HP has started making digital cameras only recently. However, the firm provides a one-stop-shop for all digital facilities. The company has made a large number of innovations over the years. Let us view the interesting history of this company.

Started by two Stanford University graduates, Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett in 1938 in a rented garage with a mere working capital of $538 - Hewlett Packard is a multi-billion dollar company today. With net revenues of $7.2 billion in the year 2004 and over 28,000 employees all across the globe, HP has come a long, long way.

Both Hewlett and Packard being students of electrical engineering, started with the invention of a resistance-capacity audio oscillator. They continued to make similar test and measurement products, and by 1942, had constructed a 10,000 square foot company- owned building in Palo Alto, California. One interesting fact to note is that they decided the name of the company on the basis of just tossing a coin!

In the 50’s, the company continued to grow dynamically, making major advances in microwave instrumentation and in the year 1962, Hewlett Packard appeared in Forbes Top 500 List of Companies for the first time at number 460.

After this, there was no turning back for HP. The company went from strength to strength, constantly innovating new technologies - whether it was in the field of medicine, laser technology, computers, printers, microprocessors etc.

After HP entered the consumer market with its computers and allied products, it also recently decided to introduce its own digital cameras as well. In fact, in order to make its mark in digital cameras, HP has invested nearly $300 million in its consumer advertising for the same. This is the largest investment made by the company in advertising till today. HP believes that digital photography is a booming business and is slowly going to take over the film camera market. The trend to purchase digital cameras is spreading all across Asia and Europe - and HP does not want to be left behind.

Hence HP says that it is the only company which is providing a one-stop-shop for all digital camera users. You can buy a HP digital camera, take snaps, and then load them onto your HP computer and take printouts (you guessed it) from your HP printer as well. And even the paper and ink used in your printer, is yes, HP again.

HP has yet to make a niche for itself in digital cameras, however, with its current aggressive marketing strategies and brand image, it is most likely that the company will surpass all market expectations as it has done in the past already. Here is a list of the latest cameras by HP:

HP Photosmart 945 digital camera series and HP Photosmart R707 digital camera series: The camera for all users with an optional dock, can be used for slideshows as well.

HP Photosmart R717 Digital Camera series: Slightly advanced series with digital zoom and Real Life technology.

HP Photosmart R607 digital camera series: With 4.1 nega pixels, this series is good for home use.

HP Photosmart M407 digital camera series, HP Photosmart M417 Digital Camera series, HP Photosmart M307 digital camera series, HP Photosmart M22 Digital Camera series and HP Photosmart 435 digital camera series: all these series have 3-5 mega pixels and are nice and cheap for users.

Kevin Rockwell worked as a network TV cameraman for 20 years shooting news and sports. Now a devoted fan of digital photography and video he works to gather information, tips and news for digital camera users. Oh and he loves to shoot pictures of his kids playing sports.
http://great-digital-cameras.com/gdcj.html

One of the most important and very easy things to do is make sure that you format your memory card. The reason for this is that when you delete the photos the information isn’t wiped from the card as you might think. Basically, it just tells the camera or computer that it isn’t really there which allows the camera to record another picture over the top. Sometimes when the card is very full this can cause a memory corruption which renders your card inaccessible.

Another possible cause for corruption can be by taking the memory card out of the camera before it has finished saving the files to it. This has been overcome in a lot of newer cameras but you should always make sure that the camera is turned off first.

By formatting your card you do a clean wipe of the card and
start fresh. Generally this means that no photos can be recovered although my Minolta Dimage 7i seems to go against that theory.

To format your card, first make sure that all the pictures you want to keep have been saved to your computer or to CD or DVD. Then check your manual for where the Format Command is hiding in the menu system.

I just looked where I thought mine would be and it was in a totally different spot. Generally though it’s in the replay menu. Go to Format Card and say yes. It will only take a few seconds and will give you a fresh start

By the way if your card does become corrupted, stop using it straight away and take it to a photo lab who will in most cases be able to recover the photos from it. Software is also available to do it yourself but for the price it is cheaper to use your photo labs expertise and they will generally have a number of different programs available to them.

Gary French is a photographer and minilab operator in Melbourne Australia
with a number of years experiance in selling and serviceing digital cameras.
His website http://www.photosatthepark.com.au has a number of useful articles for digital camera users.

Whether you’re professional photographer or a tourist looking to record a few good memories, the first step to great photographs is a finding a decent camera.

One of the first decisions you need to make is whether to go with a quick and convenient digital camera, or stick with trusty old film.

The main benefit of going digital include the ability to see pictures instantly on an LCD screen, saving the ones you like and erasing the ones you don’t. Another advantage is the versatility of being able to edit and perfect your photos on a computer, using a program like PhotoShop.

There are also immense economic advantages to using a digital camera. Being able to review each picture you take, and print only the ones you really like saves a lot of money that would have gone into buying film and developing poor-quality pictures.

Despite these tempting benefits, however, there is still a case for sticking with good old fashioned film photography.

The image resolution, for example, is generally better with a cheap traditional camera than a mid-range digital camera. In order to achieve true film-quality resolution on a digital camera, one must pay several hundred dollars for a 7+ megapixel device.

Another advantage of film is its distance from the world of computing technology; even a person who is totally computer-illiterate should be able to use a traditional camera to its full potential with no problems whatsoever. Furthermore, many photographers prefer the simple challenge of taking a good picture on film to the much less artistic process of “cheating,” and editing pictures on a computer.

Overall, the right type of camera depends almost entirely upon the photographer. Each person must choose for themselves which kind of photography they like better.

Another option, of course, is to buy both digital and film cameras, and alternate depending on situation. This is often the best choice for a serious photographer who can afford the additional expense.

Jeremy Maddock is a well-known technology blogger, and owner of http://www.camerareviews.ca

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