Some compact cameras are small enough to fit in your handbag or pocket, but I still recommend purchasing a camera case. It will save your camera from unnecessary wear and tear.

What do you put in your camera bag? I place my camera, spare batteries and memory cards, a cleaning kit and any extra lenses or filters I want to take on the day into my camera bag.

Don’t pack everything in your camera bag every time you go out to take photos. Travel as light as possible. Maybe purchase two camera bags - a large camera case and a smaller camera bag for those ‘pack light’ times.

Clean your camera bag occasionally. Dust can accumulate and could cause problems with your camera and equipment by accumulating on your lens.

Keep your camera away from luggage handlers! Most airlines allow one carry-on PLUS a personal item. A camera bag usually qualifies as your personal item.

What kinds of camera bags are there?

A weatherproof top loading shoulder camera bag is the best and most versatile option, because you can place the camera case on the ground and open the lid to retrieve your equipment.

The size of camera bag you purchase will depend on the size of your digital camera. If you have a larger camera with lots of accessories, consider purchasing a larger camera bag that has wheels. The wheels allow you to take your bag with you easily rather than lugging it around over your shoulder. Some bags with wheels can double as backpacks for when you’re hiking.

If your digital camera is a small pocket model, a fanny pack for just your camera will work really well. Keep the pack over your stomach (rather than your lower back) if you’re concerned about theft.

Purchasing a camera bag

When purchasing a new camera case, it’s important to note the following:

- Avoid brand name camera bags. If you have a more expensive camera, try to purchase a camera bag that does not LOOK like a camera bag. Thieves are always on the lookout for bags that look like they contain valuable equipment and nothing says ‘valuable inside’ more than a camera case with a camera maker’s brand plastered all around the outside. Purchase a camera case that’s a little less conspicuous - they’re usually less expensive as well.

- Think of the accessories you’ll place in a camera bag before purchasing. Do you have any other equipment (such as a card reader) you might want to take with your camera? What about accessories you are thinking about purchasing in the near future?

- A camera bag with moveable padded inserts will be more versatile than one without because you can customize the inside of the camera bag to your particular camera and accessories.

- Buy a camera case with lots of pockets and zippered compartments. This way, you can store used digital camera batteries in one pocket and unused batteries in another. The same with your memory cards… I label my pockets with labels like “Batteries - Used” so I can quickly find the correct pocket while out and about.

- Watch out for the prices of camera cases (and other accessories) when purchasing a camera case at the same time as your camera. Many retailers lower the price of their cameras to compete, and increase their accessory prices to compensate.

David Peterson has a great love of photography and has created a series of free tips at http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/ to help digital photography users everywhere take better photos.

So you recently bought a digital camera or perhaps your thinking about it. And perhaps you may be wondering how many pictures will your computer hold? First you need to answer a few questions to come to an accurate conclusion. First, how big is your hard drive and how much free space does it currently have? You can find the answer to that question by first left-clicking on “My Computer:” Right-click on “C drive.” A menu should appear. Left-click on “Properties.” A pie chart should be displayed that will show you the size of the hard drive and how much of the disk drive is free. Your next step is too know how many mega pixels does your camera have? A pixel is a light sensing cell on the image pickup device.

The higher number of pixels, the higher the resolution or picture quality of the camera. A higher pixel number will also require more storage space in your camera and computer for a picture. How much storage does each picture need? If you have a 2M pixel camera, a high resolution picture will require storage in the range of 500kb. Two 500 kb pictures would occupy 1 MB. If that one picture requires 500kB of storage, you should be able to store 2000 pictures of that size in 1 gigabyte of disk space. I usually store my pictures in one folder in my computer called “Camera Pics” and then create sub-folders within that folder with different names depending on the occasion the pictures were taken at for easy reference later on.

Most camera manufacturers will provide software to allow you to transfer and edit pictures from your camera. But some of that software is not the easiest to install and operate. There are a few ways to do the transfer without the camera software. If your camera has a memory card, you can buy a memory card reader and use it to read the pictures from your camera. The memory card reader plugs into a free USB connector on your computer. When you plug a memory card into the memory reader, you should notice a new hard drive on “My Computer.”

