Basic Understanding of Your Digital Camera Flash

Many of us do not think twice about the usage of our digital camera's flash assuming that the camera will use the flash automatically as needed. Flash however can and should be manually set in many scenarios resulting in high quality digital photos.

The most common usage of flash photography is when there is not enough ambient light for example when taking an indoor digital photo in a dark room. There are many other ways in which you can use your digital camera's flash to get high quality digital photos. One such usage is fill-in flash.

Before setting your flash to manual mode and making more efficient usage of it you should know a bit more of the technology and history behind flash photography. Flash photography has been around for more than a century. During the early days of photography flash was implemented as a powder that was literally lit by either fire or electrical current. At that time flash photography was a risky business. Digital cameras today use a safe implementation by utilizing electronic flash tubes that are automatically synchronized with the camera's shutter.

You have two options for using flash with your digital camera. The first option is using the digital camera internal flash. Practically all digital cameras have build-in flash units. Most cameras also allow the usage of an external flash unit. Such flash units can be either mechanically attached to the digital camera or they can be connected to the camera via a cable and mechanically positioned on a tripod or any other mechanism. They are synchronized and controlled by the digital camera. External flash units vary in price and features. They can have different maximum light energy that they can emit and different mechanical capabilities (tilting, skewing).

In automatic flash mode the camera sensors evaluate the amount of ambient light in the scene. The digital camera fires the flash if the amount of ambient light is not high enough. There are limitations to the cameras automatic sensors resulting in either firing the flash when it was not needed or vice versa.

In some scenarios the usage of flash can result in poor digital photos. For example when the object is too close to the digital camera the flash light will be too strong and will wash out the object. Another example is in scenarios where the flash creates unwanted shadows in the digital photo. Yet another example is exaggeration of details such as when shooting a digital photo of an older person the skin wrinkles and imperfections details can be overly detailed.

Digital camera's flash units have a certain effective range. This is a limitation of how much light energy the flash unit can emit. Internal flash units usually have shorter range than external flash units. If the object in the photo is outside of the flash range - the flash will not be effective and the object will be dark. On the other hand if the object is too close to the flash unit or the flash unit emits too much energy the object will be washed out. If your object is outside of your flash unit effective range you should turn off the flash and use slow shutter photography preferably with a tripod or another stabilizing mechanism. If your flash units allows the setting of the light energy that will be fired (usually by setting the distance to the object) - make sure that it is set right to prevent washed out objects.

In some scenarios there will be enough ambient light to take a digital photo but without the usage of the flash the digital photo quality will be very poor. In such scenario if the camera is left on automatic flash mode it will not fire the flash. For example daytime photography with an object that is shadowed. If the object is wearing a hat it can create shades on the object's face or when the object is lit from the side the object's nose can create shades too. Putting the flash in manual fill-in mode will force the flash to fire. The flash will lit those shadowed areas and prevent the shades in the final digital photo. The object of course must be in effective flash range. Another example is an object that is lit from behind such as when taking a digital photo of an object against a sunset. Without a fill-in flash the photo will likely be just a dark silhouette of the object.

These were some basic concepts behind flash usage. There are many other advanced options for your digital camera flash. For example bounce flash can result in great digital photos - in that mode instead of pointing the flash directly at the object it is pointed to some reflecting surface like a wall or a special reflector. The result is more natural light and color rich digital photos.

Ziv Haparnas is a technology veteran and writes about practical technology and science issues. This article can be reprinted and used as long as the resource box including the backlink is included. You can find more information about photo album printing and photography in general on http://www.printrates.com - a site dedicated to photo printing.

By Ziv Haparnas

The Mystical Zoom Effect Of Digital Cameras Explained In Plain English

Most of the digital cameras within the mid-priced range include a 3x/4x lens - the first number refers to the optical zoom with the second number referring to the digital zoom. A few of the lower-end priced cameras have only a digital zoom, but their photos are rather dull and slightly fuzzy. The zoom effect in a digital camera is similar to, yet different, from that of a conventional camera. It brings distant subjects closer.

However, in a digital camera there are two kinds of 'zooms'. The first is similar to that of a conventional camera and is known as the optical zoom. The second is the digital zoom, and is more interesting. It 'simulates' optical zoom by enlarging a portion of the image -- that is the digital zoom selects a portion of the photograph and blows it up.

The zoom effect should not be confused with photo editing, where an image editing software is used to crop and blow a picture on a computer screen. Cropping a picture can refer to enlarging the main subject, or an area of choice - thereby eliminating the remaining parts. Another misconception associated with digital zoom is that it is very handy in capturing long distance images. Nothing can be more misleading. Optical zoom matters more in a digital camera.

The zoom that should be used for comparing cameras is optical zoom, and not digital zoom or total zoom. A camera's quality depends upon the value of optical zoom; a camera with higher optical zoom is better than a camera with lower optical zoom. In fact, today the digital camera manufacturers have started using a new term - "total zoom." This term only confuses the customer for there is nothing like total zoom. At best, it can be used to indicate the fact that a digital camera has both kinds of zoom - optical zoom and digital zoom.

Individuals who previously used the 35mm camera or an APS camera used only optical zoom. This uses the lens to bring the subject of the picture closer. Digital zoom are associated with the digital video cameras.

Many photographers do not really associate digital zoom as "zoom" in the digital cameras, as it only enlarges a portion of the image. In layman's terms, the camera crops a certain aspect of the image, and then enlarges it back to size which causes a loss in image quality. But what it actually does is replace the image editing for cropping.

Another zoom effect that has been developed recently is the "smart zoom". This particular zoom maintains the image quality by avoiding interpolation of the image. However, smart zoom works only if you select an image smaller than the full available image size.

Sometimes optical zoom is compared to resolution while buying a digital camera. Nothing can be more absurd. These are two different values and have no common link. Resolution is used to indicate the number of pixels in an image while optical zoom is used to define the lens power. It can neither increase nor decrease the resolution.

There is also a tendency today to disable digital zoom. Some photographers prefer to crop and enlarge an image on a computer screen. They don't trust the camera to do it for them. This is not a good practice because it reduces the effectiveness of your camera.

Check out http://www.digicamland.org/ for more articles on outdoor digital camera and digital camera.

By Mike Singh

Digital Camera Accessories - The Top 7 Accessories You Can't Live Without!

The anticipation of buying some digital camera accessories is just about as exciting as buying the camera itself. With so many trimmings to go with it, the digital camera will turn a simple hobby into a pleasurable profession with just a snap of the finger. When we begin looking at the digital camera of choice, we need to look at some of the accessories that will go with it. Some accessories will go with most cameras but some may be brand specific, so stay with the brand of the camera if you can when looking at their extras.

Accessories such as rechargeable batteries, a battery charger/AC adapter, memory card, soft camera case, camera bag, lens cleaning kit, tripod, external flash and filters, will all make the digital camera run more smoothly and efficiently. They add value to your photo shoots, and also increase the life of your camera. The worst thing in the world is to be out on a shoot, and have the battery go out or the memory card malfunctions.

There are some accessories more important than others, and some simply sell better than others. Right now, at the top of the accessory list for digital cameras are: (1) camera bags - for LCD scratches, general marks on the camera, with the Lowepor Micro Trekker 200 and the Lowepro Mini Trekker Classic as the two top selling bags; (2) memory cards - it is best to have one large card or a couple medium card.

(3) camera tripod - only purchase one of you are serious about photography; (4) photo printer - some of the best ones are the Canon i70/i80/i90 Portable Photo Printer, HP Photosmart 375 Photo Inkjet Printer, Epson PictureMate Personal Photo Lab Inkjet Printer, Kodak EasyShare Dock Plus Dye Sublimation Printer, and the Sony DFF-FP50 Digital Photo Inkjet Printer; and (5) Portable Storage Device and Card Reader - holds 7 memory card types and stores up to 100 GB of images; (6) photo editing software - always upgrade to a more advanced program; and (7) Digital Picture Frame - displays slide shows and receives photos across country.

One of the most important accessories, which really is a necessity, should be a lens cleaning kit to go along with the digital camera. You should never clean any optics of your camera using your shirt, fingers, water or breath. The kit, which costs a few dollars, includes a small blower brush, a soft cloth, a small plastic bottle containing the lens cleaning solution, and a number of lens cleaning tissues. Little specks of dirt on a photograph or smudges will cost a person time when they editing them out.

