Digital cameras allow computer users to take pictures and store the photographed images digitally instead of on traditional film. With some digital cameras, a user downloads the stored pictures from the digital camera to a computer using special software included with the camera. With others the camera stores pictures directly on a floppy disk or a pc card. A user then copies the pictures to a computer by inserting the floppy disk into a disk drive or the PC card into a PC card slot (Chambers and Norton 134). Once stored on the computer, the pictures can be edited with photo editing software, printed, faxed, sent via electronic mail, included in another document, or posted on a website for everyone to see.
Three basic types of digital cameras are studio cameras, field cameras, and point-and-shoot cameras (Shelly Cashman Series Microsoft Word 2000 project
...2). The most expensive and highest quality of the three, a studio camera, is a stationary camera used for professional studio work. Photojournalists often use field cameras because they are portable and have a variety of lenses and other attachments. As with a studio camera, a field camera can be very expensive.
Reliable and lightweight, the point-and-shoot camera provides acceptable quality photographic images for the home or small business user. A point-and-shoot camera enables these users to add pictures to personalized greeting cards, a computerized photo album, a family newsletter, certificates, awards, or personal website. Because of functionality, it is an ideal camera for mobile users such as real estate agents, insurance agents, and general contracting.
The image quality of a digital camera is measured by the number of bits it stores in a do
and the resolution, or number of dots per inch. The higher each number, the better the quality, but the more expensive the camera. Most of todays point-and-shoot cameras are at least 24-bit with a resolution ranging from 640 x 480 to 1024 x 960(Walker 57-89). Home and small business users can find an affordable camera with a resolution in this range that delivers excellent detail for less than $400.
