I'm considering buying a digital camera but am a little confused about memory and storage units. Do you just download the memory cards into the X-drive while you're travelling? Can the memory card then be reused, or do you need to do something else with it or recharge it in some way? What are the benefits of taking digital photos if you're a photo album kinda gal like me? How do the prices compare to regular printing? My understanding is that I could delete the photos I don't want and send the file to a service like Ofoto.com to have the ones I want printed. Frankly I don't want to buy the special printer and paper needed to print my own photos, but I do love gadgets! I'm thinking of getting a 3 megapixel camera, possibly a Canon or Fuji. My nephew sends me outstanding scenic shots of Yemen using his 2 megapixel Canon.

I know I need to go to a reputable camera store and ask these questions, but they'll be trying to sell me equipment and I want to hear your thoughts first. Best Buy and the like were no help, and all their cameras are sold out after Christmas.

Thanks.

Cathy

Hi Cathy,
hope to reduce the confusion a bit.
if the camera you're interested in doesn't have removable memory cards then it becomes tedious to move the files to some other form of storage to have pics printed, either by yourself on a P.C. or by photo-labs that have digital facilities.

there seem to be three main formats of memory card (different shapes & connectors)
1) SD memory
2) Compactflash card (the one I use)
3) Sony memory stick

An X-drive is basicly a computer harddrive (large storage disc) that has connecters to plug in your memory card and allows you to copy a lot of photos onto it for retrieval later for printing/editing. Once the photos are copied to the x-drive you'd erase the mem card and reuse it in the camera. I haven't needed one yet as I copy straight to my P.C. and print as required.

Having got a digital camera last year I'd never use film again....

cheers,
J.B.

Cathy,

If you are a snapshot shooter (try saying that 3 times very fast), a 3 megapixel camera will do fine.

The purpose of carrying an x-drive (or other portable storage device)is to 1) eliminate having to carry around a portable PC and 2) eliminate the need to buy tons of memory cards (you do need more than one so that you can still use the camera while the other is unloading onto the PSD).

After unloading the memory card, put it back in your camera, format it and you are ready to go.

Ofoto, owned by Kodak, is the largest of the online "printers." Fuji now has a machine that prints from your memory card. Apparently they can be found in WalMart, Costco and other stores. I saw one in my local photo store last week. They even accept CD_Rs.

Have fun.

Glenn

I like to have prints in albums too but, of course, the big advantage to a digital in this regard is that you can choose the pics that you want to print.

Therefore, you don't pay to have that picture where your finger was in front of the lens just a little, or your grandchild looked away at just the wrong instant, or that goofy looking person walked into your great shot of the castle.

Chuckster

....or the beautiful shot I took at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, bird soaring in the sky, before I saw the woman in the foreground....

Thanks, everybody, for the valuable information. It's time to go shopping!

Cathy

I used my new Canon S30 (3.2Mpix) digital camera on my recent trip to Egypt. I am not going back to 35 mm again. I used two 256MB compact flash cards on the trip (for 7 days of sight seeing). The CF cards took a lot less space than rolls of film, and they are not affected by airport Xrays. Another big advantage of my digital camera (over 35mm P&S) is that I can vary the 'film speed' from one exposure to the next. This is useful when you are shooting inside a museum or a tomb where flash is not allowed. My camera allows me to go all the way to 800ASA. I could get great shots of dimly lit artefacts by hand holding the camera. Once I got back home I enhanced the contrast in these photos using a photo editing software.

Italybound,
found the postings on webshots. Great Photos!

:-)

joeseph, the photos you emailed me many months ago from your Egypt trip were my inspiration to buy a digital camera for my Egypt trip. Thank you once again for sharing your pictures. I did buy one canopic jar (the merchant wanted to sell me a set), but I did not have the space to carry all four. Also purchased one small alabaster vase and a King Tut bust. Overall we did not do much shopping, but others on the trip went overboard buying just about everything!

Sadly,
I bought my digital camera on the way home from our Egypt trip, so diddn't get a chance to try it out but console myself with the thought of going back someday and having a blast with it.
Great to hear you enjoyed your time there.