Be a digital camera film star

Gatot Susetyo, Contributor, Jakarta

Want to be a star of the screen? Your chances are higher as long as you have a digital camera with you. With this camera, you can make your own video clip in almost three minutes. Of course, the resolution and features available when filming the video on digital still cameras cannot compete with what you get from a camcorder.

But if you just want to have some fun, there are lots of digital cameras that are ready to accommodate you. Some cameras can record only silent videos or save short clips.

If you want to get the most motion picture power out of a still camera, look for one that has sound with the video and offers an extended video mode.

Some cameras offer an audio mode that will allow you to annotate still shots with brief recordings or use the camera as a voice recorder. We can capture some second AVI videos at a 320 by 240 resolution. Some models can shoot 100 pictures in quick succession to create a short AVI video clip. You can capture the fun on video for up to 10 seconds, then e-mail it to loved ones.

With a digital camera you can take an unlimited amount of pictures and not worry about running out of film -- just download your photos into a computer, and your camera's memory is free again. The camera can save images in both JPEG and AVI formats.

Digital cameras are basically small computers: memory, microchips, microprocessors, and an image sensor chip (CCD). Most digital cameras are designed for the everyday photographer. But with digital cameras we can make photography easier and it is fun, too. They are as simple as traditional point-and-shoots, but they have features such as exposure adjustment, special effects and clear, bright LCD screens that let you preview your pictures before you take them.

We can take up to 120 pictures on certain memory cards at 1280-by-960-pixel or 640-by-480-pixel resolution. With 12MB of internal memory, there is enough space to store 24 shots in 1280 by 960 mode, 75 photos in 640 by 480 mode, or 15 images in 1600 by 1200 mode at the normal compression setting. It can store up to 100 photos at a resolution of 640 by 480 pixels, or 400 pictures at 320 by 240 pixels. A digital camera also can be used as a webcam when connected to the PC with a U.S.B. cable.

Even in some models, it can be used as an MP3 player and voice recorder. In this way, the camera is bundled with earphones and an audio control strip for listening to music on the road. And with a memory card inside, you will able to listen to hours of music. You can see some models, such as the Casio EZ200 and Canon FinepIX 30i. It is both a still, pocket-sized multimedia device and USB-connected webcam, you can make live video calls or create personalized videos with audio. For a cheap one, you can choose some Aiptek models, such as the PencamFlash and Qt Cam made in Korea (see in www.tenton.co.id). Some models also include a video output, which allows you to view your digital pictures on your TV or record them on a video cassette.

Remember that the number of songs you can store depends on the size of the MP3 files and memory card capacity as a storage media inside the camera. There are many types of memory cards for digital cameras, but most models are compatible with only one. The most common are the CompactFlash and SmartMedia. Many Sony cameras use the Memory Stick and some use mini-CDs or floppy disks.

MultiMedia Cards (MMC), IBM Microdrives and some proprietary media types are also used. Make sure you get a camera that is compatible with the type of media that offers enough storage space to meet your needs. Most types of media are available with a range of capacities, and prices, and you'll probably want to purchase extra media with a greater capacity than what is included with your camera.

In most cases, between 8MB and 16MB of memory will serve your purposes initially. As you begin to use your digital camera you should get a better feel for the memory capacity.