In my last column we talked about getting images out of your camera and in to your computer. This is done via some type of removable storage media which the images are stored to by the camera. This media can be removed from the camera and the image files are downloaded from it onto a computer. The most common types of storage media are Compact Flash drives. Other types include Smart Media, Media Sticks, etc. These store media come in different memory sizes and read/write speeds. The memory size refers to how many images or amount of files can be stored on the card at any one time. The more memory the card has, the more images you can take with it before it is full and the images have to be downloaded to your computer and then deleted from the card to use it again. The storage media, whether Compact Flash card, Smart media, etc, acts like reusable film. After images are stored on the compact flash card they are transferred to your computer via a transfer device such as a “card reader”. This is a small device that is connected to your computer usually via a USB port. The compact flash card is inserted into the reader and the image files are then transferred to the computer. The USB port the card reader plugs into on your computer come in different speeds, USB I and USB II. Most computer bought today have USB II ports which transfer the images much faster than USB I ports.
OK, Now that you have taken some fantastic images, taken the compact flash card, or whatever type of storage media your camera is compatible with, and inserted the card into the card reader, now what happens? Well, that depends on what kind of computer set up you have. You may have a single computer that you store your images on or a network where you have several computers all connected to a main computer that stores your data. By coincidence, while I am writing this article, Tim Thousand with Computer Concepts is developing a quote for me on a new server. A “server” is the main computer that other computers usually found in your ops are connected to. My server is seen years old and needs to be updated. Instead of me trying to tell you all the pros and cons of different setups found in dental offices, I felt I would let is come from the pros. So Tim graciously agreed to share with you different setups and general cost for each.