21 Sep 08 Nikon Steadies the Action With New AF-S VR Nikkor 300MM F2.8G IF-ED Lens
Popular Long Range, Fast Aperture Lens Now Features Nikon’s Renowned Vibration Reduction Technology
MELVILLE, NY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2004 - Nikon (www.nikonusa.com), the world leader in photography, today announced an all-new AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED super-telephoto lens that features Nikon’s remarkable Vibration Reduction (VR) technology. Designed to work seamlessly with Nikon’s digital and film SLR cameras, this new lens offers professional sports and action photographers a high level of quality, precision and performance.
“Nikon shooters will attest that Vibration Reduction technology works more effectively in achieving sharper pictures in low light or shaky conditions than any other existing technology. Now sports and action photographers can reap the benefits of VR in a focal length they most often use. Coupled with the added advantage of Nikon’s new Nano-Crystal AR coat, photographers can expect very sharp, high-contrast images from the new AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens,” said Jerry Grossman, vice president of Marketing, Nikon Inc.
Based on the extremely popular and well received AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED II, the new lens has been upgraded in specifications and performance to fully satisfy professional photographers. The first addition to this fast and powerful lens is the benefit of VR (Vibration Reduction) - an innovation that allows photographers to take high-quality handheld shots indoors and in dark locations at shutter speeds three stops slower without compromising the sharpness of the picture. A choice of two VR modes allows photographers to best match their shooting conditions and further augments the effectiveness of VR performance. Normal mode primarily compensates for camera shake, and includes automatic panning detection as well as automatic tripod detection. Active mode effectively compensates for vibration in situations where it is pronounced and frequent, such as when shooting from a moving vehicle.
Along with the adoption of VR technology, the new lens also offers handy access to a control pad on the side of the barrel for seamless usability. A Focus Mode switch enables instant and easy switching between M/A (Manual-Priority Autofocus) and M (Manual Focus) modes, while a Focus Limiter switch restricts AF-servo movement within a selected shooting distance range. New Focus Preset buttons can instantly recall a preset focal point - a priceless feature when photographers shooting sports need to quickly return focus to a specific location such as a base or a team’s goal.
The AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED also benefits from Nikon’s new Nano-Crystal AR Coat, which demonstrates superior anti-reflective properties to virtually eliminate ghost and flare to provide clear and vivid images when shooting under powerful sunlight or indoors under spotlights.
The features already incorporated in the lens’ predecessor are carried over as well. This includes Nikon’s exclusive SWM (Silent Wave Motor) that combines fast and accurate autofocusing with super-quiet operation, ED glass elements that minimize chromatic aberration, Internal Focusing (IF) for smoother focusing and a better balanced body, as well as a rubber ring on the lens mount that delivers the same level of resistance to dust and drops of water as Nikon’s professional cameras such as the F6 and D2X and D2H.
Compatibility with Nikon’s TC-14EII (1.4x), new TC-17EII (1.7x), and TC-20EII (2.0x) teleconverters extends the flexibility and total reach of the lens to as long as 600mm when mounted on a 35mm film SLR. When mounted on a Nikon digital SLR, photographers can achieve an angle of view equivalent to a 900mm lens.
The AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens is scheduled to be available at authorized Nikon dealers beginning January 2005.
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21 Sep 08 Digital Camera Buying Guide
Author: Monty Alexander
Planning to buy a digital camera? Not sure how to get started?
Read on to discover how…..
What do you need the camera for?
If you buy a simple one that can be used at home, you will not get interesting capabilities that you need for taking really good photographic pictures. On the other hand, it would be a waste of your money if you have the latest digital camera only to be used for personal photos at home.
Based on the purpose one can choose from the following main three types.
· Point and shoot: - reasonably compact, with features and size like 35mm cameras.
· Lifestyle: - with moderate features, it’s sleek and compact, so you can carry it around with ease.
· Professional: - with interchangeable lenses, flashes and other accessories, this camera is robust and feature laden, just the right choice for a professional or serious photographer.
These are the important features to look for?
Digital images are made up of dots called pixels. The higher the number of pixels in your image, the better will be the quality of the image. This will therefore enable you to enlarge your image to higher pixel dimensions without creating a pixilated (broken) image.
