It used to be pictures never turned out right. Either there was a finger in the corner of the shot or everything came out dull and blurry. But that's photography of the past.
Digital cameras are one of the latest technology trends to hit mainstream in a big way.
"They're easy and convenient," said Ben Holland, a salesman at Jack's Camera Shop, 300 E. Main St. "You know what you have picture-wise as soon as you're done taking it. And there's not the film and developing cost."
Holland said many digital cameras are easy to use because they are point-and-click, like many film cameras.
One popular feature of digital cameras is a viewing monitor that displays the picture just captured. This allows photographers to re-shoot and be confident in the shot.
Another benefit for digital cameras is the ability to hold several pictures in the memory card. The memory card is similar to a floppy disk in that it is the memory of the camera. The memory card can be downloaded into a personal computer which clears the card for more pictures.
Digital cameras also allow users to share pictures more easily than traditional film cameras. Copying digital prints to disc has become a popular way to store and pass along pictures, and e-mail has brought another outlet for sharing images.
With digital cameras, the pictures can be loaded into and printed from a computer. According to Dave Richmond, a sales representative from Circuit City, 3500 N. Morrison Road, the best printers to use with digital cameras are labeled photo-smart or photo-quality. Richmond says these printers cost about $150.
There are hundreds of digital cameras on the market, and photojournalism professor Tom Price had a few suggestions on what to look for when purchasing one.
First, determine the resolution, Price said. Resolution refers to an image's digital quality. The higher the resolution, the higher the quality. Price says two-and-a-half to three mega-pixels is a good start.
The resolution is also important in printers, Richmond says. He recommends a printer with resolution of 2400 x 1200.
Price warns to look closely at how the processor in the camera works. One way to measure the processor is to take a picture and measure how long the delay is between hitting the button and the appearance of the captured shot.
"It's kind of like buying a car," Price said. "It depends on what you want. Is it important to change lenses? Is a zoom lens good enough? Do you need it fast?"
According to buypath.com, there a few other features consumers should consider when looking to purchase a digital camera. Some digital cameras come with the burst mode feature. The burst mode feature, also called rapid fire or continuous shooting mode, allows the user to take anywhere from one to 64 pictures with one push of the button, according to the Web site.
The site also suggests buying a digital camera that has a built-in flash. Price, however, warns that manufacturers often place flashes in wrong places.
"Most cameras for amateurs take ugly pictures," he said, "because they build the flash too close to the lens."
Consumer digital cameras range in price, from Kodak's DX3215 Zoom for $199.95 to Sony's DSCF505V that runs for $799.95 (prices from yahoo.com). Most digital cameras come with a memory card and a cable to connect the camera to a computer.
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