| A
digital camera's connectivity defines how it can be connected to
other devices for the transfer, viewing, or printing of images,
and to use the camera for remote capture. |
| |
Image
Transfer
Early
digital cameras used slow RS232 (serial) connections to transfer
images to your computer. Most digital cameras now feature USB 1.1
connectivity, with higher end models offering USB 2.0 and FireWire
(IEEE 1394) connectivity. Manufacturers generally bundle such
cameras with cables and driver software.
Note that real transfer rates are always lower than the
theoretical transfer rates indicated in the table below. Practical
transfer speeds depend on your computer hardware and software
configuration, the type of camera or reader, the type and quality
of the storage
card, whether you are reading or writing (reading is faster
than writing), the average file size (a few large files transfer
faster than many small ones), etc.
Instead of connecting the camera with a cable to your computer you
can also insert the storage card into the PC Card slot of your
notebook or a dedicated card-reader.
|
| |
| Theoretical
Transfer Speeds |
Transfer
Rate |
| USB
2.0 - Low-Speed = USB 1.1 Minimum |
|
1.5
Mbps |
| USB
2.0 - Full-Speed = USB 1.1 Maximum |
|
12
Mbps |
| USB
2.0 - High-Speed |
|
480
Mbps |
| FireWire/IEEE1394 |
|
100-400
Mbps |
| Practical
Transfer Speeds |
Approx.
Transfer Rate |
| Digital
Camera USB 1.1 |
|
~
350 KB/s |
| Digital
Camera FireWire |
|
~
500 KB/s |
| USB
1.1 Card Reader |
~
900 KB/s |
~
7 Mbps |
| PC/PCMCIA
Card Slot on notebook |
~
1,300 KB/s |
~
10 Mbps |
| USB
2.0 or FireWire Card Reader |
~
3,200 KB/s |
~
25 Mbps |
|
| |
| A
transfer rate of 1 Megabit per second (Mbps)
equals 128 Kilobytes per second
(KB/s) and is able to transfer 7.5 Megabytes of
information per minute or about four 5 megapixel
JPEG images. |
| |
Remote Capture
On
some cameras, the connection to transfer images can also be used
for remote
capture and time
lapse applications.
|
| |
Video
Output
Most
digital cameras also provide video (and sometimes audio) output
for connection to a TV or VCR. More flexible cameras allow you to
switch output between the PAL and NTSC video standards. Cameras
with infrared remote controls make it easy to do slideshows for
friends and family from the comfort of your armchair.
|
| |
Print
Output
Some
digital cameras, e.g. those with PictBridge and
USB Direct Print support, allow you to print images directly from
the camera to an enabled printer via a USB cable without the need
for a computer. Although printing directly from a digital camera
is convenient, it eliminates one of the key benefits of digital
imaging—the ability to edit and optimize your images.
|
