It's an old saw, but a picture is worth a thousand words. This is especially true for the environmental movement; we work to protect some of the most beautiful places on earth, and using making effective use of images has long been one of our most important techniques for building support for environmental protection. On the other hand, many of the day-to-day materials we produce are "text-heavy"--because we lack the tools to readily incorporate images into our work. Digital cameras can allow us to easily capture and use images every day, not just on "special projects."

Digital still cameras

Digital still cameras are now squarely in the mainstream of the consumer electronics world. Prices have fallen dramatically in the past couple of years, and quality is now generally excellent.. The main advantage of a digital camera over a conventional film camera is the low cost of use. Because digital cameras don't use film (and expensive photo processing services!) you can shoot hundreds of pictures just as cheaply as you can shoot two or three.

The other advantage is the immediate availability of digital images. You just hook the camera to your computer, download the images and go--there's no waiting to get your film back! Digital photography is the most practical way to incorporate images into time-sensitive campaign work.

Key features to look for in a digital camera:

• a resolution of 4 to 6 Megapixels, which will yield solid 8" X 10" print images;
• uses compact flash memory, which is the most common, inexpensive storage media
• a modest zoom lens

The digital camera market is evolving rapidly; new and improved cameras come out continuously, and prices are in a continual free-fall. Check current reviews before you buy. We've found that C|NET and Digital Photography Review generally have good information and reviews on digital cameras. We've had good experiences with Canon, Nikon and Olympus cameras, but there are lots of good cameras out there.

Worthwhile extras for digital cameras

Whichever camera you buy, there are a few worthwhile accessories.

1) Rechargeable batteries. Some cameras come with rechargeable batteries. If yours doesn't, be sure to invest in rechargeable batteries. Digital cameras--and their LCD viewscreens in particular--can eat batteries for breakfast. Rechargeables areeasier on your wallet and on the environment.

2)An external media reader. While all digital cameras will hook up directly to your computer, this isnot the fastest way to transfer lots of imges.External "media readers" are under $30 and provide a tremendous boost to image download speeds.

For current pricing on a wide range of essentially similar media readers, see: http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php?page_id=152
&sortby=popular-&form_keyword=reader&sortby=priceA

3) Additional memory. Most cameras ship with pretty skimpy memory cards. If your camera uses Compact Flash memory, the most common and inexpensive kind, you can easily add a 256 - 512 MB memory card for $20-50. This will give you the space to store hundreds of photos on your camera without erasing or downloading images.

Current pricing on 256 MB Compact Flash: http://tinyurl.com/2653c
Current pricing on512 MB Compact Flash: http://tinyurl.com/3gudu

Digital video (DV) cameras

Digital video (DV) cameras have finally come within reach of motivated users. These cameras store images digitally on tape, and can quickly transfer recordings to computers via high-speed FireWire connections. Digital video cameras can also capture still images. The incredible image quality and easy access of DV, coupled with the availability of affordable video editing software (championed of late by Apple), has made near-broadcast quality video readily available to grassroots activists.

Solid digital video cameras are now in the $1000-$1500 range. Sony and Canon are the two leading manufacturers of DV cameras, and both have a range of models that are appropriate for nonprofit use. While a DV camera is a substantial investment, it's well within the reach of a group that is ready to commit the time and energy to incorporating video into its communications mix.

If you're interested in pursuing digital video production in your organization, we strongly suggest you seek advice from someone experienced with grassroots media production. (Contact us if you need a referral.) Again, C|Net offers useful reviews. We also recommend looking About.com's resources on desktop video.