So What is A Digital Camera USB Cable
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios

So you’ve taken pictures for years and even learned how to develop the photos yourself. The prints you’ve made and hung up have ahh’d and wooed your friends and family for years. You even turned that old closet into a darkroom after a while longer.

And then you went digital, and you don’t want to go back. You’ve learned that all the chemicals you used in traditional film development hurts the environment, to boot. Besides, digital’s a lot faster, easier, cleaner, and well…fun. Or maybe you’re still using your darkroom and have only heard the rumors about the incredible digital market that’s sweeping the world. If so, this article is for you.

At the heart of the matter are three things. The first is your new-fangled camera. Then there’s the computer, a necessary component. Finally, you’ve got to have the cheapest of the three, your digital camera USB cable. This will often come with your camera, or if not, can be bought for only a meager amount.

The digital camera USB cable is what allows your camera to “talk” to your computer. Think of it as Ma Bell. After you’ve taken a number of pictures on your digital camera, you’ll need to download (in non-Geekelise, “unload,” if you will). This is done for a few reasons. One, your camera and its additional hardware can only hold so many pictures before it runs out of storage space (though with many cameras this can run into over a thousand photos –but hey, why not unload a few, take your shoes off and all that).

A second reason for doing this is that while looking at your photos through a little LCD monitor may be nifty, especially as the photos glow so pleasingly, the fact is that your digital camera USB cable is growing lonely with disuse and is talking with your old darkroom about running away together. Actually, though it seems a bit old fashioned, being able to hold actual photographs in your hand is still a nice thing. Or maybe you’d prefer to simply have them on your computer.

A really nice photo that you’ve taken can greet you each time you turn on your PC, or if you leave your PC on continually, you may set your computer to display a slideshow of 10 or even a hundred of your photos on your computer monitor to act as a screen saver. Whatever you please. But first, you’ve got to get those pics into your computer. Again, this is where your digital camera USB cable comes into play.

You should also have the software to transfer your photos. This is simply in the form of a CD that you’ll put into your computer. This usually comes with your camera, but if not, may come with your digital camera USB cable, if bought separately (all three should come from the same manufacturer –if not, you may have some problems. Another problem is that during the transfer of photos your batteries will discharge a lot of energy very quickly and often will be depleted by the time the process is completed.

This situation can be rectified in a few ways. One is that some digicamera manufacturers will provide (or sell separately) a power cord that you can plug into your camera and a wall electric socket. The other prominent method is to invest in a memory card reader. This is easily installed into your camera and when it comes time to transfer your photos, simply remove the card from the camera and put it into the USB port in your computer, thus bypassing the need to use your digital camera USB cable altogether. This second option, and options similar to it, is the choice of the future and one that is quickly outmoding the need for the digital camera USB cable.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.