digital photography

[emptyhead]

hi guys..i'm gonna buy a digital camera,thing is i have'nt a clue how to go about using one any advice would be appreciated on the subject,will i need any usb cables?what software do i need,how do i get images from the camera to the computer then onto paper?..... :P E.H

[redwudz]

This is assuming a still camera, otherwise, never mind.

It should come with the necessary cables and some rudimentary image software. If you want more, one I use is Photoshop Elements. It's reasonably priced, or if you can afford it, the regular Photoshop is one of the best. WinXP has transfer software built in or the software with the camera can do that.

Some things you will need: Spare battery as they never last long enough. A large memory card. 512MB works well and is not too expensive. A good carrying case. I use LowePro. They are well padded and lined with soft fabric. The camera can survive accidental drops much better.

[Conquest10]

Memory cards are a must. You can never have enough.

Most cameras come with Photoshop Elements (all of mine have). So you won't need to buy any software if you don't want to. However, regular Photoshop is a whole lot better if you really want it.

USB cables usually also come with the camera so you don't have to worry about that either.

Batteries if you want to. I can usually go at least 3 hours staight on a battery (much more on the SLR but it really uses two batteries).

In XP, the camera will show up as a hard drive. You can just transfer the files. On a Mac, it will also do the same. It will show up as a drive on the desktop and it will open up iPhoto.

[vitualis]

Actually, most digital cameras aren't set in mass storage mode by default so they shouldn't come up in Windows as an external HDD. However, the Windows wizard should automagically pop up to transfer the images for you.

I personally find it much more convenient to have a USB2 memory card reader attached to the PC rather than connecting up the USB cable to the camera.

As for software, if your camera doesn't come with decent software, then get Photoshop Elements or go the full hog and get Photoshop. I recommend getting a photo sorting program as well. The best that I've seen is Picasa2 and it happens to be free as well.

Regards.

[emptyhead]

brilliant guys thanks for the advice,things look a lot clearer now , all i have to do now is spend some money E.H

[waheed]

I personally find it much more convenient to have a USB2 memory card reader attached to the PC rather than connecting up the USB cable to the camera.

I also prefer memory cards too. Mainly because the USB cable is still packaged in the camera box tucked away at the back of the cupboard. Its just more convenient to use the memory card.

[Conquest10]

I personally find it much more convenient to have a USB2 memory card reader attached to the PC rather than connecting up the USB cable to the camera.

I also prefer memory cards too. Mainly because the USB cable is still packaged in the camera box tucked away at the back of the cupboard. Its just more convenient to use the memory card.

That too. Since my cam uses USB 2.0 I forget that a lot of them are still 1.1 at best. So, yeah, you will need a card reader for faster transfers.