1. Starter for 10 Unit 9: Using a digital or video camera Transform IT SFT09_camera_video

2. How do I use a digital camera? Taking photos with a digital camera is just like using a camera with film - point the camera, press the button and take the photo! The complicated bits come when you have to get your pictures out of the camera - you can't just take it to the chemists to be developed. But if you want to e-mail pics of the kids to their gran, or put family photos onto your Christmas cards, then digital cameras are the business.

3. Transform IT SFT09_camera_video The Basics A digital camera is still a camera. If you've ever picked up a disposable camera, taken some holiday snaps and had your photos developed then you can use a digital camera too. This means that you'll need to keep the camera still while you take your pics, so they aren't all blurred and you'll need to make sure that you point the camera in the right direction! If you can manage that with an ordinary camera, you should do fine with a digital one.

4. Transform IT SFT09_camera_video The parts The main parts of a digital camera are just like the main parts of a film camera. You point the camera at whatever it is you want to photograph, look through the viewfinder to line up your photo and press the shutter button to take the photo. If you've got it set up to use the flash then most cameras will check how much light there is around, and flash if they need to. Apart from the top of the range cameras, you don't need to focus or think about technical stuff like shutter speed or exposure - the camera does all that for you. The difference is that instead of using film to capture the scene a digital camera uses a special sort of computer chip - the same sort used in video cameras - to turn the picture into millions of dots which can be stored in its memory. Once you've taken your photo it is stored in the camera until you decide what to do with it.

5. Transform IT SFT09_camera_video Useful extras Digital cameras have everything that a film camera has, like a flash for taking photos indoors or where it's too dark, and a zoom that lets you close in on the details that you're interested in. But they also have lots of extra bits too. Most digital cameras have a little screen in the back that lets you see what you're about to photograph without having to look through the viewfinder. This is great if you want to take a photo over people's heads, or if you want to be absolutely sure that you've got everyone in the picture. The same screen will show you your photo after you've taken it, so you can see whether you've captured the moment or just taken a shot of someone's feet. Then you can get rid of the failed pics and try again. And again, if you're really not much good at this sort of thing!

6. Transform IT SFT09_camera_video Camera memory Before you start taking digital photos you'll need to make sure that there's some film in the camera. With a digital camera the 'film' isn't a plastic roll but some computer memory, and it can get full of pictures just the same. Most digital cameras will let you take twenty or thirty pictures before they fill up, and once they do, you have to either get rid of some photos or copy them to your computer to free up space. Or, if your camera uses special computer memory like CompactFlash or a Memory Stick, put in a new card. Don't forget to keep the old one safe. You'll also need to check the batteries. Digital cameras use power, and if you've got a camera that takes normal disposable batteries you'll find it eats them really fast. Better to get rechargeable ones or - if you can afford it - go for a camera that has its own rechargeable battery pack built in.  But whatever the power source, make sure that you've got enough juice for the party or day on the beach.

7. Transform IT SFT09_camera_video Downloading your pics A digital camera holds your photos as computer files, and before you can do anything with them apart from look at them on the camera's own little screen you generally need to copy them to your computer. Some cameras can be plugged straight into your TV so that you can have a slideshow of your pics - it's called video output, and you'll need a special cable for it. But mostly you'll want to copy your pics to your computer, and probably print them out. There are various ways to transfer your pictures from the camera to your computer.

8. Transform IT SFT09_camera_video Here's some jargon to look out for: Whatever way you use, once you've got the pics onto your computer's hard disk you can clear them from your camera - and then take some more. That's the real difference between digital and film, because film is used up when you take your pics, but you can reuse the memory on your digital camera as many times as you want.

9. Transform IT SFT09_camera_video On the screen The pictures you take are computer image files and you can look at them on your screen. Windows includes software that lets you do this, or you can get a painting program like PaintShop Pro, or even look at the pictures using your web browser. Some cameras come with their own software to let you do this and more. You can make changes to these pictures too, just like you can change any computer image - make it smaller or bigger, cut out the bits you like, even add captions or borders, or just fix common problems like red-eye. You can easily add your pictures to a family website, or include them in e-mails to grandparents or old school friends. And you can set up a slide show on screen to show off your holiday snaps.

10. Transform IT SFT09_camera_video Printing your pics Most of us like to have prints of our photos, and there are lots of ways to get your digital pics onto paper. The simplest is just to print them on your ordinary printer. If you've got an inkjet printer then even a budget digital camera will give you reasonable results, as long as you don't print your pictures too large. You can buy special glossy paper for printing digital photos too - it's slightly more expensive but the results can be great. But for the best prints, use one of the internet print services like Boots or Jessops. These let you send them your images and they'll do really high resolution photos. In fact, if you've got a camera that is good enough then it's hard to tell them apart from ordinary photos.

11. Transform IT SFT09_camera_video Taking video with your digital camera Most digital cameras include the ability to take limited amounts of video as well as still photographs. Look on the control for a setting that shows an icon of a movie camera. You click the shutter button to start recording and click it again to stop. You can then get the movie clip out of the camera and onto your computer using the USB cable, or other device as above, and then watch the clip using a player such as Windows Media Player, Quicktime or RealPlayer. More expensive video cameras (called digicams or camcorders) use different ways of storing the movies you film. Either on a tape or, better still because it is easier to get the video from the camera onto the computer, hard disk drive.