What kind of computer do I need to get into digital imaging?
There is a lot of mis- and even dis-information about
what one needs in a computer in order to work with digital image. You'll
hear that you have to have this or that brand, or this type of computer
processor chip, or you have to spend many thousands of dollars. None of
this is true. Here are the critical requirements of a computer that will
be used for digital imaging.
RAM. The more RAM the merrier!
You need to have at least as
many MB of memory as your image file size
when working with digital images. Anything less will slow your machine down
to a snails' pace (as it will cache data to
your hard disk). It will also make your machine more susceptible to crashes. RAM is cheap
and time is not.
Large
hard drive. Hard drive prices have
plummeted in recent years, a real boon to photographers as digital images use up
disk space in a hurry. You'll need at least 2 GB, and more is
much better.
Fast modem.
You'll need a fast connection (and modem) if you plan on
using the Internet to email
digital images.
Large monitor. If you are very serious about
digital imaging, go for at least a 17-inch color monitor. The software you
use will have an interface that will often take up much of the screen area
- leaving less than the full screen for the image area. You need a large
monitor so you can see the digital images better on your screen.
Unfortunately TFT screens are no good. They only show 256 colors (as
opposed to 17 million on conventional monitors). You also need to handle
color management and this usually involves buying a device especially designed for the job.
Removable storage.
You will need to take digital images off the computer to take
them to a photo lab and to store
backups of important images safely. Zip drives are ubiquitous and give
you 100-250 MB of removable storage (depending on the drive model). CD-RW drives
are also great for photographers as they allow you to store
over 600 MB of photo files quite cheaply on either
CD-R or CD-RW disks. These disks are easily read by nearly any computer
and are very durable. Rewriteable DVD's are a good alternative, offering 4.7GB
of storage. They are increasingly being supplied as standard on new machines.
Processor.
Any processor made in the last couple of years, for either Windows or
Mac computers, will work fine as long as you have enough RAM
and hard drive space. Faster processors (measured in megahertz) will make faster work of
your digital images, but if you have time, they are not a necessity.
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