Digital cameras and their built-in flashes have a limited range of approximately ten feet, which is considered normal for most point-and-shoot cameras. This distance can be increased 18 feet on up to 40 feet, depending on the flash used as a slave flash, which is ANY photographic flash that has a sensor built into the unit. Many of these are sensitive enough to be activated 100 feet away in full sunlight, but are not restricted to outdoor use only.

Some of the new digital cameras that have "red eye reduction", also called pre-flash, require a special digital flash unit to act as a slave unit. But the older digital cameras without pre-flash will still work with slave units. But the first thing was to purchase a camera with at least 2X on up to an 8X optical zoom - not digital. Optical is the highest quality digital camera available, as the digital will take blurry photographs.

Another very important accessory is a tripod, for those of us who have the shakes and an unsteady hand. The tripod is needed to prevent camera shake, especially when the shutter speed drops below 1/60 second at a wide angle shot. Some digital cameras are equipped with an LCD monitor, which flashes a blinking light as a warning when the shutter speed is likely to cause a camera shake.

Also, a tripod is necessary when the photographer is too close to the object in macro photography. There are mini tripods and the regular tripods, with the minis pretty popular anymore as they are lightweight and can be stored easily.

Almost all digital cameras come with a small starter memory card, 16 or 32 MB. However, a professional photographer or a shutterbug may need a larger memory card - the more pictures on it, the faster it will disappear in room. A larger card will have more room so more pictures can be taken; we won't need to rush to our computer to transfer them off the memory card before we run out of room. We also have the option of using several small memory cards, sorted out per subject or job.

And last but not least, a battery charger or an AC adapter is very much needed, unless we keep a case of batteries on us at all times. But the battery charger is the number one choice as it allows us to continue charging spare batteries without interrupting our shooting. In the case of an AC adapter, the shooting will come to a halt while the battery is being charged.

It is also advisable to buy a spare set of rechargeable batteries as it saves us the embarrassment of getting stuck with drained out batteries during the middle of a photo shoot. Rechargeable batteries last longer, and will save us the bother of hunting for battery stores in desolate places. The price may be high at first, but it is better than losing a photography job or driving all the way to a camera store to repurchase what was forgotten in the first place!

Check out http://www.digicamland.org/ for more articles on digital camara and digita camera.

By Mike Singh

Choosing a Digital Camera: Making Sense of the Technobabble

If you're like most people, you don't know a megapixel from an f-stop, you just want a camera that works well and takes nice pictures. But the ads and websites are almost drowning you in computer jargon and mysterious numbers.

The good news is that today's digital cameras are much better than even a couple years ago, and most cameras from reputable brands will do a decent job. So the pressure's off; don't worry about your decision too much. Armed with just a little understanding, you'll be able to find a camera that fits your needs and won't break the bank.

Here are the things you'll want to look for, and how they'll affect your digital camera experience:

1. Megapixels

I'm listing this one first not because it's really the most important, but because it's the one the camera makers harp on the most. You're going to see a megapixel number in every camera ad and product listing, so you might as well know what it is.

In a nutshell, the number of megapixels a camera can capture describes the level of detail and sharpness you will get. A 3-megapixel camera divides a photo into three million individual dots and records the color of each one of them. A 10-megapixel camera divides it into ten million dots, so of course it is recording more details.

However, it usually stops mattering after about 6 megapixels. That's because this is already enough resolution for photographic-quality 8x10" prints, which are the largest that most people ever make.

Having a larger number of megapixels than that does give you some extra freedom - for instance, you can crop part of your photo away and still have enough for a large, high quality print.

But if you don't think you're going to be making poster-size prints, or using photo manipulation software to crop large areas out of your images before printing them, then don't worry too much about extremely high megapixel counts.

2. Zoom

Zoom comes in two flavors - optical and digital. It's usually expressed as a number followed by an "x". A zoom listed as "3x", for example, can make the subject of your photo appear three times larger. That's a typical zoom for pocket-sized cameras, but larger digital cameras may have up to 12x or more.

Optical zoom means lenses, just like with film cameras. The size of the image is increased by moving two lenses farther apart from each other in the camera. If the lenses are of good quality, then the resulting enlarged image will also be sharp and clear.

Digital zoom, on the other hand, is not so useful. Using digital zoom always decreases the quality of your image; no serious photographer would ever use it. Camera manufacturers include it because it doesn't cost them anything and allows them to claim higher zoom ratios than they're willing to provide with optics.

So it's very important to look separately at the optical and digital zoom numbers, and only pay attention to the optical zoom.

The flip side of powerful optical zoom is that it makes the camera larger and heavier. So you have to decide how much extra weight that 10x lens is worth to you.

3. Manual features

All consumer digital cameras offer fully automatic focus and exposure control. This means you usually don't have to worry about getting your subject sharply focused, or think about the level of light at different points in your shot and how that will affect the photo.

But sometimes the camera doesn't make the right guess. It may keep focusing on the wrong thing, or it may get confused by bright or dark areas, and the whole photo may come out too light or dark.

If your camera only has automatic mode, then you're stuck. On the other hand, if it has manual overrides, you can tell it exactly how to focus, or how bright to make the photo. Most people don't care, but if you think you might want to be a perfectionist, then you should look for a camera with manual focus and manual exposure controls.

4. Movie mode

These days, digital cameras don't only take still photos - almost all of them can also make movies. The movies usually aren't that great, and the length may be extremely limited (maybe even less than a minute), but sometimes it's nice to be able to capture something with motion and sound.

The most important things to look for is the maximum length of the movie - the longer the better, and unlimited is better still. Be aware that long movies can take up a lot of your camera's memory - after all, a movie is really just an awful lot of still shots, one after another. You may find that after taking a long movie, you have to move it off your camera and into your computer before you have enough room to take many photos.

You may also want to check the resolution of the movies (this is like megapixels, explained above, except that the resolution for movies is usually much lower than for still photos). 320x240 is a standard resolution, but many cameras are now offering 640x480 or even higher.

The last thing to look for is frame rate. 15 frames per second (fps) is standard, but these movies tend to look kind of jerky, especially if there's fast motion. 30 frames per second is the same as television.

5. Screen size and quality

You'll spend a lot of time looking at the little (or not so little) screen on the back of your camera, so make sure it's a good one. It should be large, have a lot of pixels and be bright.

Most current cameras have two-and-a-half inch screens, but larger ones are slowly becoming more common.

The more pixels the screen has, the easier it will be for you to check the quality of your pictures without having to view them on a computer monitor or print them out. 75,000 pixels is on the low end; 250,000 is currently about the best on the market.

The brightness is something you can only assess for yourself. If you get the chance, try out the camera in a shop during the daytime. Take it to the window, so there is lots of natural light, and check whether you can still see the image clearly with the sun at your back. It's frustrating trying to use a camera when the screen is washed out and dim in daylight.

6. Size and weight

Cameras keep getting smaller and smaller. Some of them, like the latest Exilim cameras from Casio, are smaller than a pack of cigarettes and still deliver good shots. But you'll pay for the privilege; the tiniest cameras cost a lot more than larger models with similar features.

When you're thinking about size, probably the most important threshold is whether or not you can fit it in your pocket. If you can, it's likely you'll find yourself carrying the camera around - and using it - much more than you would if it required toting a bag. But any smaller than that, and you're probably paying extra just to be able to show off.

7. Batteries

Some digital cameras use standard AA or AAA batteries, like you might use for a remote control or a portable CD player. These have several advantages. Probably the most significant one is that if you find yourself totally out of battery power, you can always nip into the closest convenience store and buy a new set, and be right back out taking pictures again.

Of course, it doesn't make sense to use disposable batteries all the time for these cameras. It's expensive, and bad for the environment. And they don't last very long: A set of rechargeable AA batteries may last up to twice as long in your digital camera as the most expensive name-brand disposables. And that's just on one charge - you can keep recharging them again and again.

