Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Your Guide To Buying A Digital Camera

Almost everyone agrees that digital cameras offer plenty of advantages over film cameras, and consumers are voting with their wallets as they continue to buy digital cameras in record numbers. Some of the advantages of digital cameras over their film counterparts is the ability to immediately see the images you have taken instead of waiting to have film developed first, and also being able to transfer your image files to your computer where you can edit, print and store them as you see fit. But what should you look for when buying a digital camera?

Well, first of all decide how you plan on using the prints that you will make. Will they mostly be 4 X 6 snapshots, or do you plan on making enlargements on up to 11 X 14 or so? This will determine how much resolution that you need to buy when you get your digital camera. For snapshots, a 4 -6 megapixel camera should do the job just fine, but if you want to make larger prints you may want to look for a 6 - 8 megapixel camera instead. And if you plan on doing lots of photo editing that can involve zooming in and cropping a small portion of the image, you may even want a 10+ megapixel camera for that kind of heavy duty work.

Most fixed lens digital cameras come with a zoom feature, but you should know that there are two different types of zooms that are used. One is an optical zoom that relies on the lens for it's magnification, and the other is the digital zoom that enlarges the image already captured by digital means instead. The optical zoom is far more preferable than the digital zoom as it will produce sharp and clear zoom shots throughout it's entire focal range. The digital zoom is only magnifying the resulting image and so it can produce less sharp, grainy pictures instead when used at the higher end of the focal range. So try to get a camera that has as much of the zoom range that you want being handled by the optical rather than the digital zoom.

If having the best image quality is important to you then you want to look for digital cameras that save their files in TIFF, GIF and RAW formats as these do not sacrifice any image quality when compressing the image file for storage. On the other hand, the JPEG image format that many cameras use will cause some loss of image quality in the file compression part of saving the image file.

When deciding what digital camera to buy, much of your decision will revolve around how you plan to use the camera and the resultant image files, and what features are most important to you and the way you shoot your photos. The tips given above should help you though to be more informed about how to select the digital camera that fits your photo style best.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including digital photography. You can find top selling digital cameras and cannon digital cameras by visiting our Digital Photography website.


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The Primer on Digital Camera Printers

Once you have clicked photos through your digital camera, then the next step is to turn these ‘virtual’ images into real photos. One way is to send the memory card to a digital photo laboratory and get the images developed there. But if you click digital photos on a regular basis, then it is better that you buy yourself a digital camera printer, or more commonly known as a digital photo printer.

There are lots and lots of choices available in the market today. The top three companies are HP, Canon and Epson. So, before you go and spend your money, here are some tips on what you must keep in mind while deciding on a digital photo printer.

Firstly, digital photo printers are available in two basic types. There are 4-color printers and 6-color printers. Nowadays, there are even 8-color printers available. So, the higher the number of colors the better will be the photo quality once you have hit the print file button. Using good quality photo paper and one of the 8 color printers will give you results that rival your photo lab.

Secondly, the printing method used by the printer is also very important. There are 2 main printing methods: inkjet and thermal. Inkjet is commonly used for taking photo prints but the quality of the printout is not excellent. You need to have at least a 6-color printer to get decent print quality. Also, the ink cartridges are quite expensive and the biggest disadvantage is that inkjet printing does not provide a waterproof coating to the images. Hence, the color fades after some time.

Thermal printing, on the other hand, is much better since it not only applies a waterproof coating but is also better quality-wise. It is also more cost effective as the paper and ink cartridges used are cheaper.

Most of these printers can be purchased under $500. However, there are few key characteristics that are different in all these printers which determine their price. These are :

· The printing width differs amongst printers. Normally the width is either 8.5" or 13". The highest quality printers will allow you to go larger but at a much higher per print cost.

· If you want to print really great looking black-and-white images, then the printer needs to have grey inks as well. So, an 8-color printer would be best suited for this purpose.

· Whether your printer has separate ink tanks for each color or does it have multiple inks in each cartridge. If you have multiple inks, then you have to replace the entire cartridge even if one color finishes. Hence, it is more expensive to replace such cartridges and you waste a lot of ink as well.

