Digital Camera Basics
The first thing you should understand before you buy a camera is megapixels. Why do megapixels matter? Megapixels matter because the number of megapixels determines the resolution and size of the image. The more megapixels, the larger a print of the image can be.
Nowadays, 5 megapixels is a good starting point for an entry level digital camera. You can expect excellent prints at 4 x 6 and even as large as 8 x 10.
Another major factor in your decision of buying a digital camera would be to decide what type of camera you wish to purchase. For example a single lens reflex camera is much more expensive however you generally have better picture quality and many more options much as you would in a 35 mm camera if you are still shooting at home.
if you have experience with 35mm cameras, you will recognize many of the same features and more. A very popular feature of the digital SLR camera is the ability to change lenses.
If you are not as particular with your photography and want a simpler camera to use, you may want to consider a point and shoot camera which generally will cost much less. In addition, point and shoot cameras are smaller and easier to use. Another advantage of this type of camera is they usually have many automated features and preset shooting programs which allow you to shoot beautiful photographs even if you don't have much experience.
After you get a camera, you must choose a good memory card for your camera. The most popular types of memory cards for digital cameras are Multi Media Card (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Smartmedia (SM), Secure Digital (SD), xD-Picture Card (xD), and CompactFlash (CF). Certain cameras require certain memory card types, so make sure you ask an expert which memory card is right for the camera you have.
After you purchase your camera make sure you get the proper memory card for your camera since there are various formats. If you plan to keep the pictures stored on your camera's memory instead of downloading them to your computer you want to get it's a memory card with a larger storage capacity to allow you to this save more pictures.
Once you take the pictures on your camera it's important to know how to transfer the pictures to your computer. You need to transfer them to your computer first or you can send them. You can either use a USB cable which generally comes with the camera or a card reader that plugs into your computer.
By using a card reader instead of the USB cable, it allows you to save the batteries on your camera because the camera does not have to be powered on during the transfer process. A memory card reader simply plugs into your computer using the USB cable and the card reader has various slots and all you do is remove the memory card from your camera and insert it into the card reader.
It depends on what type of computer system you have but usually a message will pop up a telling you that your camera is connected. Depending on what type of software you have installed there would usually be some type of message where they would ask you if you wanted to transfer the pictures or edit them. If you're using a Mac computer especially a newer Mac, iPhoto would pop open and a help tab would instruct you on how to download the pictures.
After you have downloaded the pictures to your computer, you can delete the images off of your memory card which will free up the space and allow you to take more pictures. Is it a good practice to make a backup copy of the pictures are from your computer. You can either use an external hard drive or burn them to a CD or DVD. This whole lot you to have a backup copy in case your hard drive fails to give most likely spent a lot of time and effort in creating those beautiful pictures and you wouldn't want to lose them.