Digital imaging includes many different techniques. It can be accomplished with digital cameras, scanners of many types, and pre-existing prints, slides and negatives. By using a scanner, your existing pictures can be transformed into digital files which can be used in the same manner as those captured by a digital camera. This is perhaps, one of the most inexpensive ways to get into digital imaging, as many people already own a suitable scanner and can simply continue to use a regular film type camera. Scanners for this purpose can include flatbeds, film scanners, or drum scanners. The most useful type of scanner is probably the flatbed scanner, since it can be used for many other things. I use a 42 bit Hewlett Packard scanner which has buttons on the front of it for pushbutton ease, and connects to the computer with a USB cable. This connection makes it much faster than a serial or parallel connection. Any scanner can be used however, as long as the resolution is sufficient. The HP scanner also came with a slide and negative adapter which makes it more versatile. I use it only to scan prints, so they are extras I don't really need.

Digital cameras however, are the meat and potatoes of digital imaging. These cameras come in many forms, ranging from low resolution to high, and from simple point and shoot models to professional models, with prices ranging from $99 to several thousand dollars. One of the first things to check is the resolution. The cheaper models have a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels and are really suitable only for web images. Next come the megapixel types which can produce an excellent print of the size normally returned by your drug store. Three megapixel cameras can usually produce an image suitable for enlargement to an 8x10 print. Five megapixel cameras can produce an even larger print. The important thing to know is that the larger you want to print your image the more pixels you need in the original image. If too few pixels are in the original image, enlargement will make the pixels so large that the image will be fuzzy and blocky in appearance. I can't stress too much that the camera you buy should be chosen with the intended usage of the image in mind.

In addition to resolution, an important point is the quality of the lens. Plastic lenses are just unacceptable in my ever so humble opinion. A good glass lens with as many elements as possible is needed. If the lens is of an inferior quality, your image will be inferior. Zoom lenses are highly desirable, but be careful to choose a camera with a good optical zoom. Many cameras have a digital zoom and this merely magnifies a few pixels near the center of the image and extrapolates these pixels into a larger image by adding pixels through the camera's software. Unfortunately, this will result in an inferior image since the pixels simply weren't there to begin with. It is therefore imperative to look for a camera with a good optical zoom range.

After dealing with resolution and zoom lenses, we look to available controls. Simple point and shoot models are exactly that, with little or no control over the image making process. Better cameras will allow you to select automatic, aperture priority,shutter priority, and manual modes. In addition, ISO can be selected, as well as exposure, type of metering, etc. The more controls and features your camera has, the steeper the learning curve will be. If you wish to take professional photographs though, as opposed to snapshots, the effort will be well worth the time you invest.

Finally, as far as the camera goes, you must decide wich type of storage media to choose. Some cameras have only built in memory or use a floppy disk for storage. These simply will not give you enough storage for large (high resolution) files. Other solutions are Memory Sticks, Smart Media, and Compact Flash Cards. The first mentioned are still very new, and the second has some limitaion on size (memory). For my money, the best way to go is the Compact Flash Cards. They are available in larger storage capacity and can be read with a card reader making it unnecessary to hook up your camera to the computer for image transfer, saving both time and batteries. A fourth option is the IBM MicroDrive which is available in capacities up to 1 gigabyte, but only a few cameras are able to make use of them. In case you are wondering why this is all so important, think of your storage choice as your digital equivalent to rolls of film. The more storage available, the more virtual rolls of film you have available. A 16 MB Compact Flash card can hold only about 1 image at 4 to 5 megapixel resolution at the camera's highest setting. With a slightly lower setting, a 64 MB card can hold 20 to 24 images, or about the equivalent of a roll of film. The camera I use, came with a 16 MB card. I purchased 4 64MB cards and carry all five cards. The 16 MB is an emergency backup and I use the 64 MB cards as my "film supply".