PowerShot SD 1200 IS Accessories Needed

[poohbear43]

Canon Powershot SD 1200 IS digital ELPH camera--I found just the camera in the household goods I was sorting for a friend who died and would like to get it operating again but I only have the camera--no parts.  What do I need to charge the battery and transfer my pictures to my Dell Computer?  Without a manual, I am lost on what parts to buy.  Advice needed.  Is it worth rescuing this camera?

[normadel]

The only "parts" you need are a battery, a charger, an SD card. Maybe a USB cable or SD card reader to plug into your computer.

The battery is a Canon NB-6L. 

Chargers and batteries are available on eBay, Amazon and elsewhere. There are combos that are cheap. You won't find new Canon batteries but Wasabi is a good aftermarket brand.

The USB cable is an ordinary USB A-to-Mini B cable.

An SD card reader can be had for under $10.00...Wal-Mart, Target, camera shops, online.

Use a full-size SD card, NOT a micro-SD with adapter.  Don't fall for the temptation of a huge capacity card. The camera likely won't work with it. Stick with 2-32GB or smaller. A camera shop may have old small cards (2-8GB) laying around, eBay has them. 

[poohbear43 · Accepted solution]

I hope I did this correctly.  Thanks to everyone who helped me find parts for the Canon Camera.  I was able to buy a replacement battery charger and was able to charge my OLD battery.  I didn't try the NEW battery in the charger yet.  I still have to put the disk in my computer to upload but I have done that in the past and don't expect any problems.  THANKS!!!

[normadel]

What disk are you referring to?  You do not need ANY software on your computer to move photos from camera to computer. You only need a USB A-to-B cable to connect them. The camera should show up in Windows' File Explorer or Mac desktop as a drive, which you open, open a DCIM folder, and drag your files to the computer wherever you want them.

Or, you can use an SD card reader that plugs into a USB port and shows up as a drive.

PS: You appear to have accepted your own post as a helpful answer.. The intention of Accepting is to recognize people who have been helpful to you.

[poohbear43]

It is an added expense right now to buy a cable for the computer connection.  I am happy to just use that SD card that I always call a "disk" to access my files.  Still playing with my new toy, the camera, so I still have a lot to learn.  Thanks again for the help.

[poohbear43]

Great advice so far.  I inserted a 16 mb disk and it fit.  Hope that is the size you recommended.   I also have a 256 mb but I think you said that was too large.  A battery was inside the phone when I found it but nothing available to charge it.   Next question: best way to charge the battery.  What should I look for on the net?  I did see some inexpensive chargers for the Canon but not sure what one to use to charge a battery outside the camera?  Can I also plug in a cord to the computer to do the same charge?  If so, where is that plug-in location?  I only see a wide hole in the bottom edge and that must be for a tripod.  I do have an Iphone but don't think that cord will work on this camera.  

[normadel]

I'll try to help clear up some things. 

1. The camera uses SD MEMORY CARDS, not disks. The physical size of the card is the same regardless of its CAPACITY. We say cards have different "", instead of using the word "capacity".  Any SD card will fit in the camera physically, but its "size" defines how much data (pictures) it can hold. 

2. Do you mean your card is 16 MB (megabytes) or is it 16 GB (gigabytes)? A GB is 1,000 times larger than a MB. Same for the 256. is it MB or GB? Yes, there were 16 and 256 MB cards (this camera may have originally come with a 16), and maybe you have one, but that is tiny nowadays.. We've long since moved up to cards measured in Gigabytes. 

3. A 256 MB card is not too large. A 256 GB card would be.  If you are looking for cards for this camera, I'd say up to 4 GB is a reasonable limit. 

4. Yes, there are cheap chargers to be had. Doesn't need to be a genuine Canon charger. Look on ebay for "NB-6L battery charger". You find many, and battery/charger kits. You can get a new battery with charger for just a few dollars. The battery inside the camera (not phone) may no longer be any good.

5. The only way to charge the battery is in an external charger. This isn't a cell phone.

6. A USB cable will connect to a computer to transfer photos to the computer. It does not charge the battery inside the camera. The camera has a USB Mini-B port on its side.  It also has a tripod socket on the bottom, which is a threaded metal socket.

I'd suggest the first thing you do is put a charged battery  and a small SD card in just to see if the camera works....you can take and review pictures.

You sound like you need the manual for the camera. You can't get it from Canon anymore. Here is a site for it:

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/24607/Canon-Sd1200-Is.html#manual

This is where you start to learn about the camera, its parts, how to set it, take pictures, etc.

Do you know anyone where you are who can help with basic digital camera use?