Your computer will consider the memory device to be a hard drive and will allow you to manage pictures as if they were files on a hard drive. Many new cameras are directly supported by Microsoft XP If you plug a USB cable into the camera and a USB slot on the computer, you might discover that your computer knows how to read the pictures off the camera. Digital cameras offer an economical way to get into photography. After you pay for the camera, it doesn’t cost anything to take pictures. You just need a computer to allow you to view and save your pictures. After you have saved a bunch of pictures in your computer, I suggest you to transfer them to a CD or DVD. If you do not, someday you may lose all your pictures if your computer ever crashes.

One other thing you need to be aware of is that older computers will have a hard time working the large megapixel cameras that are being produced today. If you have an older computer and go out and buy yourself a 8 or 10 megapixel camera, you may suddenly find you that you may have to buy a new computer too, or at least upgrade the one you have. The hefty picture files that are created by these large megapixel cameras use a tremendous amount of computer memory and can cause an incompatible computer a lot of problems.

The average needs of most people really do not require a large megapixel digital camera unless you plan on printing large photos. So it is best to keep this general rule in mind when considering a digital camera. A typical 2-megapixel camera will produce a very good 4 x 6 inch image using a typical desktop color inkjet printer. With a 4 -megapixel camera, you can turn out a very good 8 x 10 print, which is the largest print anyone who is not a professional is likely to need.

Doug Rogers has worked as a freelance photographer for the past 25 years in various fields of photography. In the past two years he has become an avid and devoted fan of digital and video photography and a life long lover of new technology. For tips on better digital photography and the latest reviews on the newest digital equipment that hits the market, Subscribe to his monthly Newsletter “The View Finder” at http://www.best-digital-cameas-review.com

You need batteries to power your digital camera otherwise you won’t be able to use it. Most digital cameras use
the standard-sized AA batteries which are reasonably priced and easily available anywhere. However, you must
invest in rechargeable batteries as digital cameras tend to use a lot of power and you might find that your
batteries are dead after a few shots. A lot of people especially when they are sightseeing tend to leave their
cameras on. This, too tends to drain the battery.

There are different kinds of batteries available for digital cameras today. The regular alkaline batteries are all right
to use in an emergency but not on a regular basis. They just don’t have the power to last for more than a couple of shots. When they are recharged, the power you get from them is even less. Digital cameras need batteries that
can cope with the high amounts of energy they need, especially when you use the flash.

The most popular batteries for digital cameras are the rechargeable NiMH or Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. They
don’t cost much and are definitely better than the standard ones you get. They could give you up to one hundred
shots if you are careful with how you use your camera, switching it off when you don’t need it. Of course, if you are into more than just the aim-and-click photos, you must be prepared for the charge going fast, especially if you use the flash or you adjust the focus and zoom a lot. Yet another advantage is that these are environment-friendly as they are non-toxic.

When it comes to charging these batteries, make sure you have a good, reliable charger.
Remember that batteries can get overcharged so look out for one that has an automatic switching-off when the
batteries are fully charged. Always charge all the batteries your camera needs to be powered at one go - whether
two or three or four. This way, they are all equally charged when you put them in.

Some digital cameras have to use lithium-ion batteries. The advantage of these, though they are more expensive, is that you can store them and they don’t lose their charge. You can use them for twice as long as the NiMH
batteries. Most manufacturers give you a lithium-ion charger when you buy your camera. If they don’t, just make sure you buy one as then they come as accessories.

You digital camera is only as good as the shots you get. If you chance upon a one-in-a-million view and your batteries are dead, it’s a waste of a view and the waste of a camera. Your batteries, no matter how good, are only good if they are well-charged. So invest in a good battery charger. One in which you can control the time of charging so your batteries don’t get overcharged. Once you have your batteries and charger in place, the world is yours, literally, through your viewfinder!

For more information on Batteries for Digital Cameras or the Advantages of Digital Photography visit http://www.Digital-Photography-Help.com