished with Carl Zeiss lens. Carl Zeiss lenses are world renowned for their quality brilliance, outstanding accuracy of colors and enhanced definition with almost zero distortion. With a Carl Zeiss lens, flawless imaging is truly embracing perfection with a Sony digital camera.

Sony has its own Cyber-shot line of digital camera for all photo fanatics out there. One of the lower ends of their Cyber-shot series of the Sony digital camera is the DSC-L1. The L1is a 4.1 mega pixel camera with a 3x optical zoom and plays MPEG Movie Vx. It is also supplied with a Vario Tessar lens from the Carl Zeiss line.

A higher version of the L1 is the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P200. Almost same in all respect with the L1 expect this baby is a 7.2 mega pixel Sony digital camera.

For those who are serious in their craft, the right Sony digital camera for you id the Cyber-shot DSC-F828. Designed for professional photographers, the F828 has a 28-200mm equivalent of a Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar lens, which makes it excellent for action and low-light shots. An 6 mega pixel Sony digital camera, it is outfitted with 7x optical zoom and a 1.8 inch LCD screen where you can review the pictures that you just took. The DSC F828 has a four color system that includes RGB+emrald colors and enables night shot/night framing system. The F828 even allows manual exposure, zoom and manual focus controls for your customization needs.

For the younger and trendier generation, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M1 is the right Sony digital camera for you. The M1 is a digital camera and a camcorder in one. It can record either up to five seconds MPEG 4 playback or unlimited video recording, depending on your preferred setting. Shooting with 30 frames per second, it is 5.1 mega pixel camera with a 640 x 480 maximum pixel resolution. It has 3x optical zoom and 2x digital zoom.

Very lightweight at only 6.5 oz. the M1 is very portable and is only 2x1.1x4.5 inches (dimensions). A USB 2.0 compatible and with PictBridge support, the M1 makes file transferring from your Sony digital camera to your computer as easy as taking pictures.

Available with accessories such as wrist strap, docking station and a 32MB memory Stick Duo, the M1 comes with an expansion slot that lets you upgrade up to 512MB of memory for further picture taking or video playback. It even has a built in features such as stereo surround, built-in mic and a 2.5inch TFT active matrix LCD display.



http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/316708?articleid=316708

UNDERWATER DIGITAL CAMERA: CAPTURING MOMENTS UNDERWATER

Memories are created just about anywhere. And when I say anywhere, I mean that memories are even created underwater – so the creation of underwater digital camera.

An underwater digital camera is not just used to capture underwater memories; some professional marine photographers also use underwater digital cameras in their business. Even marine biologists and scientists use underwater digital cameras to capture marine life and thus be able to study the life and properties of the marine life. But I think it is safe to assume that you, my reader, are neither a marine scientist nor a professional photographer. Like me, you are just some photo junkie who wants to capture underwater moments and just cant figure out how without ruining your cameras.

Please listen to me when I say that even waterproof cameras cannot withstand underwater photography. To be waterproof is to resist the water in certain levels, submerging in under the water to get the perfect shot is like throwing it out of the window expecting a pick-up truck to pass by and run over it.

Now if you’re really serious about using an underwater digital camera to capture those wacky and funny moments underwater, I suggest that you buy specialty cameras.

There are rarely underwater digital cameras, as cameras are electronic and cannot withstand water and water pressure. The closest electronics has ever got to producing underwater digital cameras are producing underwater casings for digital cameras. These casing will turn your conventional digital camera into an underwater digital camera.

If you are shooting with your underwater digital camera, you need to take note of a few things to help you come up with the best images underwater.

Remember that as you farther under water, light diffuses. This means that your underwater digital camera will produce images darker than those images you took while on land – this is because of the light diffusion the red spectrum seems darker. To avoid this, use white balance come up with natural colors. Also, pictures taken underwater will come up larger than pictures taken on land with the same zoom effect. Be sure to check your underwater digital camera’s viewfinder to check the right picture angle and size that you want.

