digital camera : Computer Hardware Buyers’ Glossary

Most cameras have USB port to upload images. For rapid uploading some have a memory card or a thumb drive. The advantage of the cards is you can store a dozen or so on a trip to later upload into a computer. The disadvantages of the memory cards is they are often fragile, expensive and may not be compatible with all computers. Some cameras write to magnetic tape or DVDs. The key statistics to know about a camera:

1. Do it do stills, movies, sound? Does it have the ability to attach a high quality microphone?
2. How many pictures can the camera hold without uploading them to a computer?
3. How big are the images?
4. How many different colours are they capable of resolving?
5. For movie cameras, how many frames per second can it capture?
6. How much does the camera weigh? How big is it?
7. Does it have OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation), an electronic deblurring technique to compensate for camera jiggling.
8. How well does it perform in low light?
9. What technique does it use to upload the images into your computer?
10. How good is the quality of the lens and the image? You have to read reviews or look at sample images to determine this. There is no simple specification number.
11. How good is the manufacturer’s reputation for keeping your camera working? My digital Olympia camera is useless because the software is obsolete as is the serial port connection.