Other cameras don't give you the choice; they use custom batteries that are specially designed for digital cameras. These batteries tend to be smaller and lighter than AAs or AAAs, packing more power into a smaller unit. On the other hand, they're also quite expensive. One will be included with the camera, but if you want to get a backup (so you can keep shooting photos after running through a full charge), you may find yourself ponying up $50 or more. Same thing if you accidentally lose it.

Well, that's it. It's still a lot to think about, but it really comes down to a few simple questions about priorities. At least now you know how to decide whether all those features are really worth the extra money. Good luck!

Max Carlton is a digital photography expert who has been advising consumers for almost ten years. His website can help you find your perfect digital camera in a snap: http://www.camera.u.nu

By Max Carlton

Digital Cameras vs Film Cameras

The debate is on: digital cameras vs. film cameras. Ever since digital cameras first came out, people have been plotting digital cameras against film cameras. Which one is better? Which one is best for you?

Of course, one type of cameras is not necessarily better than the other type. That is the problem with the whole "digital cameras vs. film cameras" ordeal. Each type of camera is great for different reasons.

Here are some of the benefits of digital cameras:

• · You have immediate results. You can see the photo you took, immediately after you took it.
• · You can "develop" your film whenever you want... you do not have to wait until you are done with a roll of film.
• · You can delete from your camera photos that you do not like.
• · Your photos do not have to be perfect. You can take an imperfect photo and then later make it perfect by using photo software.
• · You can take as many photos as you want. Many memory cards have a ton of memory these days!
• · You can review and show people your photos straight from the camera.
• · They can be made very small (they do not have to make room to hold a bulky roll of film, only a thin memory card).
• · Although they used to be quite expensive, prices are going down and they are now quite affordable.
• · Digital photographs are less likely to appear grainy.
• · Many say that color quality is better in digital photographs.
• · The technology of digital cameras is constantly improving.

Here are some of the benefits of film cameras (although this list is shorter, realize that it is these few things may weigh more heavily on your decision than the many things stated above):

• · Although much art can be made with digital cameras, many consider it to be a truer, purer art if taking with a film camera. After all, it takes much more skill to set up a photograph perfectly in the first place than to go back and photoshop it after the fact. This is, perhaps, one of the most important things that you can consider in the debate of film cameras vs. digital cameras.
• · Sometimes you do not want immediate results. Sometimes it is exciting to not know what your photographs will look like until you receive them. It is like unwrapping a present.
• · It is easy to go buy a new roll of film when out on vacation if you run out of "memory..." It is much easier to find and buy a roll of film than a new memory card.
• · You can still get your film camera photos put onto a CD... meaning that you can still download them onto your computer and even photoshop them if you desire to do so.
• · The zoom on a film camera is always optical - this means that if you zoom in, you are going to get a better, close-up photograph that is still of excellent resolution. With a digital camera, many of the zooms are digital (not all)... this means that although you are zooming in, you are merely cropping the photograph, something that you can do with your photo software at home.
• · Many consider film cameras to be easier to use.
• · Generally, the resolution of a film camera is better (but this changes if you get a very high resolution digital camera... 7 megapixels or more).

Thus, the winner of the debate of digital cameras vs. film cameras is totally up to you. It depends on what is most important to you.

By Anne Clarke

Digital Cameras -- Choosing The Perfect Digital Camera For Summer 2006

Digital cameras come in all shapes and sizes. Which one is right for you? Would you like one to slip into a pocket or would you prefer something larger with a wide range of features. Deciding which type is right for you is the first step on the road to choosing your perfect digital camera.

I have divided up the types of digital cameras available into six different categories.

Simple Point and Shoot

These are the most basic and easy to use digital camera. They are also the cheapest. To get up and running with this type of digital camera all you really need to do is load the battery and memory card. Once you have done that it is simply a case of turning the camera on and taking pictures.

The downsides of this type of camera are often small LCD screens, fast use of batteries, shutter delay and low build quality

Suggested cameras: Canon Powershot A430, Sony DSC S600 and Panasonic DMC LS2.

High Quality Point and Shoot

The first thing that is noticeable with this type of digital camera is a big step up in build quality and a very stylish design. In terms of features it may not have any more than a simple point and shoot model. Picture quality is normally an improvement from the more basic cameras. This type of camera still remains easy to use.

These cameras tend to be considerably more expensive than the simple point and shoot models.

Suggested cameras: Canon Powershot SD700 IS (European name: IXUS 800 IS), Casio Exilim EX-Z850 and Panasonic DMC FX01.

Point and Shoot with Extra Features

In terms of build quality and design these cameras tend to resemble the simple point and shoot models with one or two improvements such as larger LCD screens. They offer manual exposure features that are likely to appeal to people who are more serious about their photography. These cameras also retain a fairly compact body size.

Suggested cameras: Canon Powershot A700, Canon Powershot A610 and Sony DSC W100.

Pocket Sized

Pocket sized digital cameras tend to be more or less slim versions of the high quality point and shoot models. This is the most convenient type of digital camera as it is easy to slip into a pocket and take anywhere with you.

In terms of picture quality they are usually not quite as good as either the high quality point and shoot models or the point and shoot with extra features cameras.

Suggested cameras: Canon Powershot SD600 (European name: IXUS 60), Sony DSC T9 and Sony DSC T30.

Super Zoom

Super zoom digital cameras are quite different. These are larger cameras with features similar to those you would expect to find on a traditional 35mm SLR camera. In terms of style and design they also have a resemblance to those cameras too. These are aimed more at people who are serious about photography. The longer zoom lens can make them far heavier than the smaller compacts.

Obviously these cameras are too big for a pocket so you need to consider how you are going to carry them around with you. A good quality camera bag is well worth considering.

Suggested cameras: Canon Powershot S3 IS, Sony DSC H2, Fuji Finepix S9000 (European name: S9500) and Fuji Finepix S5200 (European name: S5600).

Digital SLR

If you are looking for the best quality and also a high degree of flexibility then you are likely to find Digital SLR cameras rather tempting. Prices have fallen dramatically over the past couple years making them affordable to photo enthusiasts as well as professionals. Once you add on the cost of a couple of high quality lenses buying one is still a considerable investment. Therefore I would only suggest buying one if you are serious about photography or intend to spend plenty of time getting to know your camera.

Suggested entry level Digital SLR cameras: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (European name: EOS 350D) and Nikon D50

This article was provided by Andy Needham of http://www.cameras.co.uk/. Cameras.co.uk provides digital camera reviews, price comparisons and general help for buying digital cameras. There is also a special section where you can ask a question if you would like further help.

By Andy Needham

Comparing Digital Camera Features

More people are able to afford digital cameras because their prices are falling but the number of characteristics is rising so it is important to be able to compare digital camera features.

The first step in being able to compare digital camera features is to decide what you want to get out of your camera. If you compare digital camera prices you will see that for shooting family snapshots you can get a good basic digital camera for under $400, while a professional model is over $2,000. When you compare digital camera features you need to know the extent of the use you are going to get out of it.

It is essential when you compare digital camera options to understand the issues of image resolution, which is measured in megapixels. Basically, the more megapixels, the higher the resolutions of the final image but you definitely need to compare digital camera images with your actual requirements. This is best done if you compare digital camera resolution with the size of the images that you want to print and you will find that a 1-mg camera can create a 3-by-5-inch (7.5 by 13 cm) photo-quality print; a 2-mg camera will make a 5-by-7-inch (13 by 18 cm) print; a 3-mg camera will make an 8-by-10-inch (20 by 25 cm) print, and a 6-mg camera will make a 9-by-13-inch (23 by 33 cm) print.

One of the other points to consider when you compare digital camera prices is to look at the complete package that is offered. Some included extras to look for when you compare digital camera packages are if the camera includes a cable for your computer and if it comes with image-editing software that works with your computer. If these are not included it is still possible for you to buy them separately but you need to allow for this when you compare digital camera prices. Another important point to consider when you compare digital camera options is to choose a camera with removable memory in addition to built-in memory.

All of the cameras that you are considering when you compare digital camera features should have an LCD screen for viewing pictures, a built-in flash, a timer, and a time/date stamp on even the most basic camera. You should also look to compare digital camera packages that have optical zoom, not digital, if you need a zoom capability and most midrange cameras should have high-quality optical zoom lenses but it is still worth checking to make sure.

