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The Price range The first digital
cameras were meant for professionals and cost more than
Thousands of dollars. Current technology makes it possible
for manufacturers to offer high-resolution, full-featured
digital cameras at a price many consumers can afford.
Today's digital cameras run anywhere from $200 to $1,000,
depending on resolution and features. While the initial
expense of a digital camera is still higher than a traditional
point-and-shoot, you may find that the added convenience
and savings in film and processing costs are worth I Features
such as 2+ megapixel CCDs, external flash, and audio capture,
uncompressed files for best image quality, LCD playback,
optical zoom, removable media support. These are a few
features you should look for.
Digital cameras record images on
reusable memory cards instead of film, there are no developing
costs, so you can take as many pictures as you want and
only print the ones you like. Most digital cameras feature
an LCD viewscreen that lets you perfectly compose your
photo and then check to make sure it came out the way
you'd hoped. Because the images are stored as standard
digital files, your computer becomes your darkroom, letting
you crop, enlarge, and retouch your photos to perfection.
To share your photos, you have numerous options. You can
e-mail them to friends or post them on a photo-sharing
Web site. If you want prints, you can use an online photofinisher
or create them at home on a photo printer. Identifying
your needs. When shopping for a digital camera, start
by identifying your needs. Will you primarily be viewing
your pictures on a computer screen or do you plan to make
a lot of prints? Will you be using the camera for professional
graphics work? Will you want a zoom lens? Are there specific
features you require, like macro ability or movie mode?
Knowing what kind of photos you'll be taking most often
will help you decide what resolution, storage type, power
source, and other amenities you'll need. Check out the
specific features below for more details. Sample camera
layout Common digital camera features Resolution Maximum
resolution is one of the most important ratings of a digital
camera. Digital images are made up of dots called pixels.
Resolution refers to how many pixels make up a photo,
and it is usually measured in the horizontal by vertical
resolution, as in "1,280 x 960," or as a total, like "1.2
megapixels" (meaning 1.2 million pixels). The higher the
resolution, the sharper the picture. Traditional film
has a higher resolution than what digital cameras can
muster--at least for now. But today's digital cameras
are getting closer and closer to the extreme clarity of
film.
Today's consumer digital cameras range in
resolution from 640 x 480 (0.3 megapixels) to 2,048 x
1,536 (3.3 megapixels). Common digital-camera resolutions
include 2,048 x 1,536 (3 megapixels), 1,600 x 1,200 (2
megapixels), 1,280 x 960 (1.3 megapixels), 1,024 x 768,
and 640 x 480. The resolution you need depends on what
you plan to do with your photos. If you just want to e-mail
photos to your friends or put them on the Web, you'll
be happy with a lower resolution like 640 x 480. If you
want to print your photos, however, plan on having at
least 150 pixels per printed inch--in other words, a 1,600
x 1,200 image will look good at printed sizes up to 10.6
by 8 inches. If you try to print lower-resolution images
at larger sizes, the results tend to look grainy, blurry,
or blocky. Megapixel cameras often offer the option of
taking lower-resolution photos so that you can fit more
photos in the camera's memory.
Compression Another factor that
affects image quality is compression, the process that
shrinks a photo's file size. Most cameras take photos
as compressed JPEG files, which allows you to store more
images on a memory card. Compression also makes it faster
to save and download photos and easier to e-mail photos
or download them as part of a Web site. For most uses--e-mailing
photos to friends, printing out photos for albums, or
posting images on the Web--compressed images are adequate.
Compression causes a small amount of data loss, however;
if you need the absolute best-quality images, consider
buying a camera that takes uncompressed photos. You'll
only be able to fit a few uncompressed images on a memory
card, but you'll get the sharpest, clearest, most-detailed
pictures possible.
Memory and image capacity Memory,
the equivalent of film in a conventional camera, is where
pictures are stored as you take them. A camera's memory
size will determine how many images you can store. If
you anticipate downloading your images often, buying a
camera with a large amount of memory isn't as important.
But if you plan on taking many pictures without having
access to your computer for downloading, you should buy
a camera with a lot of included or expandable memory--or
plan to buy an extra memory card. Cameras with internal
memory store their images in a nonremovable memory chip
embedded within the camera. However, most consumer cameras
use external memory--a memory card (CompactFlash, SmartMedia,
and Memory Stick are all common types) or even a floppy
disk--that you can remove when it's full. You can increase
the number of photos you can take by buying additional
external memory. Most digital cameras ship with enough
memory to take from 12 to 36 shots at full resolution--about
the same as one roll of film for a traditional camera.
The length of a camera's lens determines
how much of a scene will fit in a picture. Lens lengths
vary between wide-angle (used for landscapes and shots
in which you want to include as much as possible) and
telephoto (used for close-ups and to zoom in on faraway
objects). "Normal" lenses, about 50mm on traditional cameras,
most closely approximate what your eye sees; anything
shorter than 50mm is considered wide-angle, while anything
longer is usually considered telephoto. The image sensor
in digital cameras is smaller than the surface of a 35mm
negative, so lenses on digital cameras tend to be much
shorter than on traditional cameras. Look for the "35mm
equivalent" rating to get a better idea of your camera's
range. Most fixed-length lenses on digital cameras fall
somewhere between wide-angle and normal focal length.
Many digital cameras now offer zoom lenses, which take
you from wide-angle to telephoto. In addition to this
optical zoom capability, some cameras provide digital
zoom, which is nothing more than software in the camera
that crops the edges off of your image and blows up the
remaining information to the size of the original. While
digital zoom adds extra close-up power, this comes at
the expense of resolution. Some cameras also have macro
capability, which lets you focus very close and take pictures
of small objects--useful for taking photos of flowers,
jewelry, etc.
