Sorry, I totally forgot that there were other types of digital cameras! I
meant a camera for taking digital photos, general-purpose. Can't afford
anything fancy. I have an old "Jam Cam", but they are really terrible
quality, and can only take about 8 pictures in the hi-res setting, and kills
the 9V battery after just a couple of pictures. My Snow iMac is only 500
MHz, running Panther, if that makes any difference.
Gerry
Sorry Gerry, I thought you meant webcams. As far as digital cameras, there are many things to look at:
1. Resolution - 2.1 Megapixels is the minimum for decent pix, 3.1 is better, and 4.1 is better still.
2. Price - Obviously, this is one of the most variable, but essentially the more megapixels, the more expensive it will be.
3. Brand - What kind of brand do you want? Digital cameras are made by computer people, camera people and "others".
4. Features - What is the screen like (or does it have one), What kind of memory chips does it take for expansion (There are Secure Digital, Memory Stick, XDigital, MultiMemory Card and Compact Flash). How much memory will it hold? How long do the batteries last? Can you use rechargables? Are the batteries built in?
I personally own a Kodak 3.1 megapixel that I like a lot. I bought it at Office Depot for $189. My main complaints is that it uses a lot of batteries (I own a set of rechargables and always keep at least 2 sets of alkalines for spares), and that the viewing screen is hard to see in bright light. However, the price was very good and it takes excellent pictures. It uses an MMC card (the same one as in my Palm, so they are interchangable) and I currently have a 64meg card in it, and I have 2 32 Meg cards for spares. I just came back from vacation and had taken 187 pictures and not filled up all three cards.
My daughter has a Fuji 4.1 Megapixel with a zoom lens that she got for graduation. It takes even better pictures, and the screen is beautiful (and can be used as a viewfinder) and it uses less battery power than my older Kodak. I put a 64Meg XD card in it and she takes gobs of pictures all the time. Only once has she filled up the card. However, this camera set me back $500, and that is without any rechargable batteries.
I have seen decent digital cameras on sale for less than $200, but remember you still have to buy a memory card for them (about $50 for a 64 Meg card) and you still have to buy either a set of rechargables or some batteries. My suggestion would be to have either two sets of rechargables (one in the camera and one fully charged for when you need it) or do like I do and go to Sams Club and buy the big pack (40 AA's) of batteries to use when the rechargables die if you only have one set.
Any way you go, if you get the camera at 3.1megapixels, with 64Meg memory and some batteries for less than $250, you have done well. Most people will spend $300 or more and not get this much. Do your shopping well. Check not only the big stores, but also the discount places (Kmart, Wal-Mart, Target, etc) if they have the same product you want for less money, buy it there...
BTW, as far as your original question, all digital cameras download via the USB port. Your computer will handle them fine. If you use OS X, it will download them and automatically open iPhoto right away so you can view them.
Dr. Kenneth Martin Chiropractor Teacher-Sports Therapy - TCHS
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