Think of these cards as the "film’’ of the digital camera era. The cards are where your pictures end up after you press the shutter button on a digital camera. As a general principle, the more memory you have on your camera card, the more images you’ll be able to keep on hand. Once memory starts to run out, you either have to delete some images or buy a blank new memory card.

Digital camera makers are providing only the most basic amount of memory with their cameras, Sanders said. The average consumer today is buying a camera with a resolution of two million picture elements, or pixels, which are the tiny dots that make up the digital image on the computer display screen. Such cameras generally come with 8 megabytes of memory. That’s only enough to save 10 to 12 top-notch pictures before having to clear out some space.

Most consumers need a card with at least of 64 megabytes of memory, Sanders said. That currently costs about $35 or $40, but the prices are falling all the time. If the camera has a higher resolution, then consumers need bigger numbers. They probably should by cards with 64 to 128 megabytes of memory, which currently run between $35 and $80, Sanders says.

Consumers need to know what kind of card their camera takes before they buy new ones. There are various types -- Compact Flash, Smart Media, Memory Stick and more. Each has its own set of advantages, but are usually available carrying top brand names.

For instance: Eastman Kodak Co., Olympus Optical Corp. , Sony Corp. and others all resell memory cards both in stores and online. Some price examples: A Kodak-branded 64-megabyte CompactFlash card was found online for about $55; Olympus was selling a 32-megabyte SmartMedia card for about $30.

New formats are continuing to be developed. Take the xD Picture Card for example, made by Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd.  It's about the size of a penny, making it the smallest memory card on the market.

Best advice:  Do a few minutes of online research or ask your sales person to make sure you buy the right kind.

Most cameras under $500 generally come with basic Alkaline batteries. But those probably aren’t strong enough for the way you’ll use the camera. The camera’s liquid-crystal display takes a lot of power and eats through the basic batteries very quickly, Sanders said. Sometimes cameras come with the manufacturer’s own rechargeable batteries with a charger. In that case, Sanders says that consumers should buy a spare, as you it usually takes three to five hours to charge the original.

If there’s no charger in the box, the advice is this: Consumers should buy two sets of high capacity "NiMH’’ rechargeable AA batteries and a good charger. That will add about $50 to $60 to your cost.

Fuji, Olympus and Kodak sell battery chargers; Kodak sells its own brand of batteries.

Cables:

This is an area where consumers should be careful. Even the least expensive cameras will include the USB or audio/visual camera in the box. Some retailers on the so-called gray market or online will offer cameras at bargain basement prices. Then consumers find themselves shelling out extra for all the extras. "If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is,’’ Sanders said.

You’re probably best off here with a multi-purpose inkjet printer that will do both photos and regular documents, Sanders said. Sometimes you’re better off spending more for the printer because the ink costs will be lower. Epson, Canon , Hewlett-Packard Corp. and Kodak all offer printers that will fit the bill on this score for about $149 and up. Those models and others will typically let the consumer make good 4x6 prints for between 35 and 60 cents apiece. If consumers aren’t planning to print much, then they’re probably better off printing at a photo retailer with a digital mini-lab. Olympus recently launched a floor-standing digital photo kiosk that will have the average person turning digital images into magnificent prints in no time. Look for the Olympus TP-200 coming to store near you Trueprint .

For the more 'hand's on' photo enthusiast dye-sublimation printers are a very effective and easy alternative method of getting great looking digital prints...in fact you don't even need a computer!  For more information, check out Olympus online.

You can also print via the Internet with photo centric sites such www.ophoto.com & www.shutterfly.com. 

See also: From Pixels to Pictures:There's An Option For Everyone.

As with almost everything in life, attention to detail matters. Investing in some extras --  lively batteries and blank memory cards, to name two -- will help you keep shooting what you want, when you want. You don't even have to stick to the minimums.  And chances are, the more you shoot, the better the chance of getting that prize picture.

-Ben Rand

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