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Digital Camera
Digital cameras are principally characterized by their image resolution
or mega-pixel capacities; from low-resolution (less than 1 mega-pixel)
to high-resolution (greater than 1 mega-pixel) to advanced high-
resolution (4 mega-pixels or more). The camera's resolution is the
most critical feature in producing high-quality photographs. For U.S.
passport and visa photographs, a digital camera with a resolution of 1
mega-pixel will be more than adequate for capturing the image and
producing the final photo that conforms to the dimensions specified on
this web site.
These cameras generally have automatic features for controlling many
of the photographic qualities emphasized on the preceding web pages.
Care should be taken not to rely totally on these controls since each
subject — facial characteristics, clothing, facial movement, etc. —
can vary and may not be accommodated for by the automatic
settings.
Cameras with a direct electronic camera-to-computer interface are
preferable to those requiring the use of an external memory card.
Data transfers will occur much faster and allow for verification of a
good image being stored in the computer. If a retake is required
because the subject blinked or moved, it would be more convenient
than taking several shots to be sure of a good one and then
downloading them via the memory card.
Computer
The computer is the central component in digital photography. It
stores and displays the digital images from the digital camera and
enables those images to be printed on a variety of digital printers.
Because of the huge amount of data contained in high-resolution
digital images, the computer should have adequate memory and
storage capacities. In addition to these two key elements, the
computer should have high-speed interfaces to the camera and
printer, as well as a fast CPU to control the image processing
functions. The recommended computer configuration for processing
digital images is provided below:
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