Part Three - Digital Photography Basics
by Chuck Gardner
In camera storage
 There are a number of different formats used
to store digital images in cameras. Although you will likely buy a digital camera
on the basis of other features, careful consideration of the storage media is
prudent because it is expensive and will represent a significant long-term
investment.
Many digital camera purchasers are attracted to the Sony Mavica line because they use inexpensive diskettes. However as image sizes have increased and the number of files which could fit on a diskette has decreased the convenience of these cameras has diminished. Recognizing this, Sony recently switched to a miniature recordable CD format for the top of its Mavica line. A caveat regarding this new Mavica CD-R format is that the CD-R disk must have a session header written to it before it can be read by a computer CD drive. The headers can be written repeatedly, but each requires about 15 MB of space on the 192 MB disk. Files can be transferred from the CD-R via USB cable without the need to write the session header, but that eliminates the "eject and play "convenience factor the Mavica line is known for. Sony uses a proprietary "memory stick" media for its newer cameras as well as MP3 players and other devices. Purchasing one of these cameras and later switching to another brand may result in a significant investment in several memory sticks which are not compatible with the new camera. Most other cameras use "Smart Media" cards or compact flash "CF" cards with the CF cards being most commonly used. The CF card is also the smallest of the various card-type storage media and is available in larger capacities that the SmartMedia cards. IBM sells several models of miniature hard disks which can be used in many cameras which use CF type 2 memory cards. Which storage format is best for you will depend on a number of factors such as how many pictures you will shoot, whether it is likely you will upgrade to another camera, and compatibility with other electronic devices you own such as video cameras and MP3 players which also use these storage formats. Goto Next Page > Goto < Previous Page Goto Class Outline Goto super.nova.org my home page. |