Photo opportunities

Digital technology can make a positive difference to the ways in which we view our snaps. Ian Macrae takes a look at some interesting developments

Gone are the days when you needed a degree in chemistry and confidence working in total darkness in order to process your own pictures. Gone too the alternative, having to wait three weeks for prints to come back in the post. Now you can look at, keep or delete your pictures on your digital camera as you shoot them.

Digital kit has also taken the place of the old-fashioned slide projector. There are now a wide variety of digital photo frames available so that you can share those magic moments and memories.

There’s a whole variety to choose from at a variety of prices. The one we looked at is the Jessops 6360. This is a high-end model which therefore comes in with a relatively big price ticket. But blimey, do you get a lot of bang for your buck.

The frame comes in two sizes, 8 and 10x4”. As well as 2GB memory of its own, it can accommodate virtually every known form of portable memory, which means that you can take your card or memory stick out of the camera and plug it into the frame for immediate gratification in larger format. Not only that, it comes with its own onboard editing suite so you can crop, resize or otherwise change your pictures pretty much on the fly.

Add to that the fact that you can send and play audio files, music, for instance, to accompany your slide show, and even video files for those palmcorder memories and we’re talking clear versatility.

But if your idea of wow factor is flicking through the pages of a lovely retro photo album, there’s one of those that’s been given a digital twist too.

The Lifemax talking photo album has space for 24 prints. But each page has a button; press that button and the record button on the side of the album and you can record a message of up to ten seconds duration which is then associated with the picture.

Obvious uses include telling a blind person what the picture looks like, or taking a snap of the grandchild and getting them to record a special message for granny and grandad to bring the picture to life. It could even be used as an aide memoir for people with dementia or other memory issues.

Now all we need is for someone to combine these two nifty ideas into one really useful bit of kit.

INFORMATION
Jessops high resolution digital photo frame: £99 (8x4”), £139 (10x4”). www.jessops.com

Other simpler digital photo frames are available at much lower prices: Lifemax Talking Photo Album - £34.99. www.co-opxest.com