Digital Camera Articles

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

Date Added 08.03.07
Author - MemoryBits

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to choose the correct memory card for your digital camera

Date Added 07.03.07
Author - Memorybits

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you have a laptop, then the operation becomes much easier as you can simply slide the memory card reader into a designated PC slot.