A Guide to Using Digital Cameras at Bear Events by Digital Daddybear

This marks the third year that your Digital Daddybear has been working with digital cameras (digicams), and they keep on getting better. I thought it would be a good thing to help my fellow Bear readers out there by giving them some basic information on digital cameras. Also, I wanted to share tips and tricks I've learned on how to use the digicams effectively while at Bear events. So here goes our first installment.

How to Choose a Digital Camera
Digital cameras were introduced as an alternative to film cameras about 4 years ago. The first models were expensive, and produced images of mediocre quality. That was then, as they say. Now digital cameras are the rage. They were one of the hottest selling items last holiday buying season. There are reportedly over two hundred different models to chose from, each with varying features. How is one to pick from the many models available?

With my arm holding out a digicam with a rotating lens and a LCD screen, I framed our portrait using candlelight only.

You might think that price would be a major consideration, but you've also got to consider features. The two actually go hand in hand. And as usual, the models with the most features generally cost more. So, right off the bat, you should look at the features that each digital camera has and decide which ones are the most important for you.

I generally consider the quality of images (resolution) to be the most important feature. In the beginning, digicams only offered a resolution of about 640 x 480. That's techno-talk for 640 pixels x 480 pixels. It defines the actually imaging sensor that takes the picture. But as technology improved, higher and higher image resolutions were possible. The second wave of digicams produced 1024 x 768, soon to be followed by the first of the so-called "megapixel" models. These cameras had resolutions of 1280 x 960. The megapixel number is obtained by multiplying the pixel numbers to get the total number of pixels. Currently 1 megapixel models are considered your entry level, not the high end models. Early last year, the two megapixel barrier was broken, and just now the digicam manufacturers have reported that 3 and 4 megapixel models will be available later this year. Of course the higher resolution models cost more. But the question you have to ask is, how much resolution is good enough?

I know I've probably said this before, but it bears repeating (pun intended!) You should select a digicam based on your needs. So how do you determine your needs. One way to look at it is to determine the level of your use- either an entry level point and shooter, or an advanced digital photographer.

Entry Level Point and Shooter
Well, if you're like the traditional point-and-shoot photographer, your needs are relatively basic. All you'll need is a digicam that is easy to use, and is capable of producing 4 x 6 size snapshot sized prints. There are dozens and dozens of models aimed at just that entry level digital photographer. I think one of the best sellers in this entry level category is the Olympus D-340 (about $300) model. Its due to be replaced soon by an updated model. But there are several others from other manufacturers too.

Your entry level digicam should have least 1 megapixel resolution, and as I said, this is pretty much a defacto standard today. The reason this is important is two fold- you will need it to make photo quality snapshot sized prints, and by starting out with 1 megapixel resolution images, its relatively easy to size these images down for use on your web site or attach them as e-mail. A side note here: raw digital images from such a camera can be about 500K in size, which can take considerable time to download from a web-site or e-mail, so you will want to resize them. There are several good computer programs to help you do this. More on that later.

Memory
The other feature which your digicam must have is enough REMOVABLE memory. Notice that I emphasized the word removable. In the beginning, all digicams had only INTERNAL memory. Now very few models have just internal memory. This is critically important because digital memory is the equivalent of film. When you use it up, you just pop in another memory module and continue shooting. If your digicam only had internal memory, you'd be stuck when your memory filled up, and you couldn't take any more pictures unless you downloaded the images into your nearest computer. That's a terrible predicament to be in!

While we're on the subject of memory, it doesn't really matter what type your digicam has. I say that because there are several different memory types available: SmartMedia, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, etc. Certain digicam manufacturers have sided with certain memory types. What does matter is the amount of memory you use. Most digicams come with modest memory, usually 8 MB. You should seriously consider at least one additional memory module that's double the capacity of your current one. If you shoot in high resolution mode, the bigger the memory, the better.

"A zoom lens is great to use at bear events..."

Advanced Digital Photographer
The advanced digital photographer will have needs far beyond the entry level point-and-shooter. A main requirement in a digicam for this user is higher resolution- usually in the two megapixel class (1600 x 1200). With this higher resolution digicam, using the highest quality setting, it's possible to make digital prints up to 8.5 in x 11 in. that rival traditional photographic prints. Now we're talking photo contest quality!

Like imported cars, many of these higher resolution camera models have lots of features which come standard with the model: Variable resolution settings (1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, and 640 x 480) to allow more images, 3X zoom lens, Programmed AE modes, Special Effect modes, External Electronic flash, etc. These advanced model cameras usually run about $700-$1000, depending on features.

A secondary requirement for this type of user is that the digital camera have lots of manual controls- not just automatic as is the case with the very basic cameras. What type of manual controls are available? Well there's shutter speed and aperture to start with. Manual control models let you pick a shutter speed for special effect, and they do the rest. They also let you pick the aperture, again for special effect, and then they determine the right shutter speed. Manual digicams also let you vary the exposure to get just the right amount of light for the image.

Beyond manual controls, additional features like a zoom lens are beneficial to the advanced digital photographer. Most zoom lenses are in the ballpark of 3X. A 3X zoom means its telephoto focal length is 3X the wide angle focal length. Many digicams have a feature known as digital zoom, but this is not a true zoom. It's an electronic trick that enlarges the image, and it can cause some problems if taken to the extreme.

A zoom lens is a great feature to use at Bear events, because you may never be close enough to capture your favorite Bear without it. Another important advanced feature is optional electronic flash. As with 35mm film cameras, external electronic flash is now available on certain model digicams. Now you're probably thinking that an optional electronic flash might be overkill. After all, most digicams have some sort of internal flash, right? Well, yes, but it's limited in range. If your subjects are further than about 8 feet, forget the internal flash. If you know you'll be shooting subjects further away, then consider a digicam model that has the shoe to fit an external electronic flash.

Another feature which may come in handy is ISO adjustment. Like film, digital cameras have ISO adjustments. Most will be preset at something like ISO 100, which is a pretty average sensitivity. But some models offer ISO 200, or 400 for improved picture taking under low light without flash.

Using special effects features in some digicams, you can make people look really weird!

But What About Sony's Digital Mavica?
I would be remiss without mentioning the most popular series of digicams around- the Sony Digital Mavicas. These models garner over 50% of the market for one simple reason: they use HD floppy disks as memory to record their images. This makes them instantly readable on practically any PC or Macintosh computer. No downloading cable or software required. Having said that, there are limitations to this universal convenience concept.

The most important limitation is resolution. Because the HD floppy disk can only hold about 1.4 MB of data, a relatively high amount of JPEG compression is needed to store pictures. Much more that what is used by other digicam manufacturers that use different types of memory. The classic trade-off is image quality vs. number of pictures stored. Using the high resolution mode on the new Sony Digital Mavicas, only about 6 or 7 images can be stored on each floppy. I think you might begin to see my point. If you like the convenience of the HD floppy, but like to shoot in as high as resolution as possible, be prepared to take along several floppies because you'll need them.

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