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Are You Ready for a Digital Camera?
Are you sick of important
documents going missing under the mountain of papers that live on your
desk? Have you had it up to your eyeballs with the ancient, always
broken office photocopier?
If you answered yes to the above questions, then you might be interested
in some of the most recent advances that have been made in imaging
technology; which are now threatening the very existence of the
traditional, paper-based small business.
For example, today's version of the digital camera is light-years ahead
of last year's, or even last month’s models. Gone are the over-priced,
bulky, low quality originals; the new breed now carry improved picture
resolution, are less complex to use and much cheaper.
While other image capturing devices such as scanners and web cams have
also undergone great changes in recent times, Alan Jensen, a digital
technology specialist and photographer, says every business should not
be without some kind of digital camera.
“Whether it be an entry-level, low resolution camera, or a more
expensive high resolution model,
digital cameras are definitely value for money, considering the
endless possibilities for their use in business today,” he adds.
Fully automatic, point-and-shoot cameras remain the cheapest alternative
at the moment, but offer resolutions below one million pixels. This
means they produce images that are less sharp than their more expensive
relatives, and are limited to producing smaller photos.
Higher-resolution images are sharper and show more detail, but also
require more storage space and can quickly fill a camera's memory card.
Casual shots look fine at 640 x 480 pixels when displayed on-screen.
In a business situation where every dollar saved is important, the new
breed of digital camera can be used for a whole host of applications; so
much so that the end-user is limited only by their imagination and
ability to improvise.
For example, an online product catalogue, complete with pictures of your
wares, can easily be set up - photographs of employees, directors etc.
can be published on the Internet - or, a database of competitor’s
products can be established.
“How often have you tried to describe something over the phone to
someone? With a digital camera you could have taken a quick snap and
emailed it to them to save all the hassle,” Jensen suggests.
“They’re also great for staff newsletters, brochures, photos for
insurance records, and so on,” he adds. “Nearly all of the new consumer
digitals also have the capability of both still images and short MPEG
movies, often with sound.”
Obviously, the resolution you need in an image increases with the size
at which you want to print it. So if you want to enlarge your photos to
sizes greater than 5 x 7 inches, you probably won't be satisfied with
the results from a sub-2-megapixel camera.
There are many options available for digital photo printing. If you
don’t have a suitable printer, some Web-based services let you upload
your image files and have prints delivered to your door. And in a move
to stay in the race, many conventional photo-processing labs are now
able to print your digital snaps.
As with any kind of computer peripheral, you can expect your fair share
of trouble-shooting after initially buying a digital camera. This may
include problems with uploading images onto your PC, which may mean you
need to update your USB device drivers. Please note that these should be
provided with the camera, and regular updates should be made available
online by the manufacturer.
“Ease of operation varies between brands, but the basic functions are
generally easily distinguished,” says Alan Jensen. “Once people know how
to operate the camera, the shooting is the easy part.”
“Training is definitely and advantage to get a grasp on the more
important features,” he adds. “These include resolution, white balance,
file types and image quality. If you know this, you will then have a
greater chance of taking a perfect photograph.”
As for that ancient, always broken office photocopier … why not get your
hands on a scanner? Fair enough, everything making up that mountain on
your desk is there for a reason, but you’ll soon turn it into a molehill
by transferring everything onto your PC.
Investing in digital technology
for your business won’t be cheap, but remember you can write the
purchase price off over three years and claim it on tax, and all
business-related software is fully deductible. And think about all those
trees you’ll save…
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