Get your clicks; Buyer's guide: With a digital camera, there's no more standing around scanning photos. The downside? No more exciting drives to the fotomat

Entrepreneur, Dec, 2001 by Amanda C. Kooser

FILM IS SO LAST-CENTURY. PHOTO Processing is so passe. Why wait one hour when you can have instant gratification? The rest of your business moves at Pentium speeds--and so should your photography undertakings. Digital cameras have shifted away from being interesting gadgets and become business essentials for many entrepreneurs. If you haven't taken the digital dive yet, now is a good time. If you were an early adopter, the technology has improved enough that you may want to upgrade.

The first decision when choosing a digital camera is 2, 3 or 4 megapixels. The maximum megapixels a camera is capable of indicates the highest quality image resolution it can achieve. Higher megapixels equals higher quality. For low-cal, Web-only graphics, you won't ever need more than a 2 megapixel camera like the $299 (all prices street) Kodak DX3600. When you start branching out into the world of brochures and high-quality images, 3 megapixels is enticing and suitable for most applications. Expect to pay in the $500 range.

If you're into do-it-yourself photo printer activities, the newer 4 megapixel devices will give you near-film-quality images at sizes of up to 17 x 20 inches. Those who consider themselves semiprofessional or advanced amateur photographers will appreciate the high resolution capabilities and manual adjustment features of these cameras. If you know you will use the extras, the budget trade-off is justifiable.

Digital cameras are wising up when it comes to pictures for the Web. The $400 Nikon CoolPix 775 is one good example. Its one-touch Web uploading feature gets your photos online fast. The Ricoh RDC-1700 takes uploading a step further with an optional wireless Internet feature. The convenience will cost you, though. The $1,299 camera requires purchasing a separate wireless card, but you also get e-mail capabilities and Web surfing, among other features, with this unusual piece of hardware. It's more of a mobile solution center than just a digital camera.

All the cameras in our chart come with built-in zoom lenses. But not all zooms are created equal. A 3X optical zoom is pretty standard these days. The Kodak DX3600's 6x zoom translates into a 2x optical zoom and a 3x digital zoom. Be aware that digital zooms have the drawback of reducing image quality.

In terms of capturing motion, an increasing number of digital still cameras are cropping up with the ability to film short video segments. The $699 Toshiba PDR-M81 handles up to three minutes of motion at the lowest resolution (15 frames per second). A built in microphone and speaker let you record and listen to a sound track.

If you only buy one accessory for your digital camera, consider an extra memory card. The $999 Olympus C-4040 Zoom comes with a 16MB SmartMedia removable storage card. But as soon as you start snapping pics at its ample 4.1 megapixel capability, that 16MB of space will disappear faster than you can say "cheese." A 64MB card will cost about $75. Some cameras, like the Ricoh RDC-1700, accept either SmartMedia or CompactFlash cards.

With prices down and image quality up, it's a good time to invest in a digital camera for your business. Competition among digital camera manufacturers is tough, so there's a model out there for every purpose and budget. You'll save on film and processing costs and gain a lot of flexibility. Your scanner might start to feel neglected, but you won't miss the time spent waiting for images to load into your computer.

Shopping List

THE MORE MEGAPIXELS THERE ARE, THE BETTER YOUR DIGITAL PICTURES WILL BE.
BUT AS PIXELS GO UP, GOES THE PRICE.


PRODUCT         CONTACT INFORMATION  MEGAPIXELS

Hewlet-Packard  (800) 752-0900          3.3
Photosmart 715  www.hp.com


Kodak           (800) 235-6325          2.2
DX3600          www.kodak.com


Nikon           (800) NIKON-UX          2.14
Coolpix 775     www.nikonusa.com



Olympus         (800) 622-6372          4.1
C-4040 zoom     www.olympus.com


Ricoh           (800) 725-7767          3.34
RDC-1700        www.ricohzone.com



Toshiba         (800) 288-1354          4.2
PDR M81         www.toshiba.com



                                                  STREET
PRODUCT         FEATURES                          PRICE

Hewlet-Packard  16MB CompactFlash card,            $499
Photosmart 715  3x optical/2x digital zoom lens,
                optional lens fliters

Kodak           8MB internal, 2x optical/3x        $299
DX3600          digital zoom lens, optional
                dock, CompackFlash slot

Nikon           8MB CompactFalsh card, 3x          $400
Coolpix 775     optical zoom lens, weighs
                6.5 ounces, movice mode,
                one-touch Web uploading

Olympus         16MB SmartMedia card, 3x           $999
C-4040 zoom     optical/7.5x digital zoom
                lens, movie mode

Ricoh           3x optical/3.2x digital zoom      $1,299
RDC-1700        lens, weighs 15.9 ounces,
                touchscreen, optional wireless
                internet connectivity

Toshiba         8MB SmartMedia card, 2.8x          $699
PDR M81         optical/2.2x digital zoom
                lens, weighs 8.5 ounces,
                movie mode