So what's this Memory Card thing?

In the case of digital cameras, the photo information is stored on a memory card rather than on a film. These memory cards are removable from the camera and have different capacities. A higher capacity naturally means you can store more photos on it, but also means a higher price.

There are quite a few different types of memory card and most cameras only take one type. Sony cameras for example usually only use Sony's proprietary Memory Stick format (of which there are multiple formats just to make things worse). Most cameras come supplied with a memory card, but don't let that fool you - they are usually only large enough to store a few decent quality photos so aren't much use to anybody. An increasing trend is to actually have some memory built into the camera as well, but again at the moment it's more of a marketing ploy than anything as you still won't get more than a few photos on it. So if you buy a digital camera, the hard truth is you'll have to budget to buy a memory card too. The higher the number of megapixels the camera boasts, then the higher the capacity of memory card you're going to need to get. Examples of the most popular formats are shown below.

Compact Flash	xD Picture Card	Secure Digital	Memory Stick

Keep an eye out for the type of memory card the camera takes as some are more expensive or bulky than others. By far the most popular formats at the moment are Compact Flash, xD Picture Card, SD/MMC cards, and Sony's Memory Stick. Smartmedia is a format you might still see floating about (especially with older Olympus cameras) but it's now obsolete and has been superceded by the xD Picture Card. Prices for memory cards have plummeted over the years and you can now pick up 1 gigabyte capacity cards (more than enough to store a few holidays worth of frenzied snapping) for around £50 (apart from Memory Stick which currently costs about twice as much - bear that in mind if you go for a Sony camera).

How am I going to get prints of my photos?

One of the joys of digital photography is that you can snap away and view your photos before actually printing them, meaning that you only have to pay to print out the best ones. If you have a computer with a decent inkjet printer then chances are you'll be able to get perfectly good photo prints from that, but if you're planning on getting prints of all your holiday snaps then it'll probably work out cheaper to get them printed out for you at one of the many photographic outlets available in supermarkets, or camera shops like Jessops. Nowadays you simply have to take your dinky memory card, stick it in a machine, pick the photos you want to print onscreen and then go back in an hour or so to pick them up - all very easy, and reasonably priced too. Most newer cameras also support PictBridge which is a way of connecting the camera directly to a printer, alleviating the need for a computer at home. You still need a PictBridge compatible printer though.

If you decide to get a printer to print out your photos, make sure you're not fooled by the old cheap printer, expensive ink cartridges scam. If a decent inkjet printer is going for £40 chances are it'll cost you that to replace the cartridge (which if you're printing photos will be frequent). Spend a little more on one that lets you replace individual ink tanks as they run out rather than the whole cartridge, that way you won't be throwing out a half-full cartridge because one of the ink colours has run out. It'll cost you less in the long term, and will probably be a better quality printer too.

I have a computer - how do I connect the camera to it?

You certainly don't need a computer to enjoy using a digital camera, they just add to the fun. With a computer you can play around with your photos as if you have your very own digital darkroom, getting rid of red-eye or smoothing out wrinkle-like lighting anomalies. Nearly all cameras have a 'USB' (Universal Serial Bus) port (and they usually come supplied with the necessary cable) - some of the more expensive ones also have 'Firewire' and wireless ports. If you're computer isn't wind-up you can be pretty sure it'll have a USB interface which you can plug the cable into, if not then you can add one by buying a USB card for it (for around £15). Most cameras come with driver software and application software enabling you to get going with the minimum of fuss. Usually this software also enables you to organise your photos and arrange them on the page prior to printing.

I've just bought a camera!

Let us know what you think of it. Any problems you've found and any tips for your particular model? We'll put your advice on our site for the relevant camera so that others can benefit from your experience. Email us from our contact page.

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