If you’ve been debating about whether you should join the digital photography revolution (you’ve shot with a standard camera all your life, but everyone you know has gone digital) then this blog is for you. This is the third posting in a series of articles I am doing on the merits of digital photography. We’ve already covered an introduction to this hot trend and reviewed some of the most popular digital cameras on the market. Today we continue the series with a look at some digital camera functions.
MEMORY CARDS
In a previous blog I explained that digital cameras capture pictures in an electronic imaging sensor that takes the place of film. It may easier to think of it this way: Memory cards are to digital cameras what rolls of film are to standard cameras. A memory card is simply a small card that pops in and out of your camera and act like a roll of film. The card stores data, or photo images, in memory much like a computer file.
Most digital cameras come with a single memory card, but the storage capacity of the card is typically low. For instance, there are several digital cameras on the market today that have only 16 Megabytes (that’s the unit by which photo storage is measured). Sixteen Megabytes is extremely low. It translates to about 12 to 16 photo images. Obviously you are going to want a memory card with a higher megabyte so you can shoot to your heart’s content and not have to worry about running out of space. With that in mind you might want to purchase a second memory card compatible with your camera. Some more expensive memory cards go up to 1024 Megabytes.
You can decide what capacity memory card will fit your photography habits. In the meantime, let’s review some of the most common types of memory cards. They are Compact Flash, Secure Digital (or SD) Cards, and Memory Stick.
CompactFlash. This is probably the most common type of digital camera memory card. It’s about the size of a matchbook. There are two types of cards available and the only difference between them is the thickness. Your camera will specify which it accepts, either Type I or Type II.
Secure Digital (SD) Card. These cards are about the size of a standard postage stamp, and go up to 512 Megabytes. There’s only one type, so you won’t have to worry if it will fit. Just remember to keep an eye on your SD card as their small size makes it easy to lose.
Memory Stick. A memory stick is slightly smaller (thinner) than a single stick of chewing gum, and, similar to the CompactFlash, it is flash-based storage for your photos. If you are a fan of SONY products then you know Memory Stick is the format of choice for its entire line of digital cameras. It tops out at 128 Megabytes, or about 50 to 64 pictures.
Related Articles:
Digital Photography 101: An Introduction
Digital Photography 101: Picking The Perfect Camera
Snapshot Of A New Photography Blogger
Getting Digital Pictures To Friends And Family FAST!