Digital Cameras Go Disposable

Buying a digital camera doesn't have to be a big investment. This week, Ritz Camera Centers unveiled a single-use digital camera that will cost you only $11.

The Dakota Digital Single-Use Camera is available in select Ritz Camera and Wolf Camera retail stores in 14 U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

David Ritz, Chairman of Ritz Camera Centers, says the Dakota Digital is ideal "for anyone who wants an inexpensive, single-use camera and is interested in trying digital for the first time."

The camera could help users get past one of the biggest hurdles in digital photography: Despite its increasing popularity, less than 19 percent of digital pictures are printed because of the complexity, cost, and time requirements of home printing, according to the Photo Marketing Association.

"For $10.99, customers have an opportunity to try digital technology without investing in a pricey digital camera," says Ritz. (By comparison, a disposable film camera from Kodak or Fuji costs about $8, according to Ritz.)

The Basics

The Dakota Digital, which was developed by San Francisco-based Pure Digital Technologies, captures up to 25 snapshots and uses a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor. The camera has 12MB of internal memory, Simon Fleming-Wood, Pure Digital's vice president of marketing says. He could not disclose the camera's image resolution. In comparison, you can buy a standard 1-megapixel camera with an LCD from companies like HP and Kodak for under $100. Such cameras, however, will tend to be older models.

The camera runs on AA alkaline batteries (which are included) and features an automatic flash and a self timer. Although the camera has no LCD for viewing images, it does include a delete button. This means that unlike disposable film cameras, the Dakota Digital allows users to delete a bad photo--for example, when users know a subject has inadvertently moved or blinked. However, users can only delete the most recent photo.

Get the Picture

After capturing 25 pictures on the Dakota Digital, users return the camera to a Ritz or Wolf lab that has the equipment to process the images. The camera uses a proprietary image format (Pure Digital Imaging Platform) that works only with Pure Digital's machines. It cannot be connected to a PC to transfer photos.

Ritz/Wolf charges about $11 for processing 25 4-by-6 prints and a photo CD. By comparison, the company charges $14 for developing film (from a disposable camera or a standard roll of film) for the same quantity and size prints and a photo CD. Processing takes about an hour in either case but depends on the lab's workload.

On the photo CD, users have two viewing options: Small Photos, which shows a few thumbnails on screen, and Large Photo, which shows a single image on screen.

From the photo CD, users can rotate images and edit captions. The software allows shutterbugs to e-mail pictures, save them on the PC by automatically creating a folder on the Windows desktop called Photo CD, print photos, and create a slide show.

Once the prints have been developed, Ritz/Wolf returns the camera to Pure Digital for recycling. Much like the method for film disposables, Pure Digital refurbishes each camera for resale.