About The Author
Steve Gargin is the administrator of [http://digital-camera-reviews.helper-guru.com/casio-slim-digital-camera/index.html] which is a great website dedicated to giving free advice on Digital Cameras.

By Steve Gargin

The Secret to Buying a Digital Camera

A digital camera comes so handy nowadays. Compared to using a traditional camera that uses film, taking with you a digital camera on your nature trips, tours, special occasions and formal gatherings is more convenient and fashionable too as most digital cameras come in sleek and smart modern designs. There are also lighter and easy to use compared to your old-fashioned camera.

If you do not have one yet, buying a digital camera instead of a conventional one would be a better option. Aside from the abovementioned advantages, buying a digital camera would provide you the following benefits:

• 1. You can take as many photos as you want as digital cameras have large storing capacity.
• 2. You don't have to worry about buying film.
• 3. You can preview photos taken (provided there's a preview LCD), delete unwanted pictures and take another one till you get the desired shot.
• 4. You have many options as to the resolution, quality and size of the photos.
• 5. You can connect it to your computer and easily transfer data stored in it.
• 6. You can edit the photos in the computer before printing.
• 7. You can select the photos you want o print out as well.
• 8. You can upgrade it so you can take and save more pictures in it.
• 9. You can use it to record sound and video as well.
• 10. You may directly connect it to a printer and print out photos without the need to transfer images to your pc.

After deciding to buy a digital camera, the next thing that might be bothering you now is how to buy the right digital camera. Buying a digital camera needs some careful analysis, too. Especially if you are not too familiar with the technical aspects of a digital camera, you would have to research and carefully understand what those pieces of information that you have gathered mean. Buying a digital camera starts with actually knowing what you really want. It is only upon knowing enough that you can make a better decision of which digital camera to buy.

There are several factors you need to consider in buying a digital camera. First and foremost is the resolution of the photos (the number of pixels in a photo); next is the memory. The resolution will determine the quality of the images so if you want high-quality photos buy only high resolution digital cameras. The memory on the other hand (expressed in MB) determines how many high-resolution or low-resolution images can be stored in your camera.

Taking into account the purpose for which you are buying digital camera would help you decide on thing more clearly. If you simply want a camera you can bring along anywhere anytime to capture wonderful moments and scenic views without the intention to display those photos, you can start with a digital camera with fewer features. As you master the art of photography, you can buy a more advanced kind of digital camera.

Of course, your budget is also very important. You cannot buy something that is way beyond your means. You may choose a digital camera with fewer features however it can be upgraded in the future. This will help you save money for the mean time without sacrificing the quality of the product.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in consumer electronics. For more information regarding buying a digital camera, please drop by at http://consumer.answerwisely.com

By Dave Poon

What are the Latest Advances in Digital Camera PDAs?

In recent years, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) have become increasingly available and more popular. There is now a wide range of products that come under this category, including devices that serve as little more than a glorified calendar and organizer, to top of the range tablets and "Palm PC's". Miniaturization has taken leaps and bounds as developments have progressed, and PDAs continue to grow more powerful. For some people, a PDA is something of a hobby, and the features, gimmicks, and novelties, whether they use them or not, are the most important part of the fun. More often, however, they are put to use in business, across almost every modern industry, at nearly every level, to varying degrees. PDAs now feature massive amounts of storage space, whether on-board, or via flash cards which keep growing in size, wireless networking, web browsing facilities, telephone-PDA hybrids, and ever more advanced software. One other feature that has raised some attention is the integration of digital cameras into Palm PCs.

Digital camera PDAs are not really intended for photography enthusiasts. They are intended more for people who depend upon and always carry their PDA. Integrating a camera into these versatile systems has so far been a matter of convenience and entertainment. The digital cameras combined with modern PDAs do not have particularly advanced camera features, and tend to be relatively poor in quality compared to a separately purchased digital camera. While a $200 digital camera may produce photographs at as high a resolution as 5, 6, or 7 "mega-pixels", the cameras found aboard a similarly priced PDA will be less than half a mega-pixel, and even more expensive PDAs rarely boast a camera with a resolution as high as 2MP. Digital camera PDAs are not just a trivial toy, though, and have many useful applications. And of course, no-one ever knows just when they might need a camera.

The Hewlett Packard HW6515 iPAQ is a fully featured PDA featuring a 1.3MP camera, with an LED flash. PDA cameras often use a high powered LED rather than a conventional strobe because they use significantly less power. Unfortunately the intensity of the flash is also much lower, but using an LED is the most efficient tool for the job. In addition to its camera, the 6515 has a 312MHz Intel CPU, 320x240 TFT display, and 128 MB of on-board memory, of which, 55MB is available for to the user. It is Bluetooth enabled and has all common digital cell network compatibility (GPRS, GSM, EDGE.) Data cable is USB, and it uses Secure Digital removable media. It comes with a very full bundle of Microsoft mobile software, and runs the Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 (Phone Edition) Operating System. Weighing in at 5 ounces, it will set you back a little under $700.

If you are more interested in the camera capabilities themselves, then you will want to consider external cameras designed to be used in conjunction with an existing PDA. These offer much better camera quality, resulting in better image reproduction. Another 1.3MP PDA camera is the Lifeview Flycam. This small digital camera plugs into your existing PDA by way of the CF card attached to it. This is inserted directly into the CF slot of your tablet or PDA, and you have almost immediate camera functionality. It offers a few more features as a camera, and it is the camera aspect itself that is important to you, it makes a lot more sense to buy your PDA camera and PDA separately. As better PDA cameras are developed, you will be able to upgrade the camera without having to replace the whole PDA, which - as can be seen by the above example - can be quite an investment. The Flycam retails for as little as $130, making it a very appealing way to retrofit a camera to your PDA.

The HP Jornada is another retro-fitted PDA camera, also installed by way of an attached CF card. At a maximum resolution of only 640x480 (0.3MP), this camera retails for about $60. If you have an existing PDA, and have no desire to upgrade it yet, and you only need a simple camera, then this could well be the option for you. With an auto-focusing lens, this is a very easy camera to use, however, it will not appeal to more astute photographers. If all you want is to be able to take pictures of your friends whenever you want, then this is a great purchase.

Choosing a PDA camera is a matter of weighing up what you need. If you mostly just need a good camera, you are best off buying a normal digital camera, completely independent of your PDA. If it's a PDA-camera hybrid you need, along with all the other functionality of a top shelf palmtop, and you can afford the considerable outlay, but you don't need absolutely top notch photography, then consider an integrated option. If the idea of being able to swap the camera between different PDAs, and you like having the option of progressively upgrading as newer and better technology comes out, then you may wish to consider one of the retro-fitting options. They're an ingenious solution that promises to stay within budget, and allows you to upgrade at will.

Ron Donnelly is editor of the website, buying-guide-for-digital-cameras. You can view the site at http://www.buying-guide-for-digital-cameras.com

By Ron Donnelly

The Secrets of Choosing a Digital Camera - Part 1

Size

Small is beautiful. Today's digital cameras are sometimes so small, that they fit into the breast pocket of your shirt easily and are still fully featured so you get the most out of the camera in almost every situation. Just imagine taking a picture of a wonderful sunrise when your are on your morning run or the happy smile of your kids when you pick them up after school. With a small digital camera you don't have to lug around heavy equipment, you are always ready to take the picture of your life.

But too small could be a nightmare for someone with large hands or big fingers. In this case it is not practical and the fingers could cover the lens, the internal flash or could not work the tiny buttons to select the diverse functions, a modern digital camera offers.

A larger, heavier digital camera is useful when you want to do more serious work. Think about taking pictures where the internal flash is disabled and you work with longer shutter speeds. A heavier camera is easier to hold steady and it can better compensate the tine movement when you press the shutter button.

System - Camera Technology

There are many different kinds of cameras on the market today. The consumer has the choice between an ever increasing number of brands, but mainly his decision is based on what he wants to use the camera for and what his past experiences with photography are.

