definitely a stupid question, but here goes

[bubbles1209]

Ok, this is definitely a stupid question, but here goes..........When you 1st get your digital camera, do ya just put in the batteries, the memory card, and go from there? Computer software came with ours, but I think it is for after you have taken the pictures. A USB cable came with it, so now what?...........All I have ever owned is disposable, or have the film developed and buy more. From what I understand with this new owner's manual, I can get them on my computer and send the pics to wal-mart via internet and they will develop them. Am I close?:o

[Stranger1]

Yep, you got it. The software is for your computer and the usb cable is so you could download the images from the camera to the computer. A lot of computers now have card readers on them and also come with there own software so I've never had the need for either the software or the usb cable that comes with the camera. If you do have a card reader, plug in the memory card...the software should come up with a prompt asking what you want to do (download images, etc.). Also, you could probably take the memory card to Walmart and they'll print the pictures right from it.

[idssms]

The new digi cameras are very easy to use. just basically point and shoot, use the P or fully programed setting. dont worry about the fancy settings as the P setting compensates most of the time.

 

i just posted all my Alaska pics with a $200 digital nikon coolpix S1 and the pics came out great,, as nice as on my D100 ($2000 camera at the time I bought it).

 

Have fun with your new toy.

 

don

[Tater1800]

You are on the right track. If you have a newer computer the software is already installed. If the computer doesn't have a card reader, they are cheap. You can use the USB cable but I prefer a card reader. It is important is to back-up your photo collection often. Computer problems can distroy your photos.

 

Printing at Wally World or Sam's is good for most photos. If the photos are special then pay the extra at a camera shop. Either way you have no risk. I strongly recommend copying the files to a CD for printing. The card readers in stores are well used and can damage the connections on the memory card. Welcome to digital photography.

[bruce-r]

You're all set except for the shopping at wal-mart part.

[bubbles1209]

Thanks for all the help you guys, was really embarassed to ask, but needed to know:o Just made more sense to me financially to get a digital camera, than to buy $50 or more worth of disposables, then pay to have them all developed. Figured by the time I did that, I could have gotten a digital & memory card. So I did!:D Also got an extra memory card. I got one that is 1gigabyte, and 1 that is 512megabytes. That should be enough:rolleyes: Thanks again for all your help you guys:)

[bubbles1209]

One more question, my printer is already hooked up to the usb port, so do I have to unplug that to plug the one in from the camera? I would think yes. But the main question I have is, do I need to plug the usb hooked up to the camera in after I install the software?

[Tater1800]

One more question, my printer is already hooked up to the usb port, so do I have to unplug that to plug the one in from the camera? I would think yes. But the main question I have is, do I need to plug the usb hooked up to the camera in after I install the software?

 

Your computer should have at least 2 USB ports. Sometimes they are on the back and front of the computer. If in fact you only have one port, you can extend it with a USB hub. These are cheap.

 

As to your question, USB is very user friendly. Install your software per the instructions and simply unplug the printer and plug in the camera. You may get some message on the screen but simply click OK or whatever. The software can be installed and unless the camera is connected the computer will care less.

 

What camera did you choose?

[Arubalisa]

Just made more sense to me financially to get a digital camera, than to buy $50 or more worth of disposables, then pay to have them all developed.

The only stupid questions are the ones never asked.

 

Two of the top things they teach in Digital Photography classes are that:

1. You are using a digital camera so that you do not have to have ALL the photos developed, only the "best" shots you have taken.

2. Unlike a disposable camera, with a digital camera you can take an unlimited number of photos and keep only the best shots. For example, a family portrait, you would take at least 3 photos to account for people who have their eyes closed or do not smile. You can delete the unwanted photos before you even download them.

[bubbles1209]

Your computer should have at least 2 USB ports. Sometimes they are on the back and front of the computer. If in fact you only have one port, you can extend it with a USB hub. These are cheap.

 

As to your question, USB is very user friendly. Install your software per the instructions and simply unplug the printer and plug in the camera. You may get some message on the screen but simply click OK or whatever. The software can be installed and unless the camera is connected the computer will care less.

 

What camera did you choose?

We chose a HP 5MP E317. Going by what I have seen on the internet, 5 megapixels is great for vacations and simple things ya wanna catch.

[Tater1800]

We chose a HP 5MP E317. Going by what I have seen on the internet, 5 megapixels is great for vacations and simple things ya wanna catch.

 

Nice choice. That should do nicely for whatever you need. 5mp is adequate for almost any photo. Your photo quality will definately improve over the "single use" cameras. My camera will do 8mp but I rarely use that setting.

 

Your challenge now is to learn digital photography. The key is practice. Just take pictures and download them to the computer. You have nothing at risk now. Soon, this will become second nature. The software that came with the camera should allow you to download and edit your photos. Above all, don't let the challenge intimidate you. The people that answered your post can answer any question you may have. Just ask!

[Tater1800]

Almost forgot! Now that you have a digital camera you can post your pictures on the Internet. When you have the other details under control, post a few pictures for us to see.

[Maryutah]

A few things i'd recommend if your new to the digital world - one is buy an extra battery! They go faster than you think.

 

I personally will never get another digital that takes 4 AA-Batteries again. It makes the camera heavier, and they go so fast, even if you get the rechargeable ones. I love the lithium type and I have an extra so I don't lose juice just as the good things are going on. They are easy to trade out and save so much time/energy/frustration.

 

The other things i'd suggest is upgrading the memory card. The memory cards are so cheap now days, i got a 1GB at Sam's club for about $60, and it will store over 1,000 pictures. Great for vacations when you can't Download your pics.

 

Typical camers come with a 8X or 16X, which does about 30-50 pictures.

 

Good luck, i love my digital (I have a Nikon), and bought it off of an eBay store for a great deal.

[bubbles1209]

Almost forgot! Now that you have a digital camera you can post your pictures on the Internet. When you have the other details under control, post a few pictures for us to see.

:eek: You guys will probably have to tell me how to do that too:o

[Tater1800]

:eek: You guys will probably have to tell me how to do that too:o

 

It is easy. There are several places on the Web that will host your photos for free. You likely have free space available through your Internet provider. I prefer this method. Call your ISP support line for assistance if you want this method. Check back when you are ready.

[richstacy]

Bubbles, take lots of pics NOW before you go on your cruise so you can get the bugs out and learn how to use it before you leave.

[prettypixie]

You can also buy a external card reader for about $10

http://www.digi4me.com/product.php?productid=1125&cat=0&page=1

I got one for 8 dollars at that site but they no longer carry it. The one I posted looks nicer than mine, though. It's so much faster than using a USB cable and when you hook up with a USB cable it drains the batteries from your camera. There is software (at least with my) card reader but my husband has used it on his computer without software and it worked. He just looked under "My Computer> Devices with removable storage" and it showed up and he uploaded things on to memory his card. I promise it's not as confusing as it sounds!

 

Also to host pics if you want to just host like one picture I love http://www.xs.to but a lot of people here use webshots to host multiple pictures. Uploading pics is not hard at all. It all depends my old service provider was dial up and they provided me with a free website where I could put pictures but my current ISP is actually a cable internet company and as far as I know all I get is free email.

 

to post a pic on here you would do it like this

[img*]http://www.imageurl.com[*/*IMG]

then you would remove the asterisks *

 

Hope I helped :)