An underwater digital camera with its built-in flash will produce marine show phenomenon. It is a phenomenon wherein your pictures come out as blurry and with white particles floating above it, to avoid this phenomenon it is advisable to use external flash for your underwater digital camera.

Before using your underwater digital camera, submerge the camera in the water first for several seconds then check if there are leaks through the case. Make sure that no grain of sand or piece of hair is stuck in between the seal to make sure that water will not permeate the case and thus wet your camera in the process. It is also advisable to put silica gel or two inside the case of your underwater digital camera as long as they don’t disturb the camera’s operation. (Silica gel will keep the moisture from forming inside your camera case.)

Most underwater digital cameras come with optional lenses. Don’t be afraid to add these lenses to your underwater digital camera kit. Macro lenses will help you capture small things without getting too close and startling your subject.

Also, remember to always wash of salt when you’ve used it under salt water. If the salts are not washed off, in time they will crystallize; act as sands and cause leaks for your camera case. In cases when sands seem to get into the case, they are better washed off with streams of water.

Check out Sony, Nikon and Canon’s website for available underwater cases for your digital cameras.


http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/316715?articleid=316715

Bring Your Digital Photos to Life

Are you considering a digital camera purchase, but can't live without professional prints? As people switch from film to digital cameras, they often have questions - and legitimate concerns - about getting prints of digital photos. How do you get high quality prints? Will they look as good as film photos? Are they expensive?

Fortunately, the process to order photo prints online or to order digital prints online is much cheaper and easier than you might think. With today's online photo printing services you can convert digital photos to high quality, professional-grade prints conveniently and inexpensively. And almost any digital camera (be it a 2 mega-pixels or 5 mega-pixels) is capable of producing digital photo prints that will look just as good as the prints you got from your old film camera. Having said that, there is some variation in quality depending on the photo printing services you use.

All of the digital photography sites you'll visit are similar in that you can upload and store your photos. Some offer innovative tools to organize and share your digital photos. Some digital picture printing services print more accurately, while some do a better job of enhancing photos. Some offer better editing tools, and some are just very easy to use – and so on. You'll also find some great tools to – edit, fix and enhance your photos. Some sites make it easy to print digital photos, and there are even some FREE digital photo print services. Others offer photo enlargements and best photo sharing or will sell photo gifts on mugs, calendar and t-shirts.

PrintMyPics.Net (www.printmypics.net) - make life easier for you by doing the research that you don't have to do. You can find the best photo printing and online photo sharing services on this website; organized and compared in a neat order - to help you choose the one that fits perfectly for your needs. All the merchants and stores listed here are amongst the best online photo printing and sharing services that are available on the internet - where you can upload your photos to online albums and order prints of those photos to have them mailed to your home or to your friends.



http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/320915?articleid=320915

Trusting Digital Camera Reviews

Trusting Digital Camera Reviews
Digital camera reviews are abundant not just online but also in the newspapers, magazines and even TV shows. We often wonder why most digital camera reviews always praise all the digital camera out in the market, that’s why we end up getting confused on which product to buy or get our loved ones.

Here’s one thing you should never trust regarding digital camera reviews - never trust press releases or reviews that are directly from the manufacturer or advertising office that is directly connected with producer of the digital camera. Why?! Well because these digital camera reviews are never too truthful, or they just give out the good points about their products. I mean, what would you expect, supposing you own your own line of digital cameras and to boost your sales, you release digital camera reviews about your products. Of course you wouldn’t point out the bad things or the glitches of your product in your digital camera reviews, because that way you will never be able to shoot up your sales. Press releases or digital camera reviews from manufacturer are always half-truths. Haven’t you had any experience with that?! I mean, that just doesn’t go for digital camera, remember that brush-blower thingy that you bought over the internet that says it would work tremendously for your hair, but ended not working for your hair after all. Press releases are press releases, meaning that they are aimed to get people to buy the product or to give the product a better name.