· The ability of the printer to print directly from your camera or a memory card through a link.

· The printing speed per minute. This can go up to 10 minutes for a colored snap, so you must properly check this out depending upon our usage.

Multi use printers are great for a busy office or household but if you want to make fine prints out of your digital images you should invest in a dedicated digital camera printer or digital photo printer. Look for models that will take the most popular memory cards straight into the printer without having to load the images into your computer.

Author information:

Kevin Rockwell worked as a network TV cameraman for 20 years shooting news and sports. Now a devoted fan of digital photography and video he works to gather information, tips and news for digital camera users. Oh and he loves to shoot pictures of his kids playing sports with his digital camera. He has some nice prints hanging on the wall.

http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/gdcj.html

Digital Camera Photo Processing

So one of these days you'd actually like to get your photos turned into something you can hold in your hand, right? Well then this article on Digital Camera Photo Processing is for you.

Remember the old days when you'd take your film down to the local photo store and you'd have them within an hour? Well that option is still available, but there may be others that you simply might not be aware of.

For instance there are plenty of online photo processing web-sites that can process your digital camera's photos very easily. You can then option to have your photos or even select photos sent out to you.

However, there are other options that you can do. For instance, rather than obtain multiple copies of prints, having them mailed out to you, and then sending those same copies to friends and relatives, you can send them online. Most of the time this service is for free. I actually do this all the time, because in addition to the cost savings, these web sites also save the photos for you online. That means you'll never have to worry about losing those wonderful photos you took.

One of my personal favorite web sites is Ofoto. I have found the website to be very user friendly when navigating the site and also their prices for printed photos are quite reasonable and their timliness on their shipping is also pretty good. Furthermore, they also allow you to manipulate your photos using an assortment of features, like zoom-in and cutting. While they are certainly not as powerful as some digital photo software, they are still a nice feature.

If you still prefer the old fashioned route of bringing your camera into a photo store for processing, then you can still do that to. Most stores have been hit pretty hard by the wave of online merchants, but if you look around your area, you can almost certainly find one. My experience has been with a camera store that is owned by a family for more than thirty years. While I could probably save money by going elsewhere, I know I will always get great service and advice from this place. Naturally I know a few things about photography, but this place always can teach me something else. I would hope that you can find a similar place, but superstores like Target often have knowledgeable employees as well.

I hope this article has been of some help to you! Here's to some great photos!

If you would like to know more, please visit http://tipsondigitalphotography.com/digital_camera_photo_processing.html

Timothy Cashman is an independent reviewer on products & services. You can find further information at http://tipsondigitalphotography.com/


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Canon Digital Camera - from Humble Beginnings to World Class Company

Started in a single-room by three Japanese men in the year 1933 under the name of Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, Canon has come a long way today. It all began with the phantom prototype camera called the ‘Kwanon’. At that time, Germany was considered to be the leader in camera production. German cameras were extremely expensive. So, Goro Yoshida, along with two others tried to produce a 35mm rangefinder camera at a cheaper price and came up with “Kwanon’.

However, at that time, one of the problems faced by the company was that it did not have a lens of its own. So, it decided to tie up with Nippon Kogaku Kogyo (who was to become the founder of Nikon) and acquire lenses from them. With the use of these lenses, Canon came up with its first commercial camera called the “Hansa Canon” in 1936 which became a hit. However, the company still had to go through hardships due to the War.

After the war, the company officially adopted the name “Canon” as its name. Up till then, the lens was under a different name, the camera had a different name and the company had a different name. So, in order to unify all these three, Canon came into existence on September 15, 1947. Slowly the company started to expand, and many historical cameras were created such as the Serenar 50mm f/1.8 lens in 1951, Canonet in 1961, AF35M (Autoboy) in 1979 and the EOS 650 in 1987.

The first Canon digital camera was the PowerShot 600 in 1996. Then, after making several advances in digital technology, Canon launched the EOS D2000 digital SLR camera in 1998 for professionals. In addition, the XL1 digital video camera was introduced. Due to its superior functionality and reliability, the XL1 became the official digital video camcorder of the NASA.

