Wired West - Brief Article

Smart ideas for a high-tech home

Digital camera news

* Digital cameras, first introduced in 1997, are entering a new era: Today s models are higher quality, less expensive, and easier to use. They're also popular: International Data Corporation, a market research company estimates that shipments of digital cam eras will grow from 6.6 million in 1999 to 31 million by 2003.

These new-technology devices, which bypass film altogether, have several advantages over conventional cameras. Since images are stored dig itally, they're compatible with your computer--and with the Internet You can e-mail vacation photos, send baby pictures snapped 10 minutes before to far-away grandparents, put up a family webpage, or post a shot of collectibles for sale on eBay.

You can also review an image immediately after snapping it. If it's not what you want, you can erase it. If you like it, you're your own photo-printing shop. Most cameras come with photo-editing software, such as Adobe PhotoDeluxe, Microsoft PhotoDraw, or MGI PhotoSuite III, that lets you crop, enlarge, or otherwise enhance your pictures once they're in your computer. You then print them on inexpensive (less than $300) color printers from manufacturers such as Canon, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, and Lexmark.

Inevitably, the first generation of digital cameras had some shortcomings. The newer ones are significantly improved, especially in image quality, which is defined by the number of pixels--tiny dots of light--that the camera can handle. The more pixels, the higher the image resolution and thus the better the photograph. But the higher the resolution, the more storage space is required. The biggest word in digital cameras today is megapixel, which refers to resolution of at least 1 million pixels. Megapixel photos can handle being enlarged to portrait sizes like 5 by 7 inches.

Storage cards, the digital equivalent of film, have grown in capacity and dropped in price. Now 8 megabyte (MB) CompactFlash cards that can hold roughly 45 high- or 90 standard-resolution images come with most cameras. Additional cards sell for as little as $25 for 8 MB, $90 for 32 MB.

Transferring the image from the camera to the computer has improved as well, since most newer computers have a USB (universal serial bus) port that allows fast transfer via a cable from the camera's USB port. An alternative, and inexpensive, technology is the card reader. You simply pop the storage card out of the camera and into the computer's card reader for quick transfer of the images.

One camera, the Sony Mavica, makes transfer even simpler, as photos are written to a standard 3.5-inch floppy disk that can go directly into your PC or Mac. However, a disk can't hold as much information as a storage card, and having to contain the floppy disk requires the Mavica to be considerably larger than most digital cameras.

Finally prices of these cameras have dropped substantially; many models are less than $500. Prices listed here are effective as of press time.

Hot digital cameras

* The Olympus D-450 Zoom ($499; 800/622-6372 or www.olympus.com) offers autofocus, 1.3-megapixel resolution, and 8 MB of storage for 18 high- or 122 low-resolution photos. This 9.5-ounce camera includes Adobe PhotoDeluxe image-manipulation software.

* Vivitar's ViviCam 3500 ($499.95; 805/498-7008 or www.vivitar.com) weighs only 8.9 ounces, offers autofocus and 1.4-megapixel resolution, and comes with MGI PhotoSuite software. The camera has both a viewfinder and a 2-inch color flat-panel screen (liquid crystal display, or LCD). It will transfer images to a computer via a high-speed USB or conventional serial port (what you use to connect a mouse to the computer).

* Epson breaks the $300 barrier with the 11.5-ounce PhotoPC 650 ($299; 800/463-7766 or www.epson.com). This autofocus camera can store 47 high- or 88 standard-resolution images on its 8 MB CompactFlash card and includes USB adapter cables. It allows you to change lenses: Wide-angle, telephoto, and close-up are available at extra cost.

* Nikon's Coolpix 950 ($899; 800/645-6687 or www.nikonusa.com) is a little larger (12.3 ounces) and quite a bit more expensive but provides 2.11-megapixel resolution with 8 MB of storage. It has both auto- and manual focus, plus digital zoom and optical zoom lenses.

* Canon sells the compact Power-Shot S20 ($799; 800/652-2666 or www.usa.canon.com), with 3.3-megapixel resolution and a 16 MB CompactFlash card that can store about 36 high-resolution and up to 176 low-resolution images. The camera comes with PhotoDeluxe and Canon PhotoStitch software and includes interface cables for USB, serial, and video-out connections (the latter is for viewing the images on a television).

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