Focus and exposure Fixed-focus digital cameras
have a nonmoving lens that is preset to focus at a certain
range. Higher-end digital cameras usually have autofocus
instead, which automatically focuses the camera at your
subject's distance. Most cameras automatically determine
the correct exposure for the lighting conditions. Sometimes,
however, the scene will appear too dark or too washed-out.
In these cases, it's handy to have a digital camera that
offers manual exposure compensation, allowing you to set
the exposure a few stops brighter or darker. A digital
camera's ISO-equivalent rating lets you know how light
sensitive it is; a camera rated ISO 100, for example,
has about the same light sensitivity as a traditional
film camera loaded with ISO 100 film. Higher ISO ratings
mean the camera is more sensitive to light and can take
pictures in darker settings. Digital cameras work just
like traditional cameras when it comes to aperture: the
maximum aperture rating of a camera lets you know how
much light it can let in. Aperture ratings represent ratios;
the lower the aperture rating, the more light sensitive
the camera is and the better it can take photos in low
light. LCD viewfinders Most digital cameras come with
at least an optical viewfinder--the kind you look through
on traditional film cameras--but many digital cameras
also come with an LCD screen built into the back, which
you can use as a viewfinder as well. The LCD screen is
especially useful because you can see what your picture
will look like before you take it. It also allows you
to look at the photos you've already taken. As mentioned
above, using the LCD screen is a significant battery drain,
so if you use it often, have extra batteries on hand.
Most digital cameras come with a built-in
flash. Basic flash modes should include automatic (senses
when to use the flash according to lighting conditions),
on (for all photos), and off. Some cameras include additional
features, such as red-eye reduction or night portrait
mode. Red-eye reduction is ideal for photographing people
or animals--it fires a series of short flashes before
the final flash and exposure, making your subjects' pupils
contract and preventing them from having glowing red eyes
in the final photo. Night portrait mode sets your flash
to go off at the beginning or end of a long exposure,
letting you take portraits set against a night scene,
such as a cityscape. However, you should find something
steady to set the camera on; the long exposure needed
for low light will turn any shake of the camera into a
blurry spot in your image.
Display and image erase If your digital
camera has an LCD screen on the back, you'll be able to
view images stored in memory. Some cameras even let you
display pictures on the LCD screen in thumbnail format,
usually 9 or 12 to a screen. Most cameras also let you
select pictures to erase; this handy feature gives you
the chance to edit out the photos you don't want in order
to free up memory. Self-timer A self-timer sets your digital
camera for a delayed exposure, usually giving you about
10 seconds before it takes the picture. This feature is
useful for getting yourself in the photo and can also
be used to take low-light photos, preventing the camera
shake caused by pushing the exposure button.
Many digital cameras now include movie mode,
a feature that lets you take short film clips with your
camera. To keep from instantly filling your memory card
and overwhelming the camera's processor, the movie's resolution
is usually much lower than the camera's maximum resolution,
and the total length is typically limited to 10 to 90
seconds. It won't replace your camcorder, but it's a fun
additional feature. Audio recording A few digital cameras
have the ability to record a few seconds of audio with
each shot, letting you add a personal sound bite to your
photos. This feature tends to eat up battery power rather
quickly, so if you use it often, be prepared with extra
batteries. Some digital cameras include a video-out function
that gives you the option to hook them up to a TV to display
your pictures. With this feature, you can also record
your pictures onto a VHS tape.
Computer connections Most high-end cameras
have software and connections for both Mac and PC computers,
but make sure the digital camera you want is compatible
with your platform before you buy it. All consumer digital
cameras come with the software you need to download your
pictures onto a computer. Most also include image-editing
software--which lets you crop, adjust, or add special
effects to your photos--and the cables and/or cards you
need to connect to your computer. Connecting and downloading
pictures from a digital camera is easier than you might
think; the software and cables are straightforward to
install and use. Digital cameras can use a variety of
different interfaces. Most use a serial or USB interface,
which plugs into a port on the back of your computer.
Others come with a PCMCIA interface, which can be inserted
directly into a notebook computer. Certain cameras use
3.5-inch floppy disks as memory or provide a floppy-drive
adapter for the memory cards. Once you've downloaded and
edited your images, most e-mail programs will let you
attach them to messages. You can also upload them to your
Web site or copy them onto floppy disk or CD-R to give
to your friends and family. Some color printers have slots
that accept your camera's memory card and let you directly
print your photos; otherwise, you can use the printer
hooked up to your computer. One of the advantages of using
a digital camera is that you can make copies of your photos
whenever you want, without having to hunt through negatives
and send them out for processing at a lab. You can also
make calendars, greeting cards, collages, and enlargements
easily and inexpensively at home. The first digital cameras
were heavy, clunky boxes that could hardly be called stylish.
But today's digital cameras are on a par with the sleek,
lightweight form of traditional point-and-shoots, and
many feature stainless-steel casings for added durability.
Digital cameras use significantly more power
than traditional cameras. While typical cameras usually
need their batteries replaced every 15 rolls of film or
so, you might find your digital camera running out of
batteries before you've filled its memory, especially
if you use the LCD all the time. Digital cameras use either
a rechargeable battery pack or traditional batteries;
some come with an AC adapter as well. Consider buying
an extra battery pack or investing in rechargeable AAs,
and always have extras on hand. Battery life has improved
since the early days of digital photography, but limited
battery life is still one of the biggest problems with
digital cameras.
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All about Digital Cameras tip page 1.
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