Megapixels Made Simple— How To ChooseA Digital Camera (NAPSA)—If you’re thinking about buying a digital camera, youre far from alone. According to a study by InfoTrends Research Group, about one of every five North American households is likely to own a digital camera by the end of 2001. Choosing from today’s selection of digital cameras needn’t be daunting. To simplify the purchase decision, ask yourself these three questions: How will I use it (business or personal)? Do I want to print pictures and if so, what sizes? How will I share my pictures—via e-mail only, or as gifts such as framed prints, or pictureitems such as mugs, magnets and calendars? Unlike traditional photography that often ends when you pick up your pictures at the store, digital photography really begins with the picture. In fact, the three most popular uses for digital pictures are storing pictures on a computer, e-mailing them to friends andrelatives and printing additional copies—either from a home printer or through an online photofinishing service, such as Ofoto.com. How you'll use your pictures affects the resolution you'll need. Resolution, usually defined in “megapixels,” measures how much information the camera captures. That, in turn, influences how clear pictures will be and how large they can be printed. For posting pictures on the Weborinserting them in reports, a 1-megapixel camera will be fine. But if you want to makeprints of 8 x 10 or larger, you'll want 3-megapixel resolution. Two-megapixels, the most popular choice, falls in between. The Kodak EasyShare camera and dock makeit one-button simple to transfer digital pictures from your camera to your com- puter. The dock also charges the camera battery while the camera is docked. Resolution isn’t the only consideration. You'll want a camera that’s easy to use. Kodak, the company that coined the slogan “You press the button. We do the rest,” has what’s considered the easiest system on the market. The Kodak EasyShare system combines a family of digi- tal cameras, a camera dock and easy to use picture-enhancingsoft- ware. Together, the elements can makeit incredibly simple to take, share andprint digital photos. At the touch of a button, the camera dock automatically transfers the pictures to the computer within seconds, avoiding the need to fuss with camera-connecting cables or load memory cards into other devices. Once your pictures are there, Kodak’s software makes it a snap to modify, share and print them—in short,to get all the fun that comes with today’s digital photography.