Compression
Compression shrinks a photo’s file size, thus accommodating more images in the memory card. However compression causes a small amount of data loss. If you need the absolute best-quality images, you have to consider buying a camera that takes uncompressed photos but will accommodate less number of images.
A camera’s memory size will decide the number of images that can be stored. Memory of 128MB will be good enough if you want to use the camera mostly at a social do or a party. If you are on a vacation or when you cannot download images for days at a stretch, a memory of 512MB to 1GB will be most favorable.
Most digital cameras come with at least an optical viewfinder but many digital cameras also come with an LCD screen built into the back. For a digital camera, they vary from 1.5-2.5 inches.
Lens
It is the length of a camera’s lens that determines how much of a scene will fit in a picture. A “Normal” lens is about 50mm, most closely approximate to what your eye sees.
Optical zoom
This enables the photographer to zoom in on an object without any problem in picture quality. Depending on the magnification number, you can zoom in more.
Digital zoom
This feature enables the photographer to zoom in on the centre of the picture by removing the edges of the image.
Focus an exposure
In most cameras, the correct exposure for the lighting conditions is automatically determined. A camera rated ISO 100, has approximately the same light sensitivity as that of a traditional film camera loaded with ISO 100 film. A higher ISO rating means that the camera is more sensitive to light and is potential enough to take pictures in darker settings.
Audio and Movie capture
This feature allows you to record sounds and moving images at the same time, in exactly the same way that a camcorder functions. Some digital cameras provide the facility to record a few seconds of audio with each shot, thus letting you add a personal sound bite to your photos.
Movie mode
This is a feature that lets you take short film clips with your camera. The total record length is typically limited to 10 to 90 seconds.
Most digital cameras come with an in-built flash. Some cameras however include additional features, such as red-eye reduction or night portrait mode.
Image erase
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 create space in the memory.
Self-timer
A self-timer allows your digital camera for a delayed exposure, usually giving you about 10 seconds before the picture is taken.
Computer connections
Most high-end cameras have software and connections for both Mac and PC computers. However it is necessary to make sure the digital camera you want is compatible with your platform before you buy it.
This feature enables the photographer to capture still images of something moving very fast.
Printing
Nowadays you can buy special printers, depending on the compatibility of your camera, to print off your pictures without connecting it to a PC. This applies both for digital and SLR Professional cameras.
How important is size and portability to you?
Size is another very important factor to consider. If you are to use the camera for non professional purposes the size has to be small as you cannot afford to carry huge sized cameras when you are enjoying a trip.
What is your budget?
Based on the budget the features will vary and the overall offering of a camera. Today’s digital cameras run anywhere from Rs 800 to Rs 30,000, depending on resolution and features. While the initial expense of a digital camera is still high you may find that the added convenience and savings in film and processing costs are worth it.
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20 Sep 08 Easy to Use Nikon Digital Camera
Camera is an option of capturing the beautiful moments of life. Many years ago, capturing the beautiful moment was not easy. Users or photographers had to set the camera and after a boring process it was possible to capture the pictures. Now everything has changed. Continue improvements of camera have changed methods of capturing. Photography used for professional or entertainment is easy now. Digital camera has changed the methods of capturing photos and videos.
There are many camera manufacturers available in the photography market, but Nikon digital camera has occupied a special place in the photography market as well as in the heart of users. All digital cameras are good for something, but users want clear and detailed image captured by the camera. Users also want camera that should be easy to use and have a few functions like simple camera. For that Nikon digital cameras are suitable for you. Suddenly occurred actions can be easily captured with its help.
People are sure of buying Nikon digital camera because they know that they are paying for quality, durability, functionality and reputation. The advantage of these digital cameras is that it gives the opportunity to amateur photographer to have the quality professional shot. Nikon produced less expensive units of their professional cameras. Nikon houses a top camera manufacturer reputation in the photography world.
Nikon D2X is packed with all possible features, which most amateurs will hardly use in a lifetime as this camera is very expensive. Nikon D80 shares many features such as improved auto-focus, interchangeable lenses, 10.2 mega-pixels, wider flash range and longer battery life. Digital cameras are loaded with hi-speed USB card reader, memory card, lenses and LCD screens.
