Getting the Whole Camera Package
Aug 05 '01
The Bottom Line As always, research, research, research. Make sure you know exactly what you are buying.
I recently wrote a novice's guide to understanding digital camera attributes (such as resolution, CCD, Memory Size, etc). Now I will discuss what a good camera package contains so you can make an informed choice. Just picking a digital camera is not enough; you need to be aware of other things, such as battery type, included software, connection to computer method, etc. If you don't know about these, you might get stuck with a camera package you don't like.
Never ever settle for the cheap, camera-only bargain packages. You need to buy a package that offers all the tools you'll need to create the best pictures in the least amount of time. A good camera must have a good manual. Don't settle for a camera with a tiny manual. Eventually you will have a tricky question and that the manual won't be able to answer. Make sure your camera comes with a thick manual that describes every aspect of the camera. Also, very important, is that you get a camera that offers comprehensive tech support and online support. Newer models, especially, have tons of features that are often hard to understand. You need to make sure you have ways of getting these questions answered.
After taking pictures to your heart's content, how will you get them to your computer? Make sure you understand what connection type your camera uses. Some connect through USB, which is fairly slow (32 high quality pictures will take about 8 minutes to load onto your computer). The Sony Mavica and other cameras save your pictures on a floppy disk, which can then be inserted into a computer and pictures then downloaded. Keep in mind, however, that a floppy disk is only 1.44 MB (compared to other cameras which offer 32 MB cards). A floppy disk camera also makes the camera much larger and heavier, and as you probably already know, copying a floppy disk is a long process. Copying a disk to a computer usually takes about a 60-90 seconds. The best way to transfer from a camera to a computer is from a firewire port. If your computer has a firewire port (known as a "IEEE 1394" port) and your camera allows you to transfer using firewire, then downloading pictures to your computer is incredibly fast. Usually a 32 MB card will take a few seconds! This is a definite advantage to digital camera users who take many pictures and don't have 8 minutes to waste in-between rolls.
What kind of software does your camera package come with. All (or almost all) cameras come with the bare-bones minimum of a CD with drivers for you camera and very basic software that lets you download pictures to your computer. If you want a good camera package though, make sure it comes with comprehensive software, if you already don't have some. Many cameras, for example, come with ArcSoft PhotoSuite, a bundle of programs that prints, edits, and touches up photos. Other software that might come with your camera lets you prepare photos to be sent online by email, or software that lets you create digital photo albums online. Consider this when buying a camera. However, if you already have Photoshop 6.0 and other expensive photo software, you can probably skip this step.
Before buying a camera know what kind of batteries it supports / comes with. Some only support AA batteries. If you get one of these, batteries will drain quickly, unless you use NimH Rechargeables. They last twice as long as alkalines in high-drain devices such as cameras and camcorders. A better battery type is Lithium-Ion batteries. They last a lot longer and are better suited for digital cameras. The idea of what battery your camera uses might not be a big deal to you, but it should be. Especially if you use your flash a lot (each time you use it, it drains the battery at a higher rate than normal camera usage). Make sure you know how long batteries will last you in the camera you are buying. You'd be surprised, but a backlit LCD and flash can drain batteries very quickly.
Another key issue in picking a good camera is LCD size (which is measured diagonally in inches across the screen). You might not think it is very important, but having a well backlit, colorful, nicely sized LCD can make a world of difference. After taking a picture you want to see what you took (and what it will look like in full size) on your LCD. If it looks bad on the LCD, you can delete it and try to take a better picture. However, if you have a crappy LCD screen, judging pictures becomes very hard and you start to make more mistakes. If you have a horribly small, bland LCD screen, except to not be able to tell what pictures to keep and which to delete.
I hope this helps you further in picking a digital camera. If you have any questions then post them in the comments section and I will answer them in my next digital camera guide.
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