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How do I import photos from my camera to my computer?

What computer specs are recommended for downloading, converting, and sharing photos and videos?

  • I'm in the market for a a new computer and am trying to figure out what will meet my needs in the most cost effective way (i.e. I'd rather not spend the money on an i7 processor if I won't benefit from one).   Here's what I want to do with the computer:   *Download and store high-resolution photos and 1080p HD videos from a digital camera such as the Sony SLT Alpha a55 DSLR   *Import videos from mini-DVDs recorded on a Canon DC330 camcorder   *Import videos from VHS tape using something like the Dazzle Video Creator Plus HD *Share those photos and videos to the Web (Facebook, YouTube) -- for the videos, I assume this means tasks like converting them to a lower resolution, converting them to a different format, or possibly chopping them up into smaller segments.   *Occasionally edit/color correct the photos   *Very occasionally edit the videos (see above -- I'd mainly do this if it's necessary for sharing them online)   *Work with Microsoft Office documents (Word, Powerpoint, Excel)   *This may be for a separate questions... but another goal is to be able to easily view the photos and videos on a TV in my home   I'd consider a PC or a Mac. On the PC side, I've been leaning towards the Dell XPS 8300 Desktop. I believe I'd benefit from a video card -- in this case the 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6450. But is this true? How much video card do I need? Also, would I benefit from a Core i7 processor (Sandy Bridge Core i7-2600)? Or would a Sandy Bridge Core i5 suffice?   Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated!

  • Answer:

    The principal issue is that you want to use one computer to input video of both VHS and HD quality, which is 20 years apart. VISTA  does not even allow analog inputs. Use 2 computers, one old computer with analog inputs for the VHS legacy video and another modern one for HD input and editing. Between your camera and YouTube you will have to do some editing.

Fred Landis at Quora Visit the source

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The simple answer is that you don't need much for downloading or sharing photos or videos, but the more you can get the better (with no ceiling on that clause) when it comes to editing and converting.  You'll definitely want a separate graphics card, and hopefully a machine that comes with video editing software (or you'll have to buy it separately.)  The laptop I'm typing on now has a built-in graphics card and Adobe Premiere doesn't even attempt to load files on it.  And I know it's the expensive part, but as much RAM as you're willing to afford.  Plus you'll need a large hard drive to store those large videos.  For every completed video you'll need 100M, but you'll have another 2G of working files that you won't want to delete until you're darn sure it'll never change (or be upconverted to each generations new du jour specs, etc.)

Colin Jensen

I usually tell my customers 'spend as much as you can afford then add a little more' The dell i5 with top of the list graphics (hd6950) and a BIG hard disk (2Tb ) and 12Gb memory should fit your requirements. Once you have customised the dell on the website go back and see if an i7 processor is still affordable. I reckon that somewhere between $1200  for the i5 version and $1500 for i7 (I have not included items such as monitor Microsoft office etc) Since you will be working with HD video then you will need a 1080 monitor  (the graphics cards have HDMI output for TV use)

Malcolm Sargeant

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