One more thing that you can never fully trust are home shopping networks and advertisements. As much as press releases, they pretty much pose the same claims about their products. But hey, don’t trust me, you can always get them and return them after proving to yourself that it doesn’t work. Never mind the time and effort that you’ve wasted, you chose to listen to a half-truth digital camera review, that’s what you get for that.

The best digital camera reviews available are those found in specialty magazines (computer based and technical magazines), special websites catering to techie stuff and unofficial digital camera reviews. Why?! Well because! Because these digital camera reviews are always truthful. These reviewers and critics are never afraid to list down the good as much as the bad points of digital cameras. These digital camera reviews usually points out the difference between the products that a certain manufacturer has released and how it is worse or better than the previous one. These reviewers and critics are also knowledgeable in their craft, so its say to safe to say that they know what they are talking about when it comes to digital camera reviews. One more thing, most of the time, these digital camera reviews are actual first hand experience with the product itself and not just some advertising agent asked to come up with flowery words to capture you and your wallet.

Another best source for a digital camera review is one that you can write yourself. And how can you do that?! Of course, you first need to buy your own digital camera, try it out and compare everything that you do with it to the things that it claims to be. (be careful to read the specs, options and features that you need to try out, be on the lookout for words such as weatherproof, meaning that they are splash resistant as to waterproof that are water resistant. You don’t want to get your newly bought weatherproof camera wet, just to prove to yourself that the things they claim are not true). After doing so, then you can write your own digital camera review or reviews, depending on how many things you’ve learned from your digital camera. Be sure to indicate that your review is an on-hand experience with the product and not just some wild guess.

The most honest digital camera reviews are the best reviews you can look for and trust. Anyway, you can always call customer center or return your digital camera if they don’t live up to their claims.



http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/326788?articleid=326788

Nokia 7500 Prism: It is really a prism

The Nokia 7500 Prism comes with a cutting-edge design with bold geometric patterns and distinctive detail. Users of the Nokia mobile phone can capture life's great moments in still photos and stunning video quality on a 2 mega pixel camera with 8x digital zoom. Moreover, they can capture memorable moments in black and white, sepia, and solarize color modes.

There are other features in Nokia 7500 like Exchangeable accent colors; enjoy your favorite tracks on the music player that allows you to change the skin to match your mood; store more music, high quality videos, and photos with expandable memory of up to 2 GB; are your latest images and videos via email; extend your internet browsing experience with Widest, Yahoo Go, and Opera Mini; share more of your memorable moments using Nokia Sensor, the social network application; send voice messages to friends and family.

Coming to the applications part of the phone, the Nokia Sensor application allows you to connect and communicate with other Nokia Sensor users around you and widen your social circle. It also comes with Java™ MIDP 2.0 applications. Browsing feature comes with Full OMA Client provisioning version 1.1 and OMA Digital DRM 2.0.

Well, in the camera section of the phone it comes with an Integrated 2 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom, Flash modes: on, off, and automatic, Video recording and playback in QCIF, 3GPP, H.263, and MPEG-4 codecs and formats.

And in the messaging part of the Nokia 7500 mobile it comes with array of features that includes - Email: Supports IMAP4 idle, push email with attachments. OMA email notification, OMA DA and Nokia Intellisync solution support; Text messaging: Supports concatenated SMS, picture messaging, and SMS distribution list; Audio messaging. You can record your own voice message and send to compatible devices. Advance Multimedia messaging: MMS 1.2 for image message creation, receiving, editing, and sending (300k). I think it is any a phone of advance technology.


http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/327199?articleid=327199

Orange Motorola V500 Mobile Phone - Share Your Feelings Easily

The built-in powerful technology, the gorgeous design and sparkling colour are the certain adjectives of Motorola mobile phone which can make communication spontaneous and flexible. The Motorola V500 is an excellent craftsmanship of the manufacturer by gently installing some useful and funny features like a digital camera, MP3 ring tones and quad band global roaming. Though the sensational Motorola V500 is slim but the handset possesses all the multimedia tools which are required for data transferring, downloading games and applications and accessing to internet. All you need to do is to pay flat monthly phone bills against the services provided by the phone’s tools. Undoubtedly, the flat phone bills are the cause of worries for the ordinary users resulting in the debarment from using mobile media. In such a typical situation, Orange network prevents the users from paying hefty phone bills with the support of its services which are cost effective.

