Digital Cameras - Digital Camera Reviews - Digital Photography

Almost every digital camera on the market today has a USB port. This allows the camera to be connected directly to a computer for image downloads. There are two versions of USB – USB 1.1 and USB 2.0. High-end cameras are usually equipped with USB 2.0 because the transfer rate is up to 10 times faster than USB 1.1. Budget cameras usually have USB 1.1 – adequate, but other options may be more attractive.

Rather than reading the images directly from the camera, they can also be read from the memory card. Most multimedia notebook and desktop computers can read cards directly. If this is not the case you may need an external card reader.

Card readers are one of the most efficient ways to transfer images. Simply take the card out of your camera and pop it into the reader. Most card readers have a variety of ports designed for different kinds of memory cards. Card readers are almost always equipped with USB 2.0 or FireWire -- an equally fast data transfer protocol. They are quite reasonably priced.

One of the advantages of USB devices is that they can be connected to the computer while it is turned on. The computer will recognize the card reader as an external storage device and allow you to transfer data to any location on the computer's hard drive.

Other Options

For most people, storing images on a computer hard drive is the most practical solution. Computer storage allows images to be edited, sent as e-mail attachments, or posted to a web site.

However, there are other ways to download images from your camera. Cameras with a PictBridge or USB Direct Print can be connected directly to a compatible printer for direct printout. This is a very convenient way to download pictures but by doing so, you miss out on the opportunity to edit them on the computer.

Another way to transfer images is to use the camera's video output to connect it to a TV, VCR, or DVD burner. Images could be captured on videotape or burned to DVD, or simply viewed as a slideshow on a TV screen. Some cameras are equipped with an infrared remote control which allows you to flip through the pictures from your armchair.

Portable Storage

Portable storage devices are specifically designed to hold large numbers of images so that they can later be transferred to a computer. They are primarily aimed at the professional photographer who shoots several gigabytes of photographs per day. These devices are also useful when you are on vacation and taking lots of photos and don't have easy access to a computer.

These devices have an internal hard drive and are powered with rechargeable batteries. They read the camera's memory cards so that they can be erased and used again. They are often equipped with a LCD viewing screen so that images can be previewed. Images are transferred to the computer by USB 2.0 or FireWire.