As the years go by, high-tech manufacturers figure out new and better ways to fit more pictures on smaller cards. If you were the first on your block to buy a digital camera, it probably used CompactFlash or SmartMedia cards, which now look gargantuan compared to, say, the xD-Picture Card. CompactFlash cards, on the other hand, have stayed the same size but greatly increased their capacity.
When comparing memory card formats, look at price per megabyte, availability, and what works with your other digital gear. The following list will help you compare the currently available card types.
- CompactFlash cards are rugged, inexpensive, and easy to handle. You can buy them in capacities all the way up to 8 GB (translation: hundreds upon hundreds of pictures). Pro: Readily available; inexpensive; wide selection. Con: They’re physically the largest of any memory card format, which dictates a bigger camera. A name brand 512 MB CompactFlash card costs less than $45.
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The first number you see in a digital camera description is its megapixel rating. A pixel (short for picture element) is one tiny colored dot, one of the thousands or millions that compose a single digital photograph. (One megapixel equals one million pixels.) You can’t escape learning this term, since pixels are everything in computer graphics. The number of megapixels your camera has determines the quality of your pictures’ resolution (the amount of detail that appears). A 5-megapixel camera, for example, has better resolution than a 3-megapixel one. It also costs more. How many of those pixels you actually need depends on how you’re going to display the images you shoot.
1. Resolution for Onscreen Viewing
Many digital photos never get further than a computer screen. After you transfer them to your computer, you can distribute the images by email, post them on a Web page, or use them as desktop pictures or screen savers.
If such activities are the extent of your digital photography ambition, you can get by with very few megapixels. Even a $100, 2-megapixel camera produces a 1600 x 1200-pixel image, which is already too big to fit on the typical 1024 x 768pixel laptop screen (without zooming or scrolling).
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Just about every digital camera on earth saves photos as JPEG files. JPEG is the world’s most popular photo file format, because even though it’s compressed to occupy a lot less space, the visual quality is still very high.
But JPEGs aren’t the only format you’ll run across, especially once you start editing your photos. While there are a zillion graphical formats known to computer-kind, there are really only two, besides JPEG, that you, the digital photographer, need to know about.
TIFF.
Most digital cameras capture photos in the JPEG format. Some cameras, though, offer you the chance to leave your photos uncompressed on the camera, in what’s called TIFF format. These files are hugein fact, you’ll be lucky if you can fit one TIFF file on the memory card that came with the camera.
TIFF’s advantage is that these files retain 100 percent of the picture’s original quality. Note, however, that the instant you edit a TIFF-format photo, most image editing programs convert the file to the lesser quality JPEG format. That’s fine if you plan to order prints or a photo book. But if you took that once-in-a-lifetime, priceless shot as a TIFF file, don’t do any editingdon’t even rotate itif you hope to maintain its perfect, pristine quality. Instead, make a copy of the file and use that copy when it’s time to edit. Then hang onto the TIFF so you’ll always have a master version of your original shot.
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What type of photographer are you? Do you always have a camera in your pocket or purse so you can pull it out for quick shots at work or at the ball park? Or are you a photographer who loves toting around lots of gear and enjoys having the best tools for the job? Do tripods and macro-lenses sound like fun to you? Pro aspirations anyone? Answers to these questions point you toward the digital camera of your dreams. Your camera should become a natural extension of your vision. If you and your camera don’t have that bond, your pictures reflect thator, rather, your lack of pictures. Even if you do most of your researching and shopping on the Web, be sure to actually get your hands on your leading candidate, too.
Today’s digital cameras fall into three categories:
A. Point-and-shoot cameras are small and usually cost around $200 to $400.
With automatically retractable lens covers, they’re designed to travel in your pocket, purse, or backpack. These cameras usually have simplified and automatic settings, so you can quickly catch your shot without fumbling at the controls. Because point-and-shooters keep getting smaller, thinner, and more jewelry-like, it’s important nowadays to make sure the camera’s not too small for your fingers. When you get your hands on a model you like, try answering these questions: Is it too small to hold comfortably? Does your index finger naturally align with the shutter release? Are your non-trigger fingers constantly slipping over the lens?