Now Nikon FX format D700 DSLR is the camera that will definitely fit for your needs. This newly launched digital camera equipped with 12.1 mega-pixel FX-format sensors. It can work with an area of up to 36.0 x 23.9mm. It is capable of taking 5 frames per second that gives you an option of shooting anything successfully. Nikon P4 houses 8 mega-pixels with 2.5 inch viewing screen with auto mode. Nikon S50C offers 7.2mega-pixels and houses a wireless interface. This camera is impressive with 3 inch viewing screen, three times optical and four times digital zoom.
There are a lot of Nikon digital cameras available and they are their own reputation in various areas. You are to select one according to your requirements.
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20 Sep 08 Store the Beautiful Moments of Your Life With the Digital Cameras
Author: Jonson William
This electronic gadget should always be compatible with size, ease of use, manual options, battery types, shutter lag time. One thing to always keep in mind while purchasing a camera is that, it will solve your purpose in terms of personal or professional photography. The correct digital camera information will help you in taking decision for the right choice. Through those cameras, you will be able to share memory cards and batteries among your friends and family members. Camera’s brand lines are often similar and try to stay within the same brand. So, you can easily share your digital camera accessories with your family and friends. Now-a-days every one can own a digital camera and it is no longer a novelty now. User has many more options for shooting, saving, and printing the photographs. It can make the printing job more easier and get them printed as soon as possible. It totally depends on you, how often you are using the digital camera.
The compact or subcompact are the two main types of digital cameras. They are easy to carry and you can keep them with you all time for some great looking photos. If you want to explore or expand your photography skills, choose an advanced compact or a super-zoom digital camera. They offer lots of options in manual settings and much more advanced than the compact and subcompact cameras. They offer better quality in lighting situations, and its lenses provide a greater range of zoom, for the nature or sporting event photos.
SLR digital cameras are the professional cameras in photography. These kind of cameras are meant for the artistic photography and give a professional view point in photography aspect. It is more of a professional camera, It has a unique detachable lens advantage, which is higher in quality. Its manual control allows you to get creative with your photograph. This device always has good battery back up, but it is better to check battery life and the type of batteries in your digital cameras. The normal picture taking capability of a camera is between 120 to 300, but the SLRs average more than 250 pictures.
The Pentax Optio is one of the best compact digital camera in the market. Featuring with 12 mega pixels camera with 3x optical zoom. It offer superior image quality, which automatically takes a header and shoulder photographs of subjects. Except all these expensive digital cameras, there is a wide variety available in the Cheap Digital Cameras. This electronic gadget has started a new revolution in the photography and has made picture taking an incredible experience. Through this device, we can click unlimited amount of pictures without ever having to worry about wasting films and reloading it.
The cheap digital cameras, are quite easy to master and the memories are well worth them. You can really get great deals there because there are plenty of camera brands such as Canon, Kodak, Sony, and Toshiba all offering a wide range of cameras. They also offer cheap and reasonably priced cameras. This gadget allows you to save all the pictures to your computer without any hindrance. Through the computer one can easily send those photos to anyone in the world.
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20 Sep 08 The Magic Behind Digital Camera
Author: Harry Rockwell
A digital camera, as opposed to a film or videotape camera, uses an electronic sensor to transform images (or video) into electronic data. Modern digital cameras are typically multifunctional and the same device can take photographs, video, and/or sound.
In 2005, digital cameras are starting to push traditional film cameras out of many markets. Shrinking device sizes have recently allowed miniaturized digital cameras to be included in multifunctional devices, such as cell phones and PDAs.
Classification
Digital cameras can be classified into several groups:
* Professional video cameras such as those used in television and movie production. These typically have multiple images sensors (one per color) to enhance resolution and color gamut. Professional video cameras usually do not have a built-in VCR or microphone.
* Camcorders used by amateurs. These are a combination of camera and VCR to create an all-in-one production unit. They generally include a microphone to record sound, and feature a small LCD to watch the video during filming and playback.
Still cameras
Digital still cameras are generally characterized by the use of flash memory and USB or Fire Wire for storage and transfer.
Most have a rear LCD for reviewing photographs. They are rated in mega pixels; that is, the product of their maximum resolution dimensions. The actual transfers to a host computer are commonly carried out using the USB mass storage device class (so that the camera appear as a drive) or using the Picture Transfer Protocol and its derivatives.