Online mobile phone shops and retailing sites in the UK have stored a large number of deals and offerings of Orange network for the users. Orange in collaboration with the Motorola V500 mobile phone has offered various deals and offerings to the users at the most subsidized prices. It is the responsibility of the users to select the best deal of Orange from the retailing sites which can suit their budgets and requirements. Orange is the most preferred service provider in the UK owing to its lower churn rate, better margin than its competitors and top ratings for customer satisfaction. Certainly, with Orange on the Motorola V500; you can become a real leader in mobile telephony. You can talk with someone else all through the night; talk with your friends and relatives abroad; download games, applications, ring tones, video clips etc; send text and multimedia messages frequently; transfer data and files at high speed; and browse to internet at any point of time, - all these modes of communication can be done from the Motorola V500 mobile phone at fewer prices with the support of Orange network. Orange network has subsidized the service taxes of the Motorola V500 mobile phone to a great extent by providing various deals to the users like Pay As You Go, Pay Monthly Mobile Phone, Contract Mobile Phone and so on. Besides these deals, Orange has provided some additional services like free mobile phone insurance, free upgrade of mobile phone, SIM free mobile phone and several value added services like free installation of wallpapers, video clips, ring tones and many more.

How would you access Orange Motorola V500 Mobile Phone? Visit the retailing sites in the UK and select a deal on Orange and enjoy the services on the latest and the slimmest Motorola V500 mobile phone at fewer prices.

Gale Weathers is an expert and currently related to Orange Mobile Phones. She has completed the masters degree in mobile computing from the university of Wales. For further details of Motorola V500 mobile phone, Orange mobile phones, Orange network, Orange mobile phones teriffs, Pay As You Go, Buy Orange Mobile Phones, Contract mobile phone deals visit



http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/327328?articleid=327328

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Tips for Choosing The Right Digital Camera Lens

Selecting the right lens is critical when purchasing a digital camera. Basically, lenses can be categorized this way: fixed focal length, retractable zoom, fixed zoom and interchangeable lenses.

Fixed focal length lenses are the cheapest and simplest to use. Designed for those on a very tight budget, children or real novices, fixed focal length lenses typically offer only a wide angle view, which can be perfect for landscapes and group photos. The quality of the pictures taken using this lense, however, is not that great. Fixed focal length lenses can’t zoom in distant objects and they don’t accept converters. An autofocus lens, with a selectable macro or landscape focus mode, is often a better selection.

Retractable zoom lenses extend whenever the camera is turned on and retract when it is shut off. This type of lens is reasonably priced and takes decent pictures. A retractable zoom lens gives you a very compact digital camera style while fully protecting the lens. It offers a limited zoom range that magnifies two to three times. Retractable zoom lenses do not support filters or converters and slightly delay the start-up time of the digital camera. They also have limited manual focus controls.

A fixed zoom lens will accept converters, filters and flash rings. These extra features will allow an experienced photographer the ability to take beautiful close-ups, wide-angle and telephoto photography. A fixed zoom lens allows a magnification of up to 12x. Fixed zoom lenses offer advanced and precise zoom and manual focus controls through rings on the lens instead of buttons. This type of lens might be a bit complicated for a novice and it might be a bit bulky to be convenient.

A serious amateur or professional will use a digital SLR with interchangeable lenses. These fully detach from the camera and are replaced with a different lens. If you already own lenses for a traditional film camera, you can usually find a digital camera with a compatible SLR body. A digital SLR is the most flexible lens for all shooting situations. An added advantage is that if you want to upgrade your lenses, you can do so without buying a new camera.