Viewfinder cameras

this is the most simple system on the market. The viewfinder is located in the upper left corner of the camera (seen from the rear) and presents a picture that is slightly offset to what the camera really sees. When you are very close to an object, the difference in view can be dramatic.
This type of digital camera works very good for snapshots as well as for most photographic needs of the average person. Disadvantages are the fixed lenses, the lack of influence you can take on the picture (e.g. sharpness, focus, light).

Some more advanced models also use the small LCD monitor as a viewfinder. The advantage here is that the picture you see on the screen is the same that you will take with your camera. You have good control of what you will put into your picture. Disadvantage with his type of display is that you cannot preview the pictures in a brightly lit environment. Taking pictures in brought daylight is sometimes difficult as you try to hold the camera steady and also shade the LCD.

Bridge cameras

this type of camera is more heavyset than the usual compact digital camera. Usually it features a fixed lens with a good zoom factor. Ranging from wide angle to telephoto, you can cover most photographic challenges with these models. They offer a trough the lens view finder, which gives you a correct impression of the photo you are going to take, regardless of focus length. The picture is projected on the CCD chip in the camera and projected on a small monitor that is either inside the camera positioned like on traditional cameras or on the back panel of the camera body.

These cameras are usually more capable of changing photographic parameters and are used by people who want to do more than the occasional snapshot.

Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex)

this is the most advanced type of digital camera on the market today. It works very similar to traditional SLR cameras, but using the digital process instead of film. You can choose different lenses for every possible purpose. Whether it is a wide angle lens for landscape photography or a small telephoto lens for doing portraits or close-up work. The lenses are interchangeable and you sometimes even get compatible lenses from third party manufactures that are of similar quality, but lower in price. The picture is reflected into the viewfinder via a mirror (this is why its called reflex). When you release the shutter to take the picture, the mirror is moved away, the shutter curtains open and the light is directly sent to the CCD chip. A small LCD screen on the back panel of the camera is used for doing a first check on picture quality and for setting the different features and options of the camera. Digital SLR cameras are usually used by professional photographers and high level enthusiasts.

Memory - Bigger Is Better

The advantage of digital cameras compared to traditional ones is that you can shoot as many pictures as the memory chip allows. Pictures that turned out to be low quality can easily be discarded and again you have room on your memory card to take new pictures. As advantageous as it is, this circumstance leads to taking more pictures than with traditional cameras and as the resolution of the digital cameras increases from year to year, the need for memory increases. Therefore it may be useful to exchange the memory card that came with the camera with a bigger one or having a spare one when going on a longer trip. Below table lists the approximate number of photos that fit on a 128 MB memory card when using the jpg-format:

Resolution  Quality        Best    Good    Standard

• 6 mega pixel - 3008x2000    34    70    117
• 4 mega pixel - 2400x1600    51    96    161
• 1.5 mega pixel - 1536x1024    106    173    271

The above quality rating is based on the compression factor of the jpg format (higher compression results in smaller files, but in lower picture quality).

More things to watch out for shoppping or digital camera will be covered in part 2 of this series.

Tom has spent most of his free time behind cameras of different types. He specializes in close-up work and travel photography. To share his experiences and fascination about digital photography, he has set up http://www.digitalcameratips.de which covers topics for beginners as well as advanced users of digital cameras.

By Tom Juuls

7 Easy Tips for Taking Great Photos with your Digital Camera

If you think that all you need to do is just push the shutter button on your digital camera and great pictures magically appear; or the more features and options available in the digital camera, the better the digital photos ... then prepare to be disappointed. With these thoughts, you'll get mediocre to average digital photos, and maybe once in awhile a lucky good photographic shot.

The truth is that great photos don't happen by using great cameras, it's you. You create great pictures. With a digital camera, you can make your own digital images look professional with a few basic skills and a willingness to do some digital photo retouching now and then.

Here are seven easy tips to help you take better photographs.

   1. Set Your Tones

   2. When shooting nature or wildlife photographs, try changing your white balance setting from auto to cloudy. This adjustment is like putting a mild warming filter on your digital camera. It increases the reds and yellows, resulting in richer and warmer pictures. Polarizing Filter

   3. A polarizing filter is the one filter every photographer should have for landscapes and general outdoor photography. Polarized shots reduce glare and unwanted reflections. The results are richer and more saturated colors in your photos. If your digital camera can't accommodate filters, a neat trick is to take a pair of quality sunglasses, and use them as your polarizing filter. Place the sunglasses as close to the camera lens as possible, check their position in the LCD viewfinder to make sure you don't have the rims in the shot, and get some color-rich digital images. Outdoor Portraits

   4. Set your camera settings to "flash on" mode. This lets the camera expose for the background first, then adds just enough flash to illuminate your portrait subject. The result is a professional looking picture where everything in the composition looks good without the need for digital photo retouching. Macro Mode

   5. Take better close-up and personal digital shots of the small things in your surroundings. On regular or auto digital camera settings, the minimum distance to take decent photos is about 3 feet. If you activate the close up mode on your digital camera you'll be able to get within a foot of your selected object. Begin to explore your world in finer detail, you'll be rewarded with clear images unlike anything you've ever photographed before. Horizon Line

   6. Many times it's hard to hold the digital camera level when using the LCD screen for viewing, which then results in uneven or crooked images. A great way to square up a photo is to look at nature's horizontal lines and use them as guides. Sometimes you can use the line where the sky meets the ocean, other times you can use a strip of land as your level. This is especially important when you're thinking of enlarging your digital photographs, as the bigger the digital image, the more off balance the image will appear. Digital Camera Memory Card Awareness

   7. Always make sure you set aside a budget for additional digital camera memory cards. The nice thing with digital is that you can take several digital shots of the same scene, making little adjustments with tones, polarizing filters, flash, macro mode, etc. Then delete those digital photos that aren't quite right. You'll need the memory card space to store the extra shots until you review them. If you have a 3 megapixel camera, get at least a 256 megabyte card, a 512 megabyte memory card if you own a 4 megapixel model, and 1 gigabyte for 6 megapixel models. High Resolution All the Time

      Select the highest resolution possible when taking digital photos. High resolution digital images give you more freedom to edit, crop and/or manipulate the image in any way you want without losing the quality. It's easy to reduce the size of the digital photo once you've transferred it to your computer. It's not advisable to enlarge the digital photo because you can't add the depth of pixel color back into the digitized image. Unless you're only taking photographs to e-mail to friends, you'll want to have a high resolution image to edit and print.

For any of these tips, the best advice is to practice them. You'll become familiar with the new techniques and along the way, learn more about your digital camera's capabilities and settings. Those great photographs that you'll want to share and display are just a few practice steps away.

About the Author... Laura Slade publishes the digital photo website http://www.digital-photo-tutor.com A resource center for ideas and information on digital photo sharing, digital photo printing, digital photo projects, and the basics of caring for and using your digital photo equipment.

By Laura Slade

Choosing Your First Digital Camera

Digital cameras are no longer a luxury these days, with high resolution mega pixels and sophisticated features coming within a very appealing price range. And thanks to many comprehensive digital camera reviews, it's easy to pick the most sought after features and qualities and still stay within a budget.

Most people turn to digital photography because they like the ease of printing and sharing the photos on the web. Business owners choose the digital quality for their product catalogues or brochures, students employ digital cameras for their projects and with digital cameras in most recent cell phones, even a child can take a snap and publish it instantly on the web. And thanks to the newest lens and zooming qualities, you don't have to be a seasoned pro to shoot close-to-professional images with modern digital cameras.

You can hardly find a digital camera today with resolution lower than 2 megapixels - two million color dots per picture. This is a decent quality for most uses, including printing the photos for the home or school use. The higher the megapixel rate, the bigger photos you can print without sacrificing the quality. However, if you are not a professional photographer or a graphic professional who deals with upscale images all the time, you don't really need a digital camera that produces more than 8-megapixel camera - and these rarely become available for less than $1000. Plus, if you seek to print large detailed photos, make sure you have a high-quality printer that can reproduces all the tiny details that make a difference.

When you pick a digital camera, you should also pay attention to the zoom number. Digital cameras have two different kinds of zoom. Digital zoom enlarges all pixels digitally, while optical zoom enlarges the image with the lens magnification. Since you can always enlarge the image later, on the computer using the Photoshop or other image manipulation program, you would be better to concentrate on higher optical zoom rate. The average optical zoom for midlevel digital cameras is 2 to 4x.

