More than a-third of households now own digital cameras, and the number is growing rapidly. Digital cameras are a particularly popular gift this holiday season.
Some 24 million digital cameras will be sold in the U.S. this year, up 30 percent from 2003.
What's the attraction?
The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler got the lowdown from Popular Photography & Imaging magazine Editor in Chief John Owens.
Many consider digital photography irresistible. You see your photos right away. You can pass around the camera and share the shots. Digital images are easy to email and easy to print. And since you can delete the shots that don't come out great, you only pay to print the good ones.
Owens says SOME OF THE MORE POPULAR CAMERAS THIS SEASON include:
Canon PowerShot A400: Great value and tiny size. This cute, little, colorful, Canon A400 is the perfect party cam. It fits easily into a pocket or purse and packs a 2.2x optical zoom, 1.5-inch LCD, and 3.2MP, more than enough for 5x7s of your best friend tearing up the dance floor. Also, shoots video clips. Plus, comes in four colors: sky blue, lime green, sunset gold, or silver. $160; Canon digital camerasSONY Cyber-shot W1: Versatile and easy to use. This small digital paint-and-shoot has everything the casual shooter would want. A large 2.5-inch LCD lets you show your pics immediately, the 3X optical zoom gives you enough reach to snap from across the room and, at 5MP, you can make quality prints up to 8.5x11. And since it's powered by two AAs (it comes with rechargeables), you never have to worry about running out of power on vacation. $349; sonystyle.comNikon D70: High-Tech Holiday Splurge. Don't let the budget price fool you. Nikon's D70 has become the digital backup body for many pros. And with 6MP resolution, fast auto-focus, a three frame per second burst mode, and almost instant startup time, it's no wonder. DSLR beginners love its myriad automated functions, while advanced users revel in the many custom functions. Uses interchangeable lenses — everything from wide angle to huge telephoto. It's also Popular Photography & Imaging's Camera of the Year. $1300; nikon.comPRINTING YOUR PICTURES
Nearly 22 billion digital images will be shot this year. But only a small percentage will be printed. Though that is increasing, because printing is getting easier, cheaper, and better.
Printing at home is easy. You don't need a computer to get prints that are as good as what you get at the store. You can go with something as simple as one of these self-contained printers that turn out 4x6-inch snapshots:'
Epson PictureMate: Easy to use. Put memory card into slot or plug in camera, and out pops a high-quality print every 3 minutes. For long lasting snapshots from a dedicated 4x6 printer, you can't beat Epson's PictureMate. This snapshot printer uses the same long-lasting pigmented inks found in many of Epson's larger desktop printers, and is the only 4x6 printer to use six inks instead of just three, for a wider range of possible colors. Plus, at $26 for a 100 count print pack of paper and ink, each print costs just 26 cents. That's less than some mini-labs. The built-in six-in-one card reader lets you print direct from any memory card. $189; mypicturemate.comKodak Printer Dock Plus: Super easy. If you have a Kodak camera, just pop it into the dock, and press the button. This latest version of Kodak's mega-popular 4x6 printer adds SD/MMC memory card slot for printing straight from a card and infrared port for printing from cell phones. An optional USB bluetooth adapter lets you go wireless, while the Auto Enhance button on the front of the unit uses Kodak's Color Science technology to liven up troubled pictures.
$185; kodak.comOnline Printing: There are lots of services where you upload your pictures, they print them and mail them to you. www.ofoto.com, snapfish.com and Shutterfly.com. You can get prints for as little as 15 cents each. You also can get all sorts of gift ideas: coffee mugs, cards, even books. For instance, at ofoto, you can get a 20-page hardbound book of your photos for as little as $29.99. In-store printing: Bring in your memory card, just as you would bring film. They print them, and you get your card back to use again. Or use a photo kiosk, such as the Kodak Picture Maker. It's like the ATM of photography. Put in the memory card, and you can crop the photos, do special effects, take out red-eye. Even makes 8x10 prints, greeting cards or stickers. And they pop out in minutes. Find them everywhere - supermarkets, camera stores, drug stores. Even amusement parks.
For more on these products and photography in general, visit the Popular Photography & Imaging Web site.
Brian Dakss
Brian Dakss is a longtime New York-based editor and writer for CBS News, at the Radio network and with CBSNews.com. He has written and edited for NBC News, Dow Jones and numerous radio stations and been a radio anchor and reporter.