Of course, the lenses can be quite expensive. They can also be quite heavy and inconvenient to carry. If you are not very knowledgeable about camera lenses, the options may be confusing and if you understood your lenses on a traditional film camera, you may be confounded by the focal length on the digital. The learning curve is a bit steep and long, but the picture quality makes it well worth it!

For more information on choosing a digital camera lens and how a digital camera works try visiting www.digital-photo-tips.info, a website that specializes in providing digital photo tips, advice and resources to include a digital camera buying guide.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Gorman

A Lesson on Buying a Digital Camera

Are you wondering how to buy a digital camera? When looking for a digital camera, you need to think of the features that are most important to you. This is the most important rule of how to buy a digital camera.

In other words, do not get fooled into buying a camera with tons of great features and a really high resolution if these are things that do not actually matter to you. If you are not going to use any features and you cannot tell the difference between different resolutions, do not pay more to get such things!

That being said, here are some more tips on how to buy a digital camera:

· Consider buying it online. It is nice to be able to talk to a real live person at a store, but realize that many of these people are being paid commission. When you shop online, you can research the different cameras easily (there are plenty of reviews of cameras, both buy professionals and consumers online). You can also easily price compare and make sure that you get the best price. Also, you never even need to leave your house!

· Consider the resolution. For all intensive purposes, a 3 megapixel resolution is probably just fine. Of course, a higher resolution is better, especially if you plan on printing out large photographs or cropping your photographs a ton.

· Consider size. Is it ultra-important to you that your camera fit snugly and unnoticeably into your breast pocket?

· Consider memory. The more memory the better. Of course, you can always get better memory later. This is good, especially since most cameras come ready with a card that has very little memory. You must buy extra memory.

· Think about the features. If you are not much into setting up your photographs, then you definitely do not need a camera that has a manual function. If, however, you plan on taking lots of close-ups, make sure that you have a macro feature. A landscape feature is great for landscapes, etc. Red-eye reduction is excellent if you will be taken lots of photographs of people (of course, many photo software will help you take care of red eyes, but why give yourself more work for later?)

· LCD viewfinder. The newer, more expensive cameras have larger and better LCDs. These can be very nice, but you need to decide whether or not such a thing is important to you.

· Video. Many digital cameras now allow you to record live action (even with sound), as well. This can be a major benefit. Realize, of course, that such filming will take up a lot of space on your memory card. Also, the camera has a limit to how much it can record.

· Before buying a digital camera, it is a good idea to take or at least see a few photographs taken with it (and directly compare those photos to ones taken by another camera). Then you can compare quality and accuracy of color, “noisiness” or “graininess” of the images, sharpness of the image, etc.

· Take a look at the power source. It will use either rechargeable batteries (ones that are specially made for the camera) or A or AA batteries.

Now that you have a better idea of how to buy a digital camera, go out and buy one!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, technology, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on digital cameras, please visit Disposable Digital Cameras.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_Clarke

How to Choose The Right Digital Camera

There are many things to consider when purchasing a digital camera; camera compatibility with other digitals that you own, size, ease of use, manual options, battery types, shutter lag time. Having the correct digital camera information will help you make you purchasing decision. One thing to keep in mind is will it be compatible with your other cameras. If you keep your cameras compatible, you will be able to share memory cards and batteries among your cameras or with other family members. As you know, the cost of these accessories can add up. To make sure your new digital camera is compatible with your other digital cameras; try to stay within the same brand. Camera brand lines are often similar, so if everyone in your family stays with the same brand, you can often share your digital camera accessories.

Digital cameras are no longer a novelty. Now that the novelty has worn off, you have many more options for shooting, saving, and printing your photographs. You can have as much or as little control over your pictures and getting them printed as you choose.

You need to decide how you will most often be using your new digital camera. If you want a camera that you can keep with you at all times, point and shoot and still get great looking photos of family events, you will need to choose a compact or subcompact digital camera.

If you want to expand your photography skills, choose a advanced compact or a super-zoom digital camera. These cameras are more advanced than the compact and subcompact, they offer more options in manual settings, perform better in challenging lighting situations, and have lenses that have a greater range of zoom for those nature or sporting event photos.

