When I got home, I zoomed in and cropped the picture but the image turned out too pixelated. My 2 year old digicam didn’t have enough pixels to go around. The higher your cameras resolution, the more flexibility you have later editing your image. So now Ive been shopping for a new compact digicam with at least 7 megapixels. Here are my 5 top picks.

1) Casio Exilim EP-Z750 Digital Camera Review
The 7.2MP EP-Z750 is the smallest, lightest and thinnest camera in the group. It doesnt look big enough to have 7.2 mega pixels but it does! The back of the camera is almost all LCD screen, 2.5 worth, its extra large, ideal for composing and viewing your shots. It has a 3x zoom with anti-shake and 30 scene modes compared to the usual 8 or 12 on most digicams, plus you can make up your own too. Being this small you would figure that there couldnt possibly be any manual controls, but youd be wrong. The EP-Z750 has aperture, shutter priority and full manual settings which are all quick and easy to navigate. You get the hang of it real quickly. The quality of the photos you take with the Casio Exilim are surprisingly excellent with dynamic colors. The Casio Exilim Ep-Z750 view finder is quite small, thank you for the big LCD screen. Its got a quality 640×480 movie mode at 30 frames per second. Weight 4.5 oz.

2) Nikon Coolpix 7900 Digital Camera Review
The 7.1MP Coolpix 7900 is small, light and easy to use and like the Casio camera reviewed above, can be considered an ultra compact. Its large, bright 2 LCD display is perfectly visible outdoors in the sun. Unlike the Casio, it has a bulge where the battery goes forming a grip which makes it easy to hold. But that adds to its overall thickness. The Nikon Coolpix 7900 has a 3x optical zoom, a large battery capacity for taking hundreds of pictures, and a good flash. 640×480 movies at a full 30fps and Nikon’s new Face Priority autofocus will automatically detect a face in the portrait and focus on it. The Coolpix has D-Lighting that lightens the dark areas. Somehow they also found room to squeeze in vibration reduction. The Nikon 7900 uses scene modes and theres one for almost every occasion, theyre easy to use and work very well. The 7900 doesnt have manual control. The Nikon Coolpix 7900 is a small easy to use point and shoot camera with high-resolution. Weight 5.3oz

3) Canon PowerShot SD550 Digital Camera Review
The 7.1MP SD550 is an attractive, lightweight, thin, ultra-compact unit with an extra large 2.5 LCD screen and optical viewfinder. It uses 13 shooting modes including auto and manual. The PowerShot has a 3x zoom, equivalent to 37-111mm. This camera is fast! Shooting 2 photos per second till you use up all your memory. The speed of the auto focus is also significantly improved over earlier ELPHs. Canon has put the new DIGIC II Processor in and its images are excellent. The movie mode is 640×480 at a nice 30 frames per second. Of course its PictBridge compatible and has a good flash. This is a solid performer with point and shoot ease. The Canon SD500, the SC550s sibling is the same camera for $50 less with a 2 LCD screen. Weight 6.08oz.

4) Olympus C-7000 Zoom Digital Camera Review
The 7.1MP, C-7000 is a very good looking compact digital camera with solid performance. Zoom is in the name, because this beauty has a 5x optical zoom, and a 6x digital zoom with the 35mm camera equivalency of a 39mm-190mm lens. This makes getting candid people shots easier, you dont need to get as close to your subject, just use your zoom to get in. The Olympus C-7000 Zoom has a large 2 LCD that is excellent even outside. You’re not going to make a feature length movie with it however, because it takes 20 second clips at 30fps. The pop-up flash works good and easy to read menus make the C-7000 fairly easy to navigate. It has the new Olympus TruePic Turbo Image Processor for fast cycle times and excellent details. The C-7000 Zoom has 11 shooting modes plus manual operation. Its PictBridge Compatible for easy printing without a computer. This little Oly is tough to beat with its powerful zoom, small size and high resolution. Weight 7.07oz

5) Sony CyberShot DSC-W7 Digital Camera Review
The 7.2 MP DSC-W7 is bigger than the ultra compact Casio Exilim its considered a compact digital camera. In traditional Sony style, this small camera is well thought out and easy to use everyday. Its got a viewfinder and a really big 2.5 LCD display thats nice for viewing and composing your shots. The 3x optical zoom lens is a Carl Zeiss equivalent to a 28-114mm lens. No expensive batteries to buy ever, it comes with 2 AA rechargeable batteries. The Sony CyberShot has an extremely quick start up time and fast recycle time. The DSC-W7 uses the memory stick format and has a an internal memory of 32MB. A manual mode with aperture and shutter speed controls with a photo exposure preview. Your also hooked up with an excellent movie mode with good sound just what youd expect from Sony. The Sony CyberShot DSC-W7 is a very nice camera that takes good hi-resolution pictures and is easy to use. Weight 6.90 0z.

