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So the more dots you want
in your digital photos the more memory you need - and the
more your camera will cost.
| Number of pixels |
Look at on screen |
Print in a document |
Photo quality print |
| Around 1 million (1M) |
Yes |
Not very well |
Don't even think about it |
| 1.3-1.5M |
Yes |
OK |
Small pictures only |
| 2M |
Yes |
Good |
Reasonable up to 8" by 10" |
| 3M |
Yes |
Good |
Excellent even for large prints |
| More than 3M |
Yes |
Brilliant |
Good enough for use by professionals |
What Can You See?
Cheaper digital cameras come with a viewfinder that you
look through, just like an ordinary camera. But for a
little more money you can get one with a screen in the
back.
When you take a photo you get to see it on the
screen, or you can even use it as a way of lining up your
photo before you take it instead of looking through the
viewfinder.
But the main reason is to have a look at the photo you've
just taken - if it wasn't any good then you can get rid
of it and take another.
Perfect for when Auntie Jane
blows her nose at just the wrong time!
How many - how fast?
Each time you take a photo it gets stored on your camera,
and that uses space in the camera's computer memory.
Most cameras, apart from budget ones, have a special card
that stores the pictures - it might be called
'CompactFlash' or a 'Memory Stick' - and you can bung another one in,
like putting a new film into an ordinary camera.
But
these cards don't come cheap - expect to pay 30 pounds for
something to store 36 photos.
Some cameras actually use an ordinary floppy disk to
store the pictures, so you can just take it out and put
it in your PC.
But a high quality photo can easily fill a
whole disk, so this isn't as convenient as it might sound
if you're taking dozens of snaps on a Spanish beach.
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