There are a few other options to consider: whether a digital camera uses a rechargeable batteries (zoom and LCD screen consume a lot of energy); whether the digital camera has a standard flash memory (you may need to buy a few more flash memory cards in future), and if the menus are easy to understand. If you travel a lot, you may want a digital camera that is lightweight and compact.

Even if you decide to pick the least expensive digital camera to serve your basic photography needs, you will still enjoy all the benefits of digital photography: no film rolls to buy, no wasted photos to dispose of and best of all, no waiting time to get them printed. New models of digital cameras are constantly launched, and the older ones are becoming less expensive day by day. Know your priorities, check the most recent digital camera reviews, and there should be a digital camera to perfectly suit your needs.

By Kathryn Whittaker

Making the Most of Digital Camera Memory Cards

Digital cameras are revolutionizing the world of home and professional photography, but they are married to memory cards just as traditional cameras are married to film. Making the best use of memory cards can have a very big impact on your enjoyment of digital photography. Choosing the right memory card for the job can be as important as choosing the right film for a traditional camera.

If you are new to digital cameras, the digital camera memory cards are the most important parts of any digital camera, without which they may not work at all. So if you are handling a digital camera or planning a purchase, you must know more about the memory cards used in these cameras.

Something many new digital camera owners find counter-intuitive is that bigger is not always better with a digital memory card. The actual response speed of your digital camera can depend greatly on the memory card it is using. The speed that your camera writes new pictures to the digital memory card is partially dependant on the transfer speed of the digital camera but is also dependant on factors in the memory card itself. Memory cards that have "buffers" can take the data into a faster type of memory and then transfer the data from there to the slower "flash memory" which provides the main storage of almost all digital camera memory cards. Some digital camera provide their own buffer memory to allow you to take your next picture while the previous picture is being transferred to the memory card.

When you delete an image from the memory card of your digital camera, the flash memory is "reconfigured" because of special issues having to do with how this memory stores data. Normally this is an issue that you don't have to worry about at all. However, if you have a very large memory card and delete an image, you may experience a several minute delay while "house cleaning" is performed on the memory card. Because of this, do not delete images while you are taking pictures. Instead wait until you are at home, your hotel or in the car before reviewing your pictures and deleting the ones you don't want. Smaller cards take less time for this "house cleaning" so many experienced digital camera owners will choose to have more than one medium sized memory card instead of one very large one.

Now the question arises-how many memory cards are enough for your camera? On an average basis, you must have at least two memory cards for your digital camera. That is, if you are using it in a normal and average fashion.

Most professional photographers choose to carry about four to six memory cards. This helps them shoot smoothly and constantly. If they run out of memory, they just take the loaded card out and insert the fresh one. Because memory cards can malfunction (just like traditional film canisters, but not as often), you should choose to have at least two memory cards at all times. By having at least two cards, you can work with one and keep the other in reserve for emergency. Having at least one extra memory card for your digital camera will also ensure that you have the backup protection needed if you run out of space on your first card or in the possible event of the first card malfunctioning.

The next important issue is how to take proper care of these memory cards. The memory cards may seem like some small and fragile piece of technology, but they are actually fairly sturdy. The flash memory is encased in a stiff plastic shell which can withstand normal wear and handling. At one end of the memory card is either a set of little holes or copper strips. These are the sensitive part of the card. Any voltage source or a large jolt of static could corrupt the memory and probably cause permanent damage to the card. When the card is not in your camera, it is best to keep it stored in a protective case or in your camera case. Putting it in your pocket could cause a short (from your keys perhaps) or dirty the electrical contracts. There have been instances where the users have misbehaved greatly with them and the memory cards have yet survived and continued to function correctly. But, this does not mean that one should not care for them.

When it is time to transfer your data from the memory card to your PC, it is best to have a memory card reader, or have a PC with a built-in reader. The data cables provided with most digital cameras are very slow compared to the speed of a "direct reader" and it is often easier to review, copy and delete images from a memory card when using a reader instead of through the data cable connection.

When traveling, X-Rays have never been shown to corrupt the data on, or damage, a digital camera memory card. The memory card is also not magnetic in nature so the motors in the X-Ray machine's conveyor belt should not be able to cause any harm either.

Armed with knowledge comes the power to benefit from that knowledge. If you have learned something new about digital memory cards, hopefully you will benefit by enjoying your digital camera more and finding more opportunities to take great pictures.

Dave Saunders loves to share his interest and experience with technology and gadgets. You can find other news and articles on digital memory cards at www.squidoo.com/DigitalMemoryCards

By Dave Saunders

Tips for Purchasing a Digital Camera Lens

Your lens is an essential element to good photographs. It's not just your camera. People spend thousands of dollars on a good camera and neglect the lens.

Change that around! Make sure you buy a good camera lens when purchasing a camera. Buy a good camera as well, but don't neglect a good camera lens.

Why? Your camera is just the 'holder' for the photograph. The lens is what your camera sees all your shots through. A good lens is essential to clear and sharp photos.

With most compact digital cameras, you can't change the lens. So in that case, don't just buy a good camera, ensure it also has a good lens.

Avoid a plastic digital camera lens because it doesn't have the clarity of a glass lens.

What model of lens?

Stick with camera lenses from well known manufacturers like Nikon, Canon and Pentax. Ensure you purchase a lens that works with your camera too. A Nikon camera lens usually won't work well with a Canon camera.

There are specialty lens manufacturers like Carl Zeiss, Leica and Leupold. If you're a beginner, don't worry about these lenses until you are more advanced as they come with very high prices and it's hard to justify the price for the small increase in quality.

Types of Camera Lens

The most common lenses are : Wide Angle, Normal and Telephoto. The type of lens is determined by the Focal Length of the lens. See below. A Zoom Lens is simply a lens that can change Focal Length from a Wide Angle to a Telephoto (or somewhere inbetween).

There are a number of things to look for when purchasing a camera lens.

Lens Focal Length

The Focal Length of a lens determines the amount of magnification and angle of vuew the lens can see. The Focal Length is measured in mm. It's the Focal Length that determines if the lens is a:

- Wide Angle; small magnification, wide angle of view. 20mm to 35mm
- Traditional, or Normal; 50mm
- Telephoto; high magnification, narrow angle of view; 105mm to 300mm.
- Zoom; A Zoom lens can change it's focal length to zoom in. A Zoom lens might have a Focal Length of between 50mm and 150mm.

Some lenses are interchangeable between film cameras and digital cameras, but you need to be aware that the effective focal length CHANGES between film and digital. The focal lengths I describe above are for FILM cameras and need to be multiplied by 1.6 to get the effective focal length on a digital camera. So using a film 35mm lens on a digital camera has an effective focal length of 56mm.

What does this mean for you? It means that you won't get as wide angle on a digital camera as you would on a film camera using the same lens. A 35mm lens which gives a medium wide angle on a film camera acts as a traditional lens on a digital camera

This is a complex subject, so I can't go into too much detail here. If you need more help, the best person to speak to would be your local camera store's resident expert.

Lens Speed

The 'speed' of a digital camera lens also defines a lens. The speed is determined in f-stops and is similar to the f-stop aperture setting on your camera. Faster lenses are more expensive and usually heavier.

Focusing Distance

This is the minimum distance from the camera lens that a subject must be to be in focus. Don't worry about getting a camera with a close focusing distance. Concentrate on a telephoto instead.

More Advanced Features

More expensive lenses have more advanced features.

- Vibration Reduction. A feature called 'vibration reduction' keeps images sharper when shooting in low light. They help to counter any vibration in the camera. Try to find a digital camera lens with this feature.

- USM USM stands for Ultrasonic Motor. This feature of Canon lenses gives you a high speed auto focus but the main benefit is the 'motor' is almost silent, so you don't disturb people around you when your camera is focussing.

- Filter Thread. When purchasing a half-decent lens, it should have a filter thread. This is a thread that allows you to screw on a filter (such as a polariser) to help when photographing difficult situations. Even if you don't need filters right now. it's handy to purchase a lens with a thread so you can add a filter later.