All use a CCD (for Charged Coupled Device) which is a chip comprised of a grid of phototransistors to sense the light intensities across the plane of focus of the camera lens.
There has recently been some application of a second kind of chip, called a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) sensor, and this chip is often differentiated from a CCD proper in that it uses less power and a different kind of light sensing material, however the differences are highly technical and many manufacturers still consider the CMOS chip a charged coupled device. For our purposes, a chip sensor is a CCD.
* Standard Digital Cameras: This encompasses most digital cameras. They are characterized by great ease in operation and easy focusing; this design allows for limited motion picture capability. They have an extended depth of field.
This allows objects at multiple depths to be in focus simultaneously, which accounts for much of their ease of focusing. It is also part of the reason professional photographers find their images flat or artificial-looking. They excel in landscape photography and casual use.
* Digital SLRs typically have a sensor nine times larger than that of a standard digital camera, and are targeted at professional photographers and enthusiasts. They resemble ordinary professional cameras in most ways, with replaceable flash and lens components, which give the user maximum control over light, focus and depth of field.
They are also bulkier and more expensive than their casual-use oriented counterparts. They are superb for portraiture and artistic photography because they can be customized for various applications with a comprehensive range of exchangeable lenses.
Professional modular digital camera systems
High-end digital camera backs used by professionals are usually separate devices from the camera bodies which they are used with. (This is because most of the large- and medium-format camera systems in professional use at the time that digital capture overtook film as the professional’s medium of choice were modular in nature, i.e. the camera body had multiple lenses, viewfinders, winders and backs available for use with it to fit different needs.)
Since the first backs were introduced there have been three main methods of “capturing” the image, each based on the hardware configuration of the particular back.
The first method is often called “Single Shot,” in reference to the number of times the camera’s sensor is exposed to the light passing through the camera lens.
Single Shot capture systems use either one CCD with a Bayer filter stamped onto it or three separate CCDs (one each for the primary additive colors Red, Green and Blue) which are exposed to the same image via a beam splitter.
The second method is referred to as “Multi-Shot” because the sensor is exposed to the image in a sequence of three or more openings of the lens aperture. There are several methods of application of the multi-shot technique.
The most common originally was to use a single CCD with three filters (once again red, green and blue) passed in front of the sensor in sequence to obtain the additive color information.
Another multiple shot method utilized a single CCD with a Bayer filter but actually moved the physical location of the sensor chip on the focus plane of the lens to “stitch” together a higher resolution image than the CCD would allow otherwise. A third version combined the two methods without stamping a Bayer filter onto the chip.
The third method is called “Scan” because the sensor moves across the focus plane much like the sensor of a desktop scanner.
These CCDs are usually referred to as “sticks” rather than “chips” because they utilize only a single row of pixels (more properly “photosites”) which are again “stamped” with the Bayer filter.
The choice of method for a given capture is of course determined largely by the subject matter. It is usually inappropriate to attempt to capture a subject which moves (like people or objects in motion) with anything but a single shot system.
However, the higher color fidelity and larger file sizes and resolutions available with multi-shot and scan-backs make them attractive for commercial photographers working with stationary subjects and large-format photographs.
Webcams
* Webcams are digital cameras attached to computers, used for video conferencing or other purposes. Webcams can capture full-motion video as well, and some models include microphones or zoom ability.
These devices range in price from very inexpensive to expensive higher-end models; many complex webcams have a servo-controlled base capable of tracking facial motion with the help of software.
Interpolation
Image color or resolution interpolation is used unless the camera uses a beam splitter single-shot approach, three-filter multi-shot approach, or Foveon X3 sensor.
The software specific to the camera interprets the information from the sensor to obtain a full color image. This is because in digital images, each pixel must have three values for luminous intensity, one each for the red, green, and blue channels. A normal sensor element cannot simultaneously record these three values.
The Bayer filter pattern is typically used. A Bayer filter pattern is a 2×2 pattern of light filters, with green ones at opposite corners and red and blue elsewhere.
The high proportion of green takes advantage of properties of the human visual system, which is determines brightness mostly from green and is far more sensitive to brightness than to hue or saturation.
Sometimes a 4-color filter pattern is used, often involving 2 different hues of green. This provides a wider color gamut, but requires a slightly more complicated interpolation process.
