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Digital Cameras December 1998 • Vol.6 Issue 12	Add To My Personal Library
Digital Cameras

If we are to believe the experts, expect digital cameras and desktop video cameras to be as accessible and vital to your day-to-day computing operations in the near future as the mouse sitting next to your keyboard.

In fact, some prognosticators predict these cameras will bundle with the purchase of new PCs someday soon. While that day may be a while off, there's no denying the growing popularity and momentum digital cameras and desktop video cameras are experiencing.

Computer retailers and electronic dealers predicted digital cameras would be the hottest-selling peripheral for 1998, according to a poll Associated Research Services conducted earlier this year. Carl Holec, ARS senior imaging products analyst, says the growing popularity stems in part from rapidly falling prices. He says digital camera prices are coming down 40% per year.

In 1997, just fewer than 1 million digital cameras were sold in North America, according to Kristy Holch of InfoTrends Research Group. InfoTrends projects sales to reach 1.3 million this year and exceed 5 million by 2002. "It's showing a huge growth," Holch explains. "Anything that hits a million units is worth paying attention to."

Desktop video cameras, also known as Web cams, are showing even more potential. InfoTrends projects sales to exceed 1 million units this year. Most Web cams already fall into the $100-$150 price range, making them fairly affordable.

"It has the potential to grow very fast," Holch says. "It isn't inconceivable that desktop video cameras will be bundled with the sales of new PCs." InfoTrends projects Web cams to top 12 million sales in 2002 if they are packaged with new PCs.

We decided to get a closer look at some of the latest digital camera and Web cam models to see if the swelling popularity is warranted. We avoided digital cameras professional photographers use that cost upward of $20,000 and the expensive desktop digital video cameras corporations use for high-tech videoconferencing. Instead, our reviews break down into these categories: 13 low-end digital cameras priced less than $500, 12 digital cameras from $500-$2,500, and seven Web cams priced less than $200.

To test the digital cameras, we snapped images of identical subjects in an office setting under fluorescent lighting, in an enclosed room with no windows and dim lighting, in an open warehouse with good lighting, and outdoors. We captured images at a resolution as close to 640 x 480 pixels as possible and at the camera's highest resolution setting. Also, we installed the software bundled with each camera on an IBM 300 XL using a 300 megahertz (MHz) Pentium II processor, 64 megabytes (MB) of random-access memory (RAM), and Windows 95. We reviewed images on a Sony Multiscan 100sx monitor.

We tested the Web cams by setting up the camera and installing the bundled software on the same testing machine we used for the digital cameras. Our testing concentrated on the camera's ease of setup and use, the resolutions used to capture still images and video motion, the frames per second (fps) of video motion a camera could capture, and the overall image quality each camera gave.

Our testing shows reason for excitement. Digital camera buyers can expect better image quality for less money than in the past. Also, manufacturers are including features on their digital cameras that film-based cameras have long made standard, such as manual flash settings, red-eye reduction, zoom and macro focuses, self timers, and "burst" modes for taking several images instantaneously.

Also, some cameras are featuring built-in microphones for recording sound, and most have video-out ports to copy images to a VCR and show images on a television. Most digital cameras include a liquid-crystal display (LCD) monitor on the back of the camera for previewing and reviewing images.

Web cams are grabbing more frames per second than in the past by taking advantage of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports newer PCs are including. USB makes connecting a camera to the computer easier. Many Web cams use a video capture card to capture video motion and store images in a computer. Using a video capture card entails opening the computer's case and inserting it into a PC card slot.

What's The Attraction?

If you haven't used a digital camera, you may find its greatest asset to be its adaptability. For home use, images quickly transfer from the camera to a computer. Software lets the user manipulate images to improve appearance, attach images to E-mail, and use them in personalized postcards, calendars, newsletters, documents, and World Wide Web pages.

Web cams capture still images and video motion to post on Web pages, but the growing popularity may hinge on it being used for videoconferencing (communicating face-to-face using computers). What long-distance sweethearts wouldn't love the chance to whisper sweet nothings face-to-face, rather than through a cold, lifeless telephone? Web cams make it possible.

At work, insurance and real estate agents have used digital cameras for years, digitally tracking insurance claims and posting properties on Web sites. More recently, companies are using digital cameras for employee ID badges, presentations, newsletters, company Web sites, and advertising. Newspapers, space exploration, and crop management are other areas using digital cameras. Web cams are providing point-to-point (two people) and multipoint (three or more people) videoconferences between physicians and patients, attorneys and clients, architects and job foremen, and business associates.

Despite the potential, there is room for improvement. The image quality digital cameras produce isn't on par with film-based cameras unless you shell out $1,000 or more. The quality most users expect isn't available in digital cameras that cost less than $500 although this is changing. Holec expects cameras with high resolutions to become more affordable in a year or two.

Resolutions are improving steadily. The higher resolution an image has, the clearer and more detailed the image should be. A few years ago, digital cameras with image resolutions of 640 x 480 pixels cost well more than $500 and included few added features. Today, many cameras less than $500 are loaded with features and have image resolutions of 1024 x 768 pixels or better. Also, a steady influx of megapixel cameras, which capture images with at least 1 million pixels, is surfacing at less than $700.

Web cams are already affordable, but your videoconferencing will probably be more successful if the person you videoconference with uses the same Web cam model as you; most Web cams aren't compatible with one another yet. Also, many Web cams have trouble capturing 30fps, the rate needed for television-quality motion. Even if a camera can capture 30fps, most bandwidths don't allow for that much data transmission over analog phone lines, so you get jerky, choppy motion.

