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Downloading Images

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When taking pictures with your digital camera the one thing you will consider is when you want to download your images to your computer. If you are new to digital cameras and technology and don’t know what downloading is here is a brief explanation as to what downloading is: Downloading simply means the method of transferring data or files from one device to another. For example, if you go to a website, you may find a file you want. The website owner has given you the ability to transfer that file to your computer. Once you engage in this you are downloading the file. That’s all it means.

Getting back to downloading images; if you are going to do this, you will need to know about ways images can be transferred from your camera to your computer. Obviously, digital cameras are made so you can take pictures and transfer those pictures to an external source. There are actually a number of different methods of transferring images from your camera to your PC. Each one requires some type of hardware device, whether that device is a cable or card. Before you transfer any images or use any hardware component, you have to install the camera to use it for the first time. Here are some common connection types you may use:

• Cables: No matter what camera you purchase today, they all come with a USB or FireWire port. The speed of transfer with these cameras is pretty fast. Most USB cables are thin on one end and a little bump on the other end. This bump usually contains a filter. Transfers by USB are usually about 4MB per second, which allows pictures to transfer to your PC quickly.
• Card readers: Most new computers come with card reader slots included. They may be in the front or the back, but they are there. And most cameras you purchase use cards as storage devices to capture images instead of a CD disc as older digital cameras do.
• Card adapters: Not every card that comes with a camera fits into the card reader. This is because each camera manufacturer designs their cameras differently. So in order to download your images, you will need a card adapter. The most common PC Card slot is the one found in laptops.

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