When you are ready to get to take a giant step forward in your artistic photography skills, the SLR digital camera will be the camera for you. It is more of a professional camera, it is higher in quality, you can change lenses, and it has manual controls that you can override the “point and shoot” setting with allowing you to get creative with your photography.

Be sure to check the battery life and the type of batteries that your new digital camera will use. All digital cameras run off of either battery packs, which can be quite expensive, or AA batteries. This option is up to you. In the compact and subcompact digital cameras, the typical battery life averages out to be around 150 to 400 pictures. The advanced compact and super-zoom

cameras can take between 120 to 300 pictures and the SLRs average more than 250 pictures.

One of the most common complaints about digital cameras is the lag time from when you push the button to take the picture and when the picture actually snaps. If this lag time is great, you can completely miss the shot you wanted. Compact and subcompact digital cameras have a shutter lag time of 2 to 3 seconds. The advanced compact and super-zoom cameras average a shutter lag time of 1 to 3 seconds and the SLR has a shutter lag time that is barely noticeable being only a fraction of a second.

When making the decision to buy that new digital camera, remember to consider the compatibility of it with your other digital cameras, size, ease of use, manual options, battery types, and shutter lag time. By consciously considering the right digital camera information you will make the right purchase to fit your photography needs.

For more digital camera information, go to http://www.squidoo.com/digital-camera-information


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Swerdfiger

Digital Camera Information - What To Look For When Buying A Digital Camera

There are many things to consider when purchasing a digital camera; camera compatibility with other digitals that you own, size, ease of use, manual options, battery types, shutter lag time. Having the correct digital camera information will help you make you purchasing decision. One thing to keep in mind is will it be compatible with your other cameras. If you keep your cameras compatible, you will be able to share memory cards and batteries among your cameras or with other family members. As you know, the cost of these accessories can add up. To make sure your new digital camera is compatible with your other digital cameras; try to stay within the same brand. Camera brand lines are often similar, so if everyone in your family stays with the same brand, you can often share your digital camera accessories.

Digital cameras are no longer a novelty. Now that the novelty has worn off, you have many more options for shooting, saving, and printing your photographs. You can have as much or as little control over your pictures and getting them printed as you choose.

You need to decide how you will most often be using your new digital camera. If you want a camera that you can keep with you at all times, point and shoot and still get great looking photos of family events, you will need to choose a compact or subcompact digital camera.

If you want to expand your photography skills, choose a advanced compact or a super-zoom digital camera. These cameras are more advanced than the compact and subcompact, they offer more options in manual settings, perform better in challenging lighting situations, and have lenses that have a greater range of zoom for those nature or sporting event photos.

When you are ready to get to take a giant step forward in your artistic photography skills, the SLR digital camera will be the camera for you. It is more of a professional camera, it is higher in quality, you can change lenses, and it has manual controls that you can override the “point and shoot” setting with allowing you to get creative with your photography.

Be sure to check the battery life and the type of batteries that your new digital camera will use. All digital cameras run off of either battery packs, which can be quite expensive, or AA batteries. This option is up to you. In the compact and subcompact digital cameras, the typical battery life averages out to be around 150 to 400 pictures. The advanced compact and super-zoom

cameras can take between 120 to 300 pictures and the SLRs average more than 250 pictures.

One of the most common complaints about digital cameras is the lag time from when you push the button to take the picture and when the picture actually snaps. If this lag time is great, you can completely miss the shot you wanted. Compact and subcompact digital cameras have a shutter lag time of 2 to 3 seconds. The advanced compact and super-zoom cameras average a shutter lag time of 1 to 3 seconds and the SLR has a shutter lag time that is barely noticeable being only a fraction of a second.

When making the decision to buy that new digital camera, remember to consider the compatibility of it with your other digital cameras, size, ease of use, manual options, battery types, and shutter lag time. By consciously considering the right digital camera information you will make the right purchase to fit your photography needs.