If you're willing to sacrifice some quality, the benefits are there. Much of the convenience with digital cameras stems from the fact film isn't used. Instead, a light-sensitive computer chip captures images, eliminating film and developing costs, not to mention the toxic chemicals needed to develop film.

The convenience of Web cams is traceable to low prices and the potential to communicate face-to-face, no matter how many miles separate participants. Web cams are small and unobtrusive, but they have a huge potential to reshape the way we communicate at home and work.

If the bugs that hamper videoconferencing are ironed out and digital camera makers continue to drop prices and raise quality, these two types of cameras may indeed find their way into every home and office with a PC.

Our head-to-head reviews of 25 digital cameras and seven Web cams follow in alphabetical order.

by Blaine Flamig

Terms To Know

CCD & CMOS. These are the light-sensitive sensors used to capture digital images. Most cameras use a charge-coupled device (CCD) although some manufacturers are using a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). CMOS chips are easier and cheaper to make and require less power requirements than CCDs, but often don't deliver the same image quality as a CCD.

compression. Compression involves squeezing data down in size. If digital images aren't compressed, only a few can be stored in memory. Some compression types negatively alter image quality. Most digital cameras combat this by offering multiple quality settings that save a lot of images with poorer quality or fewer images with better quality. Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and FlashPix are common compression formats used by digital cameras.

CU-SeeMe. This program uses the Internet to transmit audio and video signals for videoconferencing. A camera, sound card, and speakers are needed.

digital camera. In short, digital cameras use light-sensitive chips instead of film to capture still or moving images and store them as bits of information in internal or removable memory. Images quickly transfer to a computer for use in different applications. Some cameras transfer digital images directly to a printer although the quality of prints made from a digital image typically fall short of those produced by film-based cameras.

frame rate. A Web cam's frame rate refers to the number of frames of video it captures per second. Frame rates are measured in frames per second (fps). The more frames per second, the more fluid video motion appears. Television-quality motion requires 30fps. Some Web cams can equal this frame rate, but bandwidth limitations usually don't allow for 30fps transmission, causing the jerky, choppy motion sometimes associated with videoconferencing.

ISDN. Short for Integrated Services Digital Network, an ISDN is special communication line used to transmit digital information. ISDNs have greater bandwidths than POTS (see below), meaning they transmit more data faster. ISDNs use two lines; one line transmits audio and the other video. ISDN lines are available through most phone companies, but are more expensive than POTS.

LCD. The LCD, or liquid-crystal display, is a small monitor usually on the back of a digital camera used to preview and review images. The LCD also acts as a display to help set camera settings and scroll through menu options.

POTS. Short for plain old telephone service, POTS is a communication line used to transmit information. Most homes use POTS, which are available almost anywhere, making them popular for videoconferencing. A common problem with POTS is limited bandwidth, which refers to how fast and how much information is transmitted over a line in a certain amount of time.

recovery & lag times. Digital cameras require a few seconds from when you press the shutter button to when an image is captured; this is the camera's lag time. Also, digital cameras need five to 10 seconds to convert an image to digital data, compress it, and store it as a file; this is the camera's recovery time.

resolution. The resolution of an image refers to its sharpness and clarity, and is determined by the number of pixels (a picture element, or a single point or dot of an image) an image contains. The amount of bits used to make up each pixel determines how many colors are displayed in an image. Put simply, a 1-bit image appears monochrome, an 8-bit image produces a 256-color display, and more than 16 million colors are displayed in a 24-bit image. In general, the higher the resolution an image has, the better the image should be.

storage. Digital cameras use internal memory and removable memory cards to store images. Most cameras with internal memory have 2 megabytes (MB) to 4MB of memory. When internal memory is full, images must be deleted or transferred to a computer before more can be taken. Removable memory cards insert into a card slot in the camera. A card can be taken out when full and replaced with another. Removable card types include standard 3.5-inch diskettes, PC cards, and minicards, such as MiniatureCard, CompactFlash, and SmartMedia. Many digital cameras bundle with 2MB to 4MB removable memory cards although some cards have 48MB or more of memory. PC cards are credit card sized, while some minicards are just larger than a postage stamp.

transferring images. Before images can be edited or used in a program, they must be transferred to a computer. Digital cameras transfer images with a serial cable connected to the camera and usually the computer's RS-232 port. Newer cameras use a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, which has faster transfer speeds and plug-and-play features. Also, PC cards insert into a computer's PC card slot for transferring; minicards cards can be inserted into a PC card adapter. PC card readers that plug into a parallel port also are used.

TWAIN. Short for Technology Without An Interesting Name, TWAIN is a common driver used by digital cameras. For digital cameras, a TWAIN driver goes between the digital camera and programs that use digital images.

video capture card. Many Web cams use a video capture card to grab video and covert it to digital information for storage. Some Web cams can turn video motion into digital information before sending it to the computer.

videoconferencing. Videoconferencing is face-to-face communication through computers using Web cams, microphones, speakers, and communication lines to transmit compressed audio and video data. Participants sit in front of a Web cam and speak into a microphone. Information is compressed and transmitted to another participant who views the video on a computer screen and hears the audio with speakers.

Web cam. Also known as desktop digital video cameras, Web cams are small, usually sit on top a monitor, and focus on one object, such as a person sitting at a computer. Web cams capture still images and video motion and are used for such applications as videoconferencing, video E-mail, and enhancing Web pages. Web cams typically capture still images at an image resolution of 640 x 480 pixels and video at 160 x 120 pixels to 320 x 240 pixels. Web cams usually plug into a computer using a USB or a parallel port.

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