The luminous intensity color values not captured for each pixel can be interpolated (or guessed at) from the values of adjacent pixels which represent the color being calculated.
In some cases, extra resolution is interpolated into the image by shifting photosites off of a standard grid pattern so that photosites are adjacent to each other at 45 degree angles, and all three values are interpolated for “virtual” photosites which fall into the spaces at 90 degree angles from the actual photosites.
Connectivity
Many digital cameras can connect directly to a computer to transfer data. USB is the most widely used method, though some have a Fire wire port.
Integration
Some devices, like mobile phones integrates digital cameras. Mobile phone cameras are much more sold than standalone digital ones.
Digital cameras need memory to store data. The higher one goes in pixel size, the more memory will be needed. Cameras use a removable memory card to store data, but the cheapest and smallest cameras may simply use fixed internal memory instead. Some cameras come with inbuilt memory as well.
Autonomous devices
An autonomous device, such as a PictBridge printer, operates without need of a computer. The camera connects to the printer, which then downloads and prints its images. Some DVD recorders and television sets can read memory cards too.
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20 Sep 08 Digital Camera Basics-images
Author: Brian Lee
In the past twenty years, most of the major technological breakthroughs in consumer electronics have been built around the same basic process: converting conventional analog information (represented by a fluctuating wave) into digital information (binary information represented by ones and zeros, or bits). This fundamental shift in technology has changed how we handle visual and audio information — it completely redefined what is possible.
The digital camera is one of the most notable examples of this shift because it is so truly different from its predecessor. Conventional film cameras depend entirely on chemical and mechanical processes — you don’t need any electricity whatsoever to operate them, other than for a flash. On the other hand, all digital cameras have a built-in computer, and all of them record images electronically.
The new approach has been enormously successful. Since film usually provides better picture quality, digital cameras have not completely replaced conventional cameras. But, as digital imaging technology has improved, and prices dramatically decreased, digital cameras have rapidly become more popular.
In this article, we’ll find out exactly what’s going on inside these amazing digital-age devices.
Understanding the Basics
Let’s say you want to take a picture and e-mail it to a friend. To do this, you need the image to be represented in the language that computers recognize — bits and bytes, or binary information. Essentially, a digital image is just a long string of 1s and 0s that represent all the tiny colored dots — or pixels — that collectively make up the image. If you want to get a picture into this form, you have two options:
1) You can take a photograph using a conventional film camera, take the film to a developing lab that processes the film chemically, prints it onto photographic paper, and then place the picture on a digital scanner to sample the print (record the pattern of light as a series of pixel values).
2) You can directly sample the original light that bounces off your subject, immediately breaking that light pattern down into a series of pixel values — in other words, you can use a digital camera.
At its most basic level, this is all there is to a digital camera. Just like a conventional film camera, it has a series of lenses that focus light to create an image of a scene. But instead of focusing this light onto a piece of film, it focuses it onto a semiconductor device that records light electronically. A computer then breaks this electronic information down into digital data. All the fun and interesting features of digital cameras come as a direct result of this process.
Instead of film, a digital camera has a sensor that converts light into electrical charges.
The image sensor employed by most digital cameras is a charge coupled device (CCD). Some cameras use complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology instead. Both CCD and CMOS image sensors convert light into electrons. Without getting too technical, a simplified way to think about these sensors is to think of a 2-dimentional array of thousands or millions of tiny solar cells.
Once the sensor converts the light into electrons, it reads the value (accumulated charge) of each cell in the image. This is where the differences between the two main sensor types become a factor:
A CCD transports the charge across the chip and reads it at one corner of the array. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) then turns each pixel’s value into a digital value by measuring the amount of charge at each photosite and converting that measurement to binary form. CCD sensors create high-quality, low-noise images. CCD sensors have been mass produced for a longer period of time, so they are more mature. They tend to have higher quality pixels, and more of them.
CMOS devices use several transistors at each pixel to amplify and move the charge using ordinary wires. The CMOS signal is digital, so it needs no ADC. Because each pixel on a CMOS sensor has several transistors located next to it, the light sensitivity of a CMOS chip is lower (many of the photons hit the transistors instead of the photodiode.) CMOS sensors traditionally consume little power. CCDs, on the other hand, use a process that consumes lots of