You get what you pay for

Generally the more expensive the lens, the better it is. More expensive lenses usually have a higher number of glass elements in the lens, which also makes them heavier.

Final Notes

While it is important to choose good quality camera lens, for beginners it isn't as important as good composition. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you can only take a great picture with an expensive top-of-the-line lens. A badly composed picture won't look great with a great camera lens.

I don't mean to discount the importance of a good quality lens. A good rule is to only add to your lens collection only when you have a specific need for a particular digital camera lens.

Do your research and your homework first, and find the lens that suits both you and your camera.

David Peterson has a great love of photography and has created a series of free tips at http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/ to help digital photography users everywhere take better photos.

By David Peterson

Top of the Line Digital Cameras

If you think that digital cameras are for snapshots only, then you obviously haven't heard about SLR (Single Lens Reflex) digital cameras. SLR is a type of camera which has one lens for composing the frame and capturing the image. SLR cameras are also known as TTL (through-the-lens) cameras.

An SLR camera displays an image through the viewfinder that is exactly the same image as the camera sees and is exactly the same image that the camera is going to record when you release the shutter.

An SLR camera provides a much more accurate image through the viewfinder than a digital camera produces on its LCD because the LCD does not faithfully reproduce the colors and light intensity that is actually entering the camera.

The top of the line SLR digital cameras rival the best film-based SLR cameras and are designed for serious hobbyists and professional photographers. Digital SLR cameras are much larger, bulkier, and heavier than traditional digital
cameras.

The SLR uses a mirror that is located behind the lens as well as an optical device known as a pentaprism to channel the light that enters the camera's lens to the optical finder. When you release the shutter the mirror moves out of the way and the image is captured in the same way as any digital camera.

The better digital SLR cameras let you mount different lenses just like their film-based counterparts do. Many of your existing 35mm lens may be compatible with a digital SLR. If you have a large lens collection then you should definitely look for a digital SLR that is compatible with them.

Because the digital SLR cameras are more professional, they come with a hefty price tag. A 6-megapixel Nikon D100 runs around $2,000 and the 11-megapixel Canon 1D runs near $8,000. This is for the camera body only and does not include a lens! This is why I mentioned earlier that you should look for a digital camera that will mount your existing lens collection. Just a good quality zoom lens can run you at least $3,000 and can climb as high as $10,000 depending upon the features!

Of course, there are also starter-priced digital SLR cameras available. The Olympus E-20N, a 5.0-megapixel SLR camera, which includes a non-replaceable lens that is capable of duplicating a 35 mm to 140 mm lens, runs around $3500.

These prices are not out of line if you make your living shooting pictures. You can actually create additional revenue streams when you shoot digital pictures, instead of film-based ones, by offering image enhancement options and all sorts of digital FX options for thee prospective bride and groom's on their treasured wedding album.

If all of this sounds a bit too expensive for your blood, then you'll probably find all of the digital camera that you'll ever need way down in the $99 to $500 price range and you'll never have to worry about buying extra lenses. Digital SLR cameras aren't for everyone but, if they're for you, then there are
plenty of models to look at. SOme of the best are made by Canon, Olympus and Nikon which are familiar names in the photography world.

Warren Lynch is a Professional Commercial Photographer located in Louisville, Ky. Sign up for "The Digital Dose" and receive Digital Photography tips every other week absolutely FREE! http://www.photopheed.com

By Warren Lynch

Digital Cameras - The Perfect Photography Tool

Each step ahead with the technology makes the things better. This goes perfectly right for the digital cameras. A digital camera is a device, which works with digital technology for taking the photographs. It is the best thing to have happened in the field of photography till now. With digital cameras, photography has become more instant, convenient and better.

The basic idea of digital camera becoming a hit among the masses is that it is absolutely different from its predecessor devices. The old conventional cameras used to be dependent entirely on the chemical and mechanical processes to develop the images. They were so uncomfortable to handle. More so, they used to deliver poor quality images that did not satisfy the users. People were not happy with the working of these old and uncomfortable cameras and were waiting for some new technology.

The digital cameras after their invention have broken all the boundaries. They are smart, instant and high-tech. They are so easy-to-handle that even the kids can produce high quality photos from them. It does not take much to understand the working of the digital technology. They are the trend of the modern times ready to deliver all your needs, in just a few seconds.

The digital cameras have in-built sensors which record all the images electronically. There is no system of film being inserted into them. The photos get stored in the memory chip of the camera. These images can later be transferred on to the computer or can be directly sent for printing. Moreover the digital cameras also let you decide which photos you want to keep and which ones you want to delete.

The new approach of the digital cameras has been tremendously successful. As the digital imaging technology is becoming better and improving each day, the digital cameras are becoming too popular. They are emerging as a high quality and high performance alternatives of the traditional cameras.

The basic components of the digital cameras are still alike traditional cameras. Same like a traditional camera, the digital camera has a series of powerful lenses. These lenses focus the light in order to create an image of the particular object you want to shoot. The basic difference is that in place of focusing this light on a piece of a traditional film, the digital camera focuses the light on a semiconductor device, which electronically records the light. A built-in computer then disperses this electronic info down into several digital data. All the interesting, fun and advanced digital cameras are the perfect results of this digital technology.

If you are going to buy a digital camera, it is important to understand the basics of its working. You will be able to identify the best digital camera for yourself by answering some of the similar questions. Why exactly do you need a digital camera? Will you use it to earn a living for yourself? Will you upload your photos on the Internet and earn from them? Do you need the best quality digital camera? Are you an average user of digital camera seeking fun or a serious professional photographer?

By Danny Feildman

How to Buy the Right Digital Camera For You

There are many digital cameras on the market today, and when it comes time to buy a new one, all the options can seem somewhat overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you figure out what features are important for your needs so you can sift through all the models more easily and end up with the right digital camera for you.

What Do You Need from Your Camera?

First and foremost, you need to consider what you want to do with your camera. To help you figure this out, ask yourself these following questions:

* Are you hoping to learn the art of photography, or do you just want a digital camera to take pictures of family and friends?

* Do you find yourself taking pictures outside a lot (maybe you're a nature lover) or is it more a balance of indoor outdoor photography?

* What is your experience level as a photographer; are you a total newbie, have you been taking pictures for years, or do you fall somewhere in between?

* Do you want a digital camera that will fit in your pocket, or, is a bigger camera OK with you?

And probably the most important question:

* What is your budget?

Your answer to each of these questions will help you to determine the features and equipment you'll need (or want) and those that you can do without, and/or save some money by leaving out of the package. And ultimately, your budget constraints will probably really help you make your final decision.

The Type of Batteries the Camera Takes is Important

When sifting through all the digital camera options out there, batteries are an important, but not often thought of feature. Most cameras can take some form of rechargeable batteries, and they're the most environmentally and budget friendly option. But, what type of rechargeable battery would be best for you?

Some digital cameras come with rechargeable Lithium Ion or NIMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries that are unique to that specific camera. This is an excellent option as these batteries last a long time and are quickly recharged with the compatible charger. However, these batteries can't be used in other devices and they can be expensive if you end up having to replace them.

Many of the digital cameras on the market today take standard AA batteries, which you can also buy rechargeable models of. These batteries don't last nearly as long between charges but you can have several on hand to help make sure you always have backups. If the camera you choose does take AA batteries, go with NIMH over alkaline as the NIMH last longer between charges.

Do You Already Have Compatible Gear?

It may help you choose one digital camera over another if you already have some gear that's compatible with one of the models you're looking at. Having things like memory cards, flashes, lenses, batteries, etc that are compatible with the digital camera you buy can end up saving you a lot of money in the end and could possibly enable you to get some other features that might otherwise be cost prohibitive.

Make Sure You Know What Accessories Are Included With Your Purchase

If you don't have any compatible gear, or even if you do, it's important that you clearly understand what each manufacturer and even each vendor offers with the purchase of each digital camera you're considering.

For example, does the digital camera you're looking at come with a memory card already, or will that be an additional expense. How about a carrying case? One camera may stand out over the others because it has the features and the accessories you need instead of having to spend extra money to get these things in addition to the camera itself.