For more digital camera information, go to http://www.squidoo.com/digital-camera-information


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debra_Proctor

Digital Camera and Cell Phones; Are They Really Privacy Busters?

Many people believe that they deserve privacy and yet what is privacy; is anything truly private? After all we hear people talking in the coffee shops, in airports and in lines at the post office on their cell phone and although you can only hear one side of the conversation you can learn a lot of personal data about someone by listening in.

What is amazing is people really don't seem to care; they chat away as if no one is listening, yet they often raise the volume of their voice so everyone can hear and therefore everyone really is listening. Some people want people to hear what they are saying and then they start making the conversation elevated to impress the nearby listeners.

Yet despite all this that goes on people want their data secured at the government and the corporations they do business with. Identity theft is the number one complaint of consumers at the Federal Trade Commission and this is increasing. Identity theft has now passed the illegal drug sales on the criminal monetary scale.

But people are really not doing much about it and they still give away information to the public freely on their own. Of course it is their right to do so, yet at the same time they demand privacy protection from their government. Wouldn't you?

Even if you are careful with your data others find ways to capture your data or information or privacy without your knowledge, via camera cell phones for instance. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Digital Camera Aperture Settings

A great photograph depends on a lot of things. A great view, a good camera, good light and of course, aperture settings and shutter speeds. What exactly does the aperture do? It is, basically, an aperture or an opening. The size determines how much light enters the camera through this opening and falls on the image sensor to form the digital photograph. Did too much light get through? Your photograph could be a washout. Was it too little? You'll get a dark picture.

Apertures come in different sizes - all classified as 'f' numbers. Each number lets in double the amount of light as the previous one. The standard is between f/1.8 and f/16. The smaller the aperture, the less light that will be let in. So an f/16 lens will let in half the amount of light as an f/8 lens. The aperture works in conjunction with the shutter as well when it comes to the amount of light let in. The speed at which the shutter opens and shuts is also a factor that determines the amount of light. When it comes to fast-paced action, a fast shutter speed is essential to capture the motion. For a landscape or a posed photograph a slower shutter speed is fine.

A photographer who is extremely particular will adjust both the aperture as well as the shutter speed. A perfect balance between the two could very often bring about that one perfect picture. It needs a trained eye in order to judge perfectly exactly what the settings should be. What he would also take into account is the depth of field, that is, how much of the image remains in focus. In larger apertures, there is just a short range that is in focus, whereas smaller apertures have a much deeper range, going from the foreground close by to way back, deep into the background. It would all depend on the kind of shot to determine what the settings should be.

For those of us who do not have the inclination, the understanding or the patience, we can always resort to the automatic setting. It's simple, the camera does all the work of adjusting for you and you get a good photograph. It might not be a work of art as might a photograph that a true professional photographer might have taken, but most cameras today give you a very acceptable quality.

Why do we need aperture settings at all? The simple, old cameras didn't have any. If you choose a camera with aperture settings like a telephoto, wide-angle and maximum aperture features, you know that even in an automatic setting, you will get different kinds of pictures, not the same, flat look. It gives you the freedom to take any kind of shot, anywhere, in any light. Otherwise you might find yourself restricted to typical, posed cheesy pictures without too much character or depth.

For more helpful digital photography information, visit Digital-Photgraphy-Help.com at www.digital-photography-help.com


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jill_Kane

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Digital SLR Camera Versus A Compact Digital Camera

Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras are excellent cameras that produce clearer, sharper and more colourful images than most point and shoot digital cameras available. With prices falling rapidly, they are now more affordable then ever. With the price gap between an entry model digital SLR camera and the most expensive compact digital camera narrowing; the question is… do I spend the extra money and get a Digital SLR camera? or save a few hundred dollars and purchase the best digital compact camera.