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The longer the exposure to record a scene, the more important noise reduction becomes. When you shoot nighttime shots, what should be a jet-black sky may exhibit tiny colored specks artifactsthat put a considerable damper on your photo’s impact. (The longer the shutter stays open, the more artifacts you’ll get, as the camera’s sensor gradually heats up.)
A noise reduction feature usually works like this: When you press the shutter, the camera takes two shotsthe one that you think you’re getting, and a second shot with the shutter completely closed. Since the camera’s electronics produce the visual noise, both shots theoretically contain the same colored speckles in the same spots. The camera compares the two shots, concludes that all of the colored specks it finds in the closed-shutter shot must be unwanted, and deletes them from the real shot.
Chances are you’ll have to dig through the literature or the specs on the manufacturer’s Web site to find out whether the camera you’ve got or are considering has this feature. But it’s worth investigating if you’re a nighttime shooter.
Vacations are for enjoyment, not stress. Don’t feel pressured to take the perfect pictures or capture every single moment. Taking pictures is part of your vacation, so relax and have fun while you’re shooting.
Digital cameras encourage playfulness. You can try something silly, look at it on the LCD screen, and if it’s too incriminating, erase it before anyone else discovers just how amateur an amateur photographer you really are.
Try the following ideas next time you’re exploring the world:
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We’ve had a lot of fun using the full version of Instant Photo Artists 1.04 on this month’s CD. The ability to literally paint over your images produced some very satisfying and unique results. The developers behind Instant Photo Artist have also developed several other programs suitable for digital camera users including Instant Photo Effects (trial version on the CD) and Print Platinum. Details on these and other software products can be found on the Streetwise Software website at www.swsoftware.com. But to save you from going online we’ve provided you some details on both Photo Effects and Print Platinum, below.
Photo Effects
Professor Franklin’s Instant Photo Effects means that professional photo editing is only a few mouse clicks away – talk about simplifying your life! You can use your ideas and translate them into real, vibrant effects that look totally professional in a matter of seconds. And best of all, you don’t need any special talents or experience to do it.
The fact is, there are hundreds of dollars worth of effects stored in this software. Simply select a category and browse previews of your photo using thousands of professional photo effects to enhance it in different ways. Photo edge, for example, looks brilliant and can be applied with a single mouse click. Try the Artistic Edge Effects, apply Professional Lighting or add Photo Frames. Create Impressionist Paintings, Watercolours, Pastel Sketches or turn your photo into a Mural or Jigsaw.
Print Platinum
Professor Franklin’s Print Platinum software enables you to design printable, original work on your computer and reproduce it to suit your needs. You can make personalised greeting cards, design calendars for presents, print out colour photos and do tons of other stuff you would usually pay someone else a lot of money to do.
The best thing about Print Platinum is that you can print out something unique and personal in minutes – a lot more satisfying than shelling out for a store-bought card that loads of other people have already got. It gives you the tools to produce the creative projects you’ve thought about but never got around to doing because you didn’t have the art supplies at your fingertips.
Talking of creativity, the program also offers help if you’re in need of a bit of inspiration. There’s a whole gallery full of top quality designs for you to use in your own work, created by Professor Franklin’s in-house artists. The software manufacturer claims that these are “not just another collection of cheesy cards and calendars” but; “top-quality designs that you’ll be proud to present on any occasion.” Quality clip art with a bit of a difference? It’s a tempting offer and the program seems userfriendly too – which is always a bonus.
The latest PowerShot is a heavyweight contender for best entry-level digital camera on the market, with fantastic image quality and a host of nifty features
Canon is no stranger to the world of photography, and the PowerShot A40 reflects that pedigree in its solid, if unexciting appearance. With its straightforward compact styling, the A40 will hold few fears for the first-time digital imager – which is helpful, as most experienced users would consider a 2-megapixel CCD very much entry-level technology these days. You might also take offence at its sheer chunkiness – a quarter of a kilo (even before you add four AA cells) seems a lot when other 2- megapixel digital cameras are slipping subtly into pockets these days.
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