Consider the Camera's Zoom

When looking at digital camera specifications, you might see that the camera has both "Digital Zoom" and "Optical Zoom". In most situations, you'll want to focus on the optical zoom capabilities of the camera. Digital zoom only enlarges the pixels in your shot, which does make your subject look bigger, but doesn't do your picture any favors when you go to print it. Optical Zoom on the other hand truly "zooms in" on your entire picture and doesn't affect the quality of your shot at all.

Most digital cameras have at least a 3x zoom lens, which makes your subject 3 times as big. However, there are some newer digital cameras just coming onto the market that have "super zooms". These are zoom lenses that offer up to 12x optical zoom. In some situations you might want to go with the 12x zoom, but for most, the standard optical zoom will be sufficient.

Use Reviews to Help With Your Research

Now that you know more about what you need, what you want, and the features you should look for, you'll probably have found a few favorite models of digital cameras that you like. Before you go ahead and make any purchases though, make sure to take advantage of all the reviews that are online these days.

While at times reviews can make a decision more difficult, they are usually very helpful in letting you know how the digital camera performed in real life situations as opposed to the specs listed by the manufacturer.

Hopefully by this point, you've got it narrowed down to one or two of your favorites. Now take the time to look around for the best deal you can find and make your selection. Then, once your new digital camera arrives, you'll be pleased with your purchase and can go out and just enjoy taking pictures!

If you're looking for a new digital camera or any other type of electronics, as well as books, luggage, jewelry, games, and a whole host of other things, you'll definitely want to take advantage of these money saving Buy.com coupons.

Or, if you're shopping elsewhere online, before you checkout, make sure to visit DiscountSpies.com where you'll find coupon codes and promotional offers for a wide variety of online merchants that will save your hard earned money, and help you get some of the best deals around.

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Review of the New AT&T Cell Phones, Nikon Compact Digital Cameras and the Sony Ericsson P1

In regards to the best New AT&T Cell Phones and deals on the market, you're going to be delighted to see that they are not in stores now, they are online and ready to ship. If you haven't already figured it out, the best phones are not being produced and carried by third rate companies, the best of the best are low cost, high quality entries into the phone market from AT&T. Whether you're looking for a Blackberry, or the ultimate in cellphone goodness the touch screen iPhone, you're looking at low cost, high end communications the likes never before dealt with in mobile phone history.

People have a lot of great things to say about the New AT&T Cell Phones out now. We're talking about devices that allow you to do more than communicate with others. We're talking about phones that can carry the weight of your email, internet habits, phonebook, and so much more. Whether you're a business man and need to see the stock information at all time, or a sports fan managing your many different fantasy leagues, you're going to love the new sleek, contoured devices coming out of the number one phone company in the world.

The future looks bright for those seeking the best deals on New AT&T Cell Phones, because there has been no better time than the present to jump on the lowest prices available anywhere. That's right, you're looking at the best time to get a new phone. Some might even be hard pressed to call these phones as they do so much more than just deliver easy to access information, internet, voicemail, email, and so much more with such ease. These new phones deliver the world into the palm of your hand, and at a price that won't leave you stranded or broke.

New AT&T Cell Phones are available now and are priced to sell. These are not high end devices that are meant to be behind museum quality glass, they are meant for your hands and ears. You can now do a plethora of good things with these devices, just like you would with a portable laptop or more.

Seriously, consider the strides made with these phones, and remember the days when you had to use a payphone and a pager to communicate on the go. Long gone are the days when your phone weighs a ton, and creates havoc with drop calls, and other unfortunate blunders in telecommunication.

These days you can appreciate the quality of sound and vision with new New AT&T Cell Phones at your disposal. The hardest part that this brings, is which one will you choose and enjoy? The world is yours! Don't sleep on the latest and greatest offerings in the phone world, enjoy the greatest phones known to man, at a fraction of the price that so many other companies are trying to pawn off. Get style and substance in one easy accessible package and enjoy the fruits of technological labor. That's right, get yourself New AT&T Cell Phones at low costs, before you it's too late.

The biggest name in professional camera equipment has now hit the ground running with a great line up of Nikon compact digital cameras. The number one reviewed brand has come to the plate with some of the finest cameras for the consumer market ever. That's right, we're talking about compact digital cameras that you are going to love. Whether you're looking for a complete digital camera package, a digital SLR, an entry level digital camera, or a lightweight digital camera, you can't go wrong with Nikon.

You can capture your finest memories with Nikon compact digital cameras, including the S10 camera that comes with six megapixels, 10 times zoom, and boasts one of the finest audio and video capturing mode known to consumers. Usually you can't get high quality video and audio in a compact digital camera, but with this new line up you're looking at incredible pieces of technology. You can not only get the best photos, from still shots to action shots, you can record video and audio like a champ.

As far as portability, the Nikon compact digital cameras are heavy duty, lightweight, and easy to use. Regardless of your experience with digital photography, these cameras offer the best features and standard applications. You won't have to necessarily read the manual to figure out how to use your new camera, which is going to be a relief for those that have purchased more complicated cameras in the past. Other companies have been trying to push high end digital camera equipment at inflated prices, but these companies lack reviews. The Nikon brand is not only a name you can trust, it is an assurance of quality the likes you've never seen before.

If your budget isn't exactly large, you can enjoy the greatness of Nikon compact digital cameras, and not go broke doing so. That's right, you can enjoy the ease of snapping stunningly sharp and colorful photographs like a professional without having to suffer though high learning curves of information to get them. Prices start low and range to mid level in regards to competitors, creating a line up of cameras that are going to be known for quality and affordability. What good are good cameras that you can't afford? No longer do you have to worry about the price tag to a good quality digital camera, because the line up of Nikon compact digital cameras are bar none the best for the buck ever produced.

The reviews are in and Nikon compact digital cameras are getting the best reviews of any other digital camera brand going right now. That's right, those that already know about how great these cameras are have been talking a lot about the good quality of the Nikon brand. There is a frontrunner in the digital camera game, and the line up of digital cameras really proves that Nikon is not just resting on their professional grade laurels. If you're looking for a good compact camera, you're going to be in camera heaven.

A lot of people are looking for the Sony Ericsson p1i Cell Phone, and many people have seemingly given up the hunt. However, the best time to get your hands on one is right now, as they are floating online and readily available for those interested in a great phone. The phone is locked initially, but if you're in the market for a higher end cell phone, you can get an unlocked Sony Ericsson p1i Cell Phone at a low cost.

For cell phone users that are looking for a 3G smartphone with a great load of features, the Sony Ericsson p1i Cell Phone is the phone to get. We are talking about a phone with full office applications, 3 megapixel digital camera, wi-fi, rechargeable battery, video recorder, Bluetooth, Java technology, and Wireless web browsing all included. That's right, these are just a few of the many features that are in this great Sony cell phone. It's like a miniature computer in your hands. This phone is not only an easy to use device, it's low cost and highly rated by anyone that has seen and used this phone.

There are a lot of different phones on the market right now, and many of them come with a lot of features you either didn't ask for or don't really need. That's right, there are a lot of companies trying to throw you bad phones at high prices, and try to excuse it with random rhetoric and sale pitches. The Sony Ericsson p1i Cell Phone is not one of those lackluster phones, this phone is the real deal and offers end users with superior sound and visual quality for a phone. The name you can trust in high end electronics, Sony, now makes some of the best phones on the market, including this one, which features so many of the best features, at a great price.

Game fans rejoice, this phone allows you to play the most sought after games anywhere. That's right, you're getting into mobile gaming this phone is for you. Not only does it come with some popular games standard, you ca also download a lot of games and keep yourself occupied in times of boredom. The phone also comes with synchronization software that will allow you to synch with your computer and allow you to get on track with whatever schedule you may have.

The best part of the Sony Ericsson p1i Cell Phone, is that it comes factory unlocked and ready to use. That's right, no elaborate plans to break the phone loose, you're ready to go when you open the box. The phone is setting the cell phone world ablaze with easy to access networking and communication. If you're looking for a better phone, or a smartphone and have been holding off, maybe it's time to step up and get with the program as the low prices aren't going to last a lifetime. Get yourself the lowest price on the Sony Ericsson p1i Cell Phone, and enjoy the best of phones, unlocked and easy to use from the moment you receive it.

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By Allen Jesson