Well, it really depends on your budget; however if you do spend the extra money, here's what you get:

In addition to the price falls in the Digital SLR models, the performance on these cameras has increased year on year with the latest Digital SLR cameras being quicker and faster than ever before. They have improved to such an extent that power up or start-up time is near instantaneous with virtually no lag time. “Lag time is the time between you pressing the shutter release button and the camera actually taking the shot”. This delay can vary quite a bit between different camera models and it is one of the biggest drawbacks compared to a compact digital camera. The latest digital SLR cameras have virtually no lag times and react in the same way as conventional film cameras, even in burst mode. Compact digital cameras are catching up; however the difference is still significant. A lag time of ~0.5 seconds can result in you missing the heartbeat of the moment and hence that potential great picture.

Digital SLR camera also has a larger sensor versus a smaller sensor in a compact digital camera. This equates to higher sensitivity and less noise and results in the camera taking clearer pictures in low light. (They also have better autofocus speed in low light as well). A measure of sensitivity in a digital camera is ISO and a typical ISO range for a Digital SLR camera varies from ISO 100 – 1600 with the latter being more sensitive. The ISO range for a compact digital camera varies from ISO 50 – 400. In summary, the higher the ISO rating, the greater the sensitivity and the better the photo can be taken in low light.

The Digital SLR cameras have a much longer battery life due to the limited use of the LCD screen. Please note, that as the LCD screen is only used for viewing the image, the battery life of a digital SLR can allow up to 2000 shots per charge in some cameras compared to 500 for a good point and shoot digital camera.

Digital SLR cameras also allow you to interchange lens such as adding a zoom or macro lens when required.

On the negative side of a Digital SLR camera; they are usually larger and heavier than compact digital cameras, the image cannot be previewed on the LCD screen prior taking the picture. If you really require the image to be viewed on the LCD prior to taking the picture, there are third party manufacturers that produce LCD screens that attaches to the viewfinder and allow the scene to be view just like a compact digital camera. The other drawback is the inability to take videos and finally, lenses are expensive with the majority costing more than the camera itself.

Although compact digital cameras cannot compete on features with a Digital SLR camera, they are great value, have the ability to take videos and are portable. If you have decided to purchase a Digital SLR camera I recommend you visit other websites which has Information on Digital Camera and compare the features. If you are still undecided, purchase both.


http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/digital-slr-camera-versus.html

Repairing A Digital Camera

would be ideal if you never had to use a digital camera repair service but the chances are that you will have to find one during the life of your digital camera. If you have bought your camera carefully then it should have a lengthy digital camera repair warranty. Even if your camera is still within the warranty period for digital camera repair then you still have to ensure that you meet the requirements of the warranty.

To start with you will need a few items of equipment

o digital camera repair warranty covers damage caused by abusing the camera or incorrect use. You also need to check what paperwork you have to send off with your digital camera repair for it to be carried out under warranty, such as the sales receipt and completed warranty card. Your warranty will provide instructions for how to obtain a digital camera repair and the procedures to follow. It is important to use a digital camera repair service authorised by the particular manufacturer of your digital camera to ensure that you do not incur any extra costs. A digital camera repair carried out under warranty will not cost you anything unless the equipment needs to be returned to the factory, in which case there are shipping charges.

One of the most frequent problems that require a camera to be sent to a digital camera repair service is a zoom lens that will not zoom, because the lens is out of alignment. This may have been caused by rough handling or some type of impact which will not be covered by the warranty. If your camera is not able to focus then it will not fire and may print out ‘system error’ or not turn on properly. It is a relatively simple process for a digital camera repair service to realign the zoom lens or reset the zoom barrel guide pins that may have been pushed out of their slots, and this will then enable the lens to focus and zoom. The cost for this form of digital camera repair will vary from service to service but it should be a relatively quick job, as long as the digital camera repair company has the correct equipment onsite. It is worth checking before you decide which digital camera repair service to use that they have the necessary equipment and expertise to carry out the repair and not have to send it away.

The best digital camera repair services have skilled digital camera repair technicians that specialize in repairing certain types and brands of cameras, hundreds of specialized tools to properly service your camera and some may also have custom test jigs to help complete repairs more effectively and efficiently.


http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/repair-digital-camera.html