Digital Cameras and Genealogy

A Brief Guide to Digital Cameras and Genealogy

We all want the best possible photo that will capture a special moment. And so we can look back at these photos and cherish those memories. In this guest post from Ashlie, you will discover two types of digital cameras that you can use for your family history research.

Digital Cameras and Genealogy

Image by Andrew Neel via Trinity Bellwoods

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Also discussed in this post are the benefits of digital cameras and some best practices that you can utilize when working with photos, (and two choices of cameras that you can buy).

As time goes by more and more advanced technology becomes available to us. And the same of course can be said for cameras.

As a result of this, a more powerful camera will become more attractive to you.

Ask yourself this question, would you rather have the latest model camera or an old and outdated one?

Similar to hidden cameras the technology has become smarter and even more powerful. The result though is that they give the best-captured image and video as well.

Here in this post, I am going to highlight two types of digital camera where you can store your memories and give you the best possible image, (and in video form too).

Further Information

Before I do continue I just want to share with you the Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures from Kodak.

So not only after reading this post will you purchase the best camera for your needs but also you will know to use it to get the best results.

Alternatively, you may wish to watch this short 4-minute video giving you 10 tips that will take you from basic to the boss.

Credit:  Mango Street

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Record Your Videos Using a Camcorder

Before I continue I want to discuss with you the benefits of a camcorder. These types of recorders are a great way for you to capture your family life in video form. And you can make a collection of videos consisting of family occasions such as birthdays and holiday events with a video recorder.

Record Your Videos Using a Camcorder

You may like the idea of a video archive of your favorite memories, but a camcorder may not entice you. And if so you do not have to go down this road at all.

As advances in technology have progressed over the years more and more people are instead using their mobile phones to record family events.

These mini-cameras, (as they can be referred to as), capture occasions instantly as you can bring them out from your pocket or purse.

It can take time and planning to get your camcorder ready, so this is a good alternative.

But obviously over time camcorders have themselves become more affordable, and a lot less bulky than they were back in the day.

So, it is worth considering a camcorder to record your family’s special events and memories.


Cyber-Shot Cameras

These are point-and-shoot digital cameras developed by Sony back in 1996. They offer superb images and videos of high quality.

Also, auto-focus quality is available with high-range lenses.

These cameras offer the safety of your pictures, can be easily transferable from camera to PC, or any other device.

They are easy to handle anywhere and offer a lot of capacity to store plenty of data.


DSLR Cameras

The dominance of DSLR technology has hit its peak in the market. These cameras offer beautiful pictures, they are fast shooting, and also great at focusing too. They are available in high and low ranges and can be purchased at an affordable price.

Black DSLR Camera Mounted

DSLR cameras, (digital single-lens reflex), have a high range of resolutions that can focus on minor things.

They can capture a full-frame image with the best quality approval. They inherent Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology and they incorporate an electronic viewfinder with the facility of a touch screen.

And you can store plenty of images on them to boot.


Pictures in Computerized Form

You can do so much with a photo that is in a computerized form, (i.e. a digital picture).

You can print out your computerized pictures that can be shared with family and friends.

In my opinion, an inkjet printer is a great option for you to print out your photos.

Alternatively, you may wish to view your cherished photos in the form of a slideshow.

Your photos can be presented with just one click. Various settings can also be made that will affect the playback of your photos, for example, the duration of a photo, the order of photos, and so on.


Perfection Scanner with Image and Video Conversion

Our traditional old photographs were just stuffed in drawers, and soon to be forgotten. Back in the day, we didn’t have any gadgets where we could store our beautiful memories.

Prepare Your Scanner

But nowadays we have various advanced tools where we can safely convert them to computerized form.

Do you remember those VHS tapes and film reels?

To convert them to digital form we would have to hand them over to a photographer, and then have to wait for 15 days or more for them to be returned to us.

But now there are models we can use at home where we can convert our pictures, VHS tapes, and film reels and store them on our computers, (or other devices, the cloud, etc.), for ourselves.

Scanners are available which have a handy help robot that can scan our documents and images within no time at all.

Please check out Owain’s guide on How To Scan Your Family Photos.


Distribution of your Data

Computer technology has enabled us to store a vast amount of our family memories, often allowing us to record more than we thought we would ever need, or even want.

cloud servies

But also with this piece of hardware, we can, unfortunately, lose it all in an instant. The probability that our hard drive will crash is always on our mind

A PC can crash due to a virus that has entered our computer via the Internet. And so the restoration of our hard drive and memories can become quite costly.

As mentioned earlier the cloud can be used to store our family photos. And this backup can also be used to retrieve what we have used.

There are many, many cloud services available online that you can use for this purpose, but also they can be used to share your photos and files with family.

For this reason, a cloud service is a great way for you to share the workload of family history research.


Save Images on a Hard Disk

Naturally, when we convert old family photographs we will store them on the computer. But as discussed previously it is a good idea to store your photos on a separate device as well.

An external hard drive can be used as a backup in case your computer crashes at any time.

It is important to note that you should periodically update the photos that you have on your external device so you have the latest copy.


Thank You and Please Leave A Comment

I hope you enjoyed this guest post discussing digital cameras and genealogy, and the best practices for you. If you have any questions or comments then please leave a comment below.

Please share with family and friends if you think this post will help others by using the social media buttons below.

Summary
Article Name
Brief Guide to Cameras and Genealogy
Description
Guest blogger Ashlie shares two types of digital camera for your genealogy research. Best practices are also discussed in this useful post.
Author
Publisher Name
The Genealogy Guide
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4 thoughts on “A Brief Guide to Digital Cameras and Genealogy”

  1. Hi,
    I need a camera to take photos and make videos for social media. Which one of these would be your top pick?

    I enjoyed reading this detailed post with great visual images. Are you a professional photographer?

    Thank you for this beautiful sharing.

    All the best

    1. Thanks for enjoying the post, and no I’m not a professional photographer, but I do like taking photos for my genealogy research.

      Personally I would go for the cyber-shot camera. They’re less complicated than DSLR cameras, so they are good to get you started. Also, yeah they can take 10 minute videos.

      All the best.

  2. I love genealogy. It’s such a pity photography exists for hardly 2 centuries, I would have loved to see more of my greatgreatgrandparents’ life.
    Great review of all the possibilities of cameras. Thanks!

    1. Yeah I know what you mean. I wish I had more photos of my second great grandfather. I only have two photos of him, and they are both grainy. Still we need to cherish what we have got.

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