Storage Solutions 

     From Hard Disk to CD to DVD

   This article is intended for those who have already purchased a digital camera, and is intended to guide them on what they need to do to store and organize their collections.  Some people when the first buy a digital camera really don't have much on the hard disks in the way of personal data.  Even large text files really add up to much space.  Digital cameras can produce large amounts of data-quickly!

CD-ROM Backup

       If you are lucky to have a new computer, you are likely to have a large hard drive, typically 40 gigabytes, or even 100 gigabytes.  This should be adequate for 4-5 megabyte cameras, but when you consider the time spent creating the pictures, as well as the memories they contain, you will want to back-up these images.  There are many ways that you can store these pictures in a safe place.  One the easiest and cheapest ways for many is using a write-able CD-ROM.  Most newer computers have these built in and the cost of the blank media is very cheap.  The advantage also of these disks is that you can make multiple copies and store them in various places.  Many people keep a set of back-ups at work, or even the car, just in case something happens to their hard drive.  

DVD Backup

       An even more exciting solution to your back-up needs is a write-able DVD Drive.  These drives are becoming more affordable, and it will not be long before they are standard equipment on many computers.  As an example, a year of heavy picture taking with a 4 Megabyte camera (set mostly on HQ mode) yields 1845 pictures and 1.2 Gigabytes of storage space.  As you can see, having a 40 gigabyte drive would probably give you enough space to store years of pictures at this rate, but the back-up becomes important.  With a DVD drive as a back-up the whole years worth of data, and probably 4 more could fit on one disk!

External Hard Drive Back-up

      This is another good option, and yields other advantages apart from your digital camera.  An external hard drive can be used to quickly back-up your main camera files on your internal hard drive.  They come in large sizes, so large in fact, that if you bought your computer one year ago the current crop of external drives are probably larger than your internal drive!  Not only are these good for backing up the camera picture files, but they can be used to back up the entire drive.  They are also excellent for when you get a new computer since you can easily transfer all your important data and picture files over to your new hard disk.  Still, if you want the extra security of having files in a completely separate location, it's hard to beat having a CD-ROM or DVD back-up.

Organizing Your Hard Drive   

     Now there are many programs out there to help you organize your pictures, but the following is a suggestion that gives you even more power over your files.  If you open your hard disk with the "My Computer" icon and are displaying C:\ then you may find that it takes 4 clicks to get to your "My pictures" files.  Frankly, putting your pictures right up C:\ seems like a better option too many people.  This idea can also work even if you want to place the pictures within the "My Pictures" directory.  First, create a directory with a name like "CAM-2004" (for Camera pictures taken in the year 2004).  This directory will naturally fall close to the top of the directory when sorting by name.  If you have many files in C:\ you could even name the file "AAA-CAM-2004" to bring it to the top of the directory.  Now, of course, the name could be many things, such as "CAMERA-2004" or "Photo-2004" but CAM-2004 is a nice happy medium.  Keep in mind about the name sorting and that "Photo-2004" might be better as "AAA-Photo-2004."  One thing good about CAM-2003 is that it is eight numbers, the old standard number of characters in a file name.

     So now you have a directory for all your pictures to be taken in 2004.  So you go out on New Years Eve and take some photos of the party you attended.  When you place the pictures on your hard drive use the following nomenclature:

     01-01-04-Party  
     01-01-04-Hangover
     01-02-04-Final_Recovery

    Now the power of this system is not only do you have a name for your file but you have a date associated with it.  The date can be sorted just like the "CAM" above, and that's why you need the leading "0" otherwise the "1's" will fall next to the "10's".   Of course, you can sort by the date that the computer gives the directory, but keep in mind that this date may not (most probably will not) align with the date you took the pictures.  In the example above, a typical person might not download the pictures to their hard disk until the "Final Recovery" phase!

Software Solutions

     There are many programs available that will help you organize your photos, far beyond the simple solution outlined above.  The editors of Computer Cameras highly recommend that the software not only help you browse through your pictures, but it should also offer integrated editing as well.  They do not need to have full blown editing such as Adobe Photoshop, but they should have auto adjustment features such as brightness and  color correction.  This way, when you are browsing your pictures and see one that needs a slight correction (e.g., it's too dark) you can simply hit edit and correct the photo.  Also, it is highly suggested that if you have more storage than you need that you save the original picture just in case.  The editors generally select "save as" and rename the file different from the camera's automatic numbering system.

more coming soon...

Software for Organizing and Editing Pictures:

   DVD PictureShow 2  PhotoImpact XL

    
 Photo Explorer 8  

Picasa. All you need to enjoy your digital photos - fast, easy, and fun. Download your free trial today!  

ACDSee is a personal favorite of the Editors of Computer Cameras. Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9 and Paint Shop Photo Album  are also an excellent products that we have used:

Software Nirvana also sells many graphic programs useful for digital images:

  
Download popular software

Computer Storage and other hardware: 

  
Computer Surplus Outlet is the world's source for
low cost computer hardware products. Click here!

Camera Storage from ABT electronics: 

Olympus 128MBCARD

Olympus 64MBBLISTER

Camera Storage from Amazon:

Here's a great site for evaluating and buying a digital camera:  Digital Camera HQ.  Some selected cameras from their website: 
    Gateway DC-M50  |  Gateway DC-T20  |  Gateway DC-T50  |  Casio Exilim EX-S3  |  Casio Exilim EX-Z4U  

     Minolta DiMAGE A1  |  Minolta DiMAGE E223  |  Minolta DiMAGE F100  |  Minolta DiMAGE F300  |  Minolta DiMAGE G500  |  Minolta DiMAGE S404  |  Minolta DiMAGE S414  |  Minolta DiMAGE X20  |  Minolta DiMAGE XT  |  Minolta DiMAGE Z1