In order to provide the market with a cost effective camera along with superior functionality and performance, Canon introduced the EOS D60 in 2002 and the EOS 10D in 2003. These two cameras made Canon the market leader in digital technology. Then, the EOS Kiss Digital was introduced in 2003, which became a big success.

Today, Canon has introduced several digital camcorders. Starting with the FV30 and the FV200KIT in 2002, Canon went onto launch the FV M1 and the IXY DV M2 in 2003 in the mid range segment. As the company progresses, Canon continue to strive to provide its consumers with better and better technology at the lowest price possible. They have been known as a choice of the pros for many years in the world of photography but now with a broad line of products Canon is firmly positioned in the consumer market as well.

Kevin Rockwell worked as a network TV cameraman for 20 years shooting news and sports. Now a devoted fan of digital photography and video he works to gather information, tips and news for digital camera users. Oh and he loves to shoot pictures of his kids playing sports using his digital cameras. http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/gdcj.html


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Buying Your Child A Digital Camera - What You Need To Know

Purchasing any gift item for your child is a mind-numbing task. You can never be sure whether they will like what you buy for them or not. So, when you want to buy a digital camera for your little kids, then there are lots of things, which you must know, which will help you (hopefully!) to get the right camera for your child.

One of the most important things for children is that the digital camera should be one of the latest available in the market. If it has been heavily advertised and people are talking about it, then it is even better. This gives children a sense of pride and also allows them to ‘show-off’ their possession to their friends.

Another factor, which is critical for children, is that the camera must look good. This is very, very important to them. It does not matter whether it has a big screen or small screen, whether it is 2 mega pixel or 1.5 mega pixel – the camera should have a smart shape, come in flashy colors or it can also look cute or funky. But, the camera should not look ‘boring’ or very ‘serious’ in nature. However good the functions might be, if the camera does not look good, it is most likely that your choice will get rejected.

The size is also important. Most children will definitely prefer a digital camera that is small and compact in size. The weight and size should be such that they are able to easily put the camera in their pocket or hang it by a string. Large and bulky models, even if they have better features are not advisable for children.

It is also necessary to remember that even though you might gift your child a digital camera to click photographs for school projects, they will be using it to take pictures of their friends. So, look for some ‘fun’ features in the digital camera. These can include colorful background images or sound effects, photographic effects that they can use to enhance the images taken by them.

One more thing is ease of use. It is important that the camera has a simple system through which children can easily take pictures quickly. However, you really do not need to worry about this aspect a lot because today’s children have been born in the digital era. They are able to pick up things much faster than you or me, so as long as the camera is good in all other aspects, even if its ‘click ability’ is a little confusing, it does not really matter. They are fast learners these days!

Last but not the least, is the price. While buying a digital camera for your child, it is understandable that you really do not want to spend a lot of money. There are lots of choices available in the market today. The price range starts from as low as $30 and can go up to $300. So, it really depends on how much you would like to spend on the camera. Start simple and upgrade if they grow out of the digital camera that you buy for them. Hey share them with the whole family!

Kevin Rockwell worked as a network TV cameraman for 20 years shooting news and sports. Now a devoted fan of digital photography and video he works to gather information, tips and news for digital camera users. Oh and he loves to shoot pictures of his kids playing sports. http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/gdcj.html


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14 Digital Camera Parts That You Must Have

There are many things that you will need in your quest for digital photo-taking, and I have to tell you that they are legion. It’s just as bad, and maybe even worse, than the masses of stuff you need with a good film camera. However you look at it though, just as with a film camera, most of these digital camera parts and accessories are stuff that we buy just to please ourselves.

There’s really only a very small amount of these accessories that can be truly thought of as essential to the serious photographer. Everything else is just for the fun of it really.

Accessories You Must Have

Since accessories can be anything that you need, want, or see from one given moment to the next, I thought it best if I separated them out for you. You know, just to make your life somewhat easier. In actual fact I did this for myself a few years ago when I was still on film cameras because I found that no matter how hard I tried, I always wound up buying something that was useful, but which wasn’t useful to me.

Like the fish-eye lens that I bought a few years ago, just before I got into my digital stride. It’s useful yes, just not for me. Needless to say, I still have it. I’ve used it only once, but since the thought that I might actually get around to using it crosses my mind every time I try to part with it, I’m still the proud owner of a completely useless fish-eye lens.

If you’ve been a photographer of any sort for any length of time, then there’s a better than even chance that you’ve also indulged at some point in time and have bought something that’s absolutely useful – just not useful for you. So to that end, I started out writing a list of the things that I absolutely must have in order to get any sort of photography done, but instead came up with a list of all the things that I needed, wanted and saw just that morning in my favorite photography magazine.

Obviously that wasn’t going to get me anywhere fast, and I have to say that I ditched the list at that time. Luckily for all you readers out there going through this with breathless anticipation, I found it just the other day.

For the purposes of clarity, I’ve cleaned it up somewhat and have now divided it into two sections. The accessories that you should-have, or that you might want to look at getting at a later point in time. And the accessories that you want and that you will get at some point in time.

Assuming that you read the title of this article, you will then know that you’re in the ‘should have’ accessories section, and not the ‘must have now’ accessories section. Again, needless to say, there will be a few things that I might have left out of the list, but trust me, it’s not for lack of trying!

So, here is the list (without going too descriptions and definitions):

• Lenses

• Extension tubes

• Remote release/Cable release

• Tripods

• Reflectors

• Lens Cloth

• Lens Brush

• Filters

• ND Grads

• Spare Batteries

• Memory cards

• Cases

• Beanbag

• Lightbox

Are you looking for information about digital camera parts? If you want to learn some amazing digital photography secrets that the gurus won't tell you, then visit http://www.digital-photo-secrets.info for more information.


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Get Paid Using Your Digital Camera

Would you like to get paid using your digital camera?

Great news, you can get paid taking photos and you don’t have to be a professional photographer.

Many businesses and individuals need pictures taken and uploaded to their websites or used in their product brochures or used to sell items on and offline. I have only given you a few examples here but the potential is endless.

Stop and think for a moment about all the pictures that you see pretty much everywhere you look, hmm well someone has to take those pictures right?

Of course some big businesses will hire someone on a permanent basis to do this but the smaller businesses and individuals don’t want the additional cost of hiring someone full time, but they will hire freelance photographers for a particular project or saleable item.

You don’t need an expensive camera as long as it takes quality pictures and you will also need an image program (which is normally included with your camera software installation) if not there are plenty of affordable image software programs available.

Getting paid using your digital camera can be something you do to make a little extra income or you can explore it further to make it a full time income, there are many people who do make a full time living out of it and if that’s what you want to pursue you’ll probably need some guidance to learn what steps you need to take.

I would suggest you read Brian Moore’s Camera Dollars Income System, he has written a step by step ebook on how to get started right away.

To find out more check out my blog Making Money Using Your Digital Camera


The Best Rated Digital Camera Buyers Guide

Just like with normal film cameras, there are different types of digital cameras which you can buy. What exactly you buy though depends entirely on your preference. Finding the best rated digital camera will involve some degree of knowledge about digital photography, as well as an understanding of what it is that you plan on doing with your camera. A simple digital camera buyers guide may not provide you with the whole picture, no pun intended.

If you’re only a family-holiday kind of photographer you might want to stay away from the more expensive professional cameras. Whereas if you’re a budding photographer who has only now seen the light through the lens, so to speak, you might want to go in for something that’s not top of the line in terms of equipment, but something that will instead help you in your endeavors.

If you’re a professional photographer then you probably don’t need my input into which type of cameras you should get. On the other hand, the budding, novice photographer might find it interesting to know that when they get to a stage where they feel comfortable enough with their photography skills, they can then move on to the top of the range professional cameras.

What I tried to do here though is to give you some insight into the different types of cameras available. It’s up to you to take it from there and do more research into the various different makes of cameras and their pros and their cons.

Before you wonder why I’m not giving you any detailed specifications on any of the existing cameras, it’s for the very simple reason that by the time you’re reading this, the cameras I’m talking to you about might not be the best on the market. Technology is a forever changing thing and what’s new today, will almost definitely be old hat three days from now.

Phone Cameras

With the advent of new technology and the ability to make small micro-chips and things even smaller to a macro level, we’re now faced with the ability to use these macro-chips just about anywhere we want to. This is the reason why we now have the ability to take reasonably good photographs from our mobile phones.

If you look anywhere these days you won’t be surprised to see many people with their phones out and snapping merrily away. To illustrate my point let me give you a small snapshot if you will, of something that happened to me not too long ago. There I was at a friend’s wedding, snapping merrily away on my digital SLR camera – I was the designated photographer – doing my utmost best to remain inconspicuous and blend in with the background.

I wanted to get as many candid shots as I could that the happy couple could laugh over and treasure for a long time. It was during my efforts at attaining this state of photographic perfection that I came across a scene that was hilarious as much as it was thought provoking in its own way.

While the newly married couple had taken to the dance floor for their first dance as man and wife, the guests had gathered around to admire their grace. This though, was not the moment that remains in my memory as a candid camera moment.

No, it wasn’t the picture of the happily dancing couple, but instead the picture that caught my eye was that of their friends and relatives all more or less huddled together as close as they could get to the best view point of the dance floor. It was nighttime, and only the floor was softly lit, so in that dim gloom it was amusing to see so many blue screens all held up in their owners’ hands pointed all in the same direction, towards the couple.

Just about everybody with a camera phone was out there snapping merrily away, some even taking videos. This might seem normal and not even remotely funny – especially if you do the same thing yourself, but to me it was a sign of the times.

And what was amazing was that no one even noticed this highly unnatural phenomenon of over a dozen people all with phones in their hands and all looking into the their screens, instead of the dancing couple.

Compact

I still remember the first compact camera I had. My dad gave it to me for my fourteenth birthday, and I have to say that it was the pride and joy of my life – for exactly five months. After that I have no idea what happened to it, and frankly I have to say at that time I wasn’t really all that bothered about it either.

The joys of photography still hadn’t caught my attention and there were more interesting things for me to do at the time. However, it must also be said that when I finally did gain more than an average interest in photography, the first camera that I went out and bought was a compact.

And a more worthwhile purchase I have never made. Since for all intents and purposes I was very much an amateur in the photography field (my first camera at age fourteen notwithstanding), I was able to experiment and fiddle around as much as I wanted to.

And since at that time I wasn’t yet into the expenses of positive films, and since negative film rolls were generally inexpensive, I was able to pretty much do what I wanted. The only restriction that I had, if at all, was the cost of developing the film, which I solved by creating my own darkroom and developing the negatives myself.

However that may be, you’ll be glad to know that the compact camera is probably the best camera for when you’re starting out.

And since nowadays you’re more likely to go for the compact digital camera, your life just got considerably easier, and your photography just became considerably more enhanced. You know that you don’t have the expenses of processing to contend with, and with the ease of digital, if you’re still very much a novice then you can learn your way quickly and easily through photography 101.

SLR – Single Lens Reflex

These are the cameras that professionals go for, but don’t limit yourself thinking that only professionals can use these properly. There’s no such thing; anyone can use them as long as they can point and shoot.

Things get slightly more complicated as you go further in depth into photography, but don’t let that stop you. If you’re interested in photography at all and are considering taking it up seriously as a hobby or a profession, then I would suggest that you shop around and find the right digital SLR for you.

Start as you mean to go on and you should be fine. Admittedly you might be stuck on the auto meter button for a while, but you will eventually get over that problem and will find yourself using the many functions offered to you by the digital SLR, with ease.

Are you looking for information about the best rated digital camera or a digital camera buyers guide? If you want to learn some amazing digital photography secrets that the gurus won't tell you, then visit http://www.digital-photo-secrets.info for more information.


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