You will notice that I haven’t put any prices here, because they seem to change by the day. Check our site for up-to-date price comparisons. Even pros have circumstances when a compact digicam is appropriate. These digicams are for everybody. Make your choice based on features that fit your shooting style. You will love the photos from all the cameras here. Spend the little bit extra on a 7MP camera and always use the highest resolution setting your camera has, because every picture you take is worth more than money.

Visit KISSERreviews.info to compare technical data, actual customer reviews, accessories and prices. We have more reviews at our website. For helpful information about, How to Become a Freelance Photographer, visit our unique motivational and supportive website at: FreelancePhotographerJobs.com for great ideas. There’s are a lot of free photography tips, tutorials and travel information there.

I have been a professional photographer at several western ski resorts including Vail and Breckenridge Colorado, Brighton Utah, and Grand Targhee Wyoming. I started out at Grand Targhee where I landed my first professional photography job taking action photos of skiers on the slopes. Now I live in South Lake Tahoe, California and this will be my 3rd season at Heavenly. I enjoy traveling and freelancing the rest of the year.

Getting digital photos is no different, though slightly more annoying. After all, we are dealing with such small amounts of money usually to begin with and then to find out at the check out line that its going to be significantly more expensive simply because of the shipping. [It kind of reminds of me a line from Lethal Weapon 3, when Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and Joe Peschi order food from a drive-through. After they pay, they go through the bag and find their order is all wrong, prompting Joe Peschi to blurt out that memorable line that: They f--- you at the drive through!]

Thats the way I often feel when I shop online that the they @!##$ at the check out! Its like the company knows that weve come this far and wont leave.

For digital prints, many of the companies compete most heavily on the prices for 4×6 and 5×7. And the truth is, price is often where youll find the greatest differences. In terms of quality, most companies really do provide beautiful prints, so they have to try to win you over by price. But you can quickly discover that in some cases a 12 cent photo isnt always less expensive than a 19 cent photo. Thats because of shipping. Determining that online is a real pain as you have to go from one site to another, and often having to order to see what youre actual price is, i.e. photo plus shipping.

That is, until now. A really smart friend of mine, (much, much smarter then me) devised this really cool, easy-to-use and *free* photo calculator that will actually compare printing costs for 5 different online photo companies, and then show you the cheapest. Its so simple to use, you just enter the number of 4×6, 5×7, or 8×10 prints. Then you select delivery type – standard, expedited (1-2 days) or overnight, click Find Best Price and *Voila* – youll get a comparison chart with the winner in red. And the best part is, you can then just click on the company name and order your photos.

Its awesome… give it a try here: http://www.PhotoCalc.com

Andrew is a former journalist and like many others in their mid-thirties still trying to figure out what he wants to do when he grows up. At the same time, he loves to capture “moments” and tell stories through photos. He is the creator of http://www.DazzlingDigitalPrints.com – a web site packed with tips, reviews, advice and newsletter all to help you get best digital prints possible.

I will assume that we are all using digital cameras. Once the photos are taken they can be stored on your computer via a number of different ways. Most common is through a USB cable that comes with your camera. For most people this is very fast and the pictures are not so large that you are spending all day transferring them to your computer. If you have a camera of 6 megabytes or greater then you could opt for devices that transfer from your memory card through the wireless network card on your laptop or in your desktop. This method can speed things up quite a bit.

Make sure all your pictures are easy to find because when you are uploading to an online photo developer you need to browse to those files and select them for uploading. You will not lose your original copies and there are some developers that will allow you a little bit of server space to store you pictures as long as you keep buying from them. This could save some uploading time if you want to print the same picture again.

Select the sizes and quantities then click order and it is that easy. (for the most part)

The only hard part is knowing what services you need and want from a developer. The options are endless and unfortunately not all are offered by every online service.

To view our list of recommended sources for digital photo printing online, visit this page: Photo Mugs.

Mindi Haehl is the owner of an informational site about printing your digital photos online.

Its great to have all that excitement, but were my pictures actually the best they could be?

Here are 7 tips that I have learned that have improved the quality of my photos.

1. Use the high resolution setting. At the start, I had the resolution set to medium. That way I was able to take about 100 pictures before having to download the memory card to my computers hard disk. That was fine for viewing on screen, but then one day I wanted to do an 8×10 paper version, and the results were disappointing. Now I always use the highest resolution my cameras can provide. I have had to spend some money on more memory cards, but it was worth it.

2. Use a Tripod. Even the slightest movement of the camera can create a blurry image. Invest in a tripod. I have also found that when taking group shots, I am better able to judge when to click if I am looking directly at the group, rather than through the view finder.

3. Buy a Good Photo-Editing Program. Perhaps your camera came with Photoshop Elements, or similar. If not, go to your computer retailer and buy one. Not only can you fix blemishes (maybe Susan was having a bad zit day), but you can do more creative things as well. Recently I combined a photo of my grand-daughter with one of Dora-the-Explorer. Jasmine loved it.

4. Watch the Compression. As you use that fancy photo editing program, be careful of your compression setting. Most programs default to jpeg format, which saves space by selectively removing pixels, and recreating them the next time you view the photo. If you open, edit, and save a photo multiple times, the over-all quality decreases. Try to do all your editing in one pass, using the lowest compression, or use a format like tiff, which does not compress.

5. Get in Close. Dont waste pixels on excess background. Get in closer, either physically or with an optical zoom setting.

6. Good Things Come in Threes (or more!). Considering the incremental costs of taking a photo with a digital camera (close to nil!), you should take lots of shots. If the shot is available for more than a few seconds, take more that one exposure. I always tell the subjects of my photos that I will be taking at least 2 or 3 shots of them. A blink at the wrong time ruins the potential.

7. Read the Manual In fact, read it more than once. As if I have to explain this one!

Heres an equation for you.

(LOTS of photos with your digital camera) + (the above tips) = (a day coming soon when youll be proud to show off your creations)

Richard Killey is an amateur photographer who shares the love of his hobby with readers of his website. Visit http://www.photosbyrichard.ca to read other articles of interest.

If just printing photos online and having prints mailed to you then almost any online service will suffice. If you are looking for high quality prints is a priority then you will need to be more selective. There are believe it or not companies that will claim to offer quality prints but will fail to deliver. It pays to do a little homework before placing an order.

Some great options offered by the better printing services are online photo albums. Very affordable with most service memberships this is a great way for everyone to see updated pictures online. you will be given a website that you can email to all your friends and family. Some albums can be very simple and easy to update and manage but the more control and options that are offered the more technical it will be.

A must is an easy to use, online photo editing tool or software. Many companies offer these and some are not so easy to use. This will make a big difference in how your photos turn out after they are printed. Using the online software offered by your printing company is always a good idea if you are new to photo editing. You are more likely to get the picture just right by using a software that the printer is used to seeing also.

Online storage is offered by many online printers and can serve as a great back up for all your photos. The plus of storing online is the ease and speed of sending your printing service your orders.

If you are storing your photos online then of course you will need to access them from your cell phone. This service is free with the higher quality online printing services. With this you can order and view photos from anywhere.

The options offered by good printing companies are endless. From postage stamps with your pictures on them to desktop wallpaper and cell phone ringer IDs. Not everyone offers the same things so researching who offers what is a great idea. Sticking with a company that offers what you want will save lots of money considering all of the deals that are offered to returning customers and many promotions given based on your order quantity.

To view our list of recommended sources for digital photo printing online, visit this page: Photo Mugs.

Mindi Haehl is the owner of an informational site about printing your digital photos online.

When it comes to salvaging photographs that have been damaged by water, sooner is always better. Mold and mildew will start to form on damp records within 48 hours. The best way to inhibit the growth of mold and mildew is to reduce humidity. Increase air flow with fans, open windows, use air conditioners and dehumidifiers. Moderate light exposure (such as open shades, or leaving the basement lights on) can also reduce mold and mildew.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND NEGATIVES

Do not attempt to pull apart photographs or negatives that have stuck together. Soak them in clean water until they separate on their own. Rinsing and drying can take quite a while. Newer photographs can be temporarily stored in a bucket of cold clean water until you have time to work with them. Keeping them wet prevents mildew growth because mildew can only grow on damp material, not wet. Freezing is another option for temporary storage, but should not be used with photographs that are over 50 years old. For older photographs, electronic restoration is your best option.

Rinse them in more clean water as you go. Be careful not touch the emulstion (image) side of the print while its wet. There are two acceptable drying methods: spread out face up on a clean, dry, smooth surface or hanging on indoor lines with clothespins. The first method requires more space, but is gentler to your photos.

COMPUTER DISKS AND TAPES

Disks should be rinsed in clear water, placed in a plastic bag and put in your refrigerator. The next step is to take it to a professional drying center and have the data transferred to a new disk or tape. You can call the Disaster Recovery Institute toll free at 888-374-7845. Companies that are members of the institute specialize in restoring computers and computer records after a disaster.

MORE FREE INFORMATION AVAILABLE BY PHONE & INTERNET

The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) has an entire section devoted to Disaster Assistance. http://www.nedcc.org/welcome/disaster.htm. You can also call their emergency phone line day or night, seven days a week. (978) 470-1010. This service is free.

Conservation Online (CoOL) http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/disasters/ is packed with free information. The link above will take you directly to the section on disaster recovery. CoOLs main site has articles on just about every aspect of conservation and preservation.

DIGITAL RESTORATION

Many independent camera stores contract with experts to restore damaged photographs digitally. Rates vary based on the extent of damage and how much work is required. Call your local camera shop or Jacobs Archival Services for more information.

And remember — digital copies can serve as an excellent emergency backup. Just be sure to keep a set in a different location than your house. A safe deposit box or office works well. You can also send disks as gifts to family and friends around the country. That way, everybody wins!

Sally J. Jacobs has a Masters degree in Library & Information Science with a specialization in Archives Management. She has worked on collections at the Library of Congress, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the University of Wisconsin. Her FREE monthly Ask the Archivist eZine includes tips on how to organize, preserve, and enjoy your cherished photographs, letters, quilts, and wedding gowns. It will even help you with your “born digital” photos! Signup is quick and easy online: http://www.jacobsarchival.com. Stop by the website and pick up some free preservation information. Your great-granddaughter will be glad you did.

Don’t Let Your History Disappear!

For argument’s sake I am going to assume that we all know that printing our own photos from home is not feasible. With the high costs of quality photo paper and the low quality of our printers there is no reason to suffer with poor prints any longer. I suffered for years trying to print my own photos while looking back now, I realize that all those prints I made have been thrown away or shoved in a drawer and forgotten. I knew that to get film quality prints I would have to spend a lot more money or do something completely different. The University that I attend has computer kiosks at their film developing station but who wants to drag everything over to a location that has horrible parking?

What is out there?

How easy would it be to just upload a file of pictures from your home computer and wait for them to arrive in the mail? This is ideal but the only problem is knowing who to have process them. There are endless numbers of sites that have appealing pictures and look really professional. The frustration comes when you trust them based on the design of their website and they have nothing to support it. Poor customer service and a lack of quality usually ruin your first experience with them. Your first experience is often your last. In searching for a reliable company with good customer support to process all of my digital photos I have tested most major online developers. Most leave something to be desired but there are many that are well run, reliable stores that are consistent in giving you great pictures with every order. A review of these companies can be found on my information site referenced below.

How do you do it?

With a good company online, processing photos is easy. From you memory stick or card you simply put the pictures on your computer as normally do. When uploading the files from the Online photo service’s website simply browse to those files and select the pictures you want to have printed. After selecting the picture sizes and various other options you click to upload and wait for them to come in the mail. We have used various large chains that offer on site pick up but the pictures are such low quality that they end up being thrown away or stuffed in a drawer as if I were printing them from home. The great thing is that if you want to spend less money there are many that offer the high quality for the same price as some low quality, national chains. With the ease of getting the photos out of your mailbox compared to driving to a location to get them I was happy to see that this service is offered for free on most sites.

Who should you use?

When deciding which service to use please keep in mind that there are many different options that are unique for each online photo printer. Some specialize in high volume orders and offer great prices. Others offer memberships with free prints for signing up. If you are a web nut like me and you want to have a place for your friends, family and colleagues to see all of your very best pictures, there are plenty of great companies that offer online photo albums with your membership.

To view our list of recommended sources for digital photo printing online, visit this page: Photo Mugs.

Mindi Haehl is the owner of an informational site about printing your digital photos online.

It is the best way to capture underwater scenery, corals, fish schools, and anything that catches your eye that you wish to preserve. With an underwater digital camera you can share that special moment forever. You can shoot until you run out of air instead of film. Printing or publishing the pictures on the Internet is very simple, as you need to just connect the camera to a computer and transfer the image files.

Digital underwater cameras allow you to compose the image on the LCD monitor and with a better depth technology, focusing is very easy. Different varieties are available to suit every need. The depth at which the cameras can be used is important. Economical ones can be used up to 5 meters while professional ones can be used at depths of 150 meters or more. Other important factors are: the image resolution, memory, number of pictures you can store, exposure, type of lens, zoom features and many more.

Shooting on land and underwater is different however. At greater depths, the available light becomes faint, diffused and is refracted. Light sources like built-in and external flash allow you to take pictures in faint light. These cameras can be operated in 3 modes – land, sea and external flash mode, which helps take pictures in any under water conditions.

By using external flash you can remove problems like the ‘white snow effect’ in which light reflects off planktons and sand to create a white fog. It takes some time to master underwater digital photography but since there is no film, you can practice as much as you need. These cameras also have the light balance feature that provides colors, which are better recognized by the human eye. It is possible to pack a digital camera in special, waterproof packs and shoot but this should be done only in case of an emergency.

Underwater photography is recognized as an enthralling profession with many challenges and risks. The advent of underwater digital cameras, however, has made this task simpler and more creative. The photographer can capture more than ever before by using the zoom lens. Underwater digital cameras will take underwater photography to new heights or, should we say, depths.

DigitalCameraReview.com provides digital camera reviews, news, buying advice and price comparison.

The number of megapixels will vary with the different brands of ultra compact digital cameras. You will find cameras from three megapixels to more than eight megapixels. You can expect great pictures from these easy-to-carry cameras. Some have only digital zoom while others offer both optical and digital zoom, giving unbelievable clarity and picture quality.

Be sure to check out the expected battery life. The number of pictures you can take will depend on the type of exposure. Many ultra compact models include the option of movie mode with sound. If you anticipate using your camera for capturing action, you should plan on having an extra battery available.

Many features common on full-size digital cameras are not available in the ultra compact models; therefore, it is necessary to know what kind of performance you need before you make a purchase. At DigitalCameraReview.com, you can check out what people are saying about a variety of ultra compact digital cameras. If you have a particular model in mind, you can search by the model number. If not, you can compare opinions about the hottest cameras on the market.

DigitalCameraReview.com offers digital camera reviews, news, buying advice and price comparison.

We dont have to stick to many rules to produce great landscape images, but knowing what they are will make your pictures more successful. There are two salient points in landscape photography: how to compose your image, and how to use available natural light in any given situation.

Lets start off with light: There are three basic qualities of light: intensity, direction and colour.

Intensity: refers to the strength of light. If the sun is high in the sky, light can be harsh and too strong. Cloudy days bring soft and defused light.

Direction: this refers to light placement. There are three categories of light placement: front, back and side-lighting. Side lighting produces more texture between light and shade.

Colour: the colour of sunlight varies depending upon conditions and time of day. If the sun shines at the beginning or the end of the day, the colour of the light will be much warmer, and will lead to a much more dramatic scene.

Understanding natural light will develop your ability to see. You will start to see the beauty of light in a different and exciting way.

In landscape photography it is very important to take care with composition. A normal scene can be transformed by paying close attention to detail. Composition is all about how you arrange the elements in front of you.

Here are a few ideas in which you may find useful.

Lead with lines: To lead with lines into the main part of the scene will draw your viewer into your image. These lines dont have to be straight. Lines, such as tracks, riverbanks or fences, may work successfully.

Foreground interest: Simple foreground objects can give your landscape a greater sense of depth. Use a small aperture (f/22) to keep the entire scene in focus.

Natural frames: Frame your scene with the elements all around you. This will focus attention on the main part of the picture. Trees make great natural frames.

These are just a few essential guidelines, and combined with a good eye, you have all you need to get the best out of photography – especially landscape photography. These are just a few rules to get you started, but like all rules, they are there to be broken.

TJ Tierney. Award winning Irish Landscape Photographer. If you are looking for more tips visit: Photo tips. To view some of his images visit his on-line gallery: Pictures of Ireland.

http://www.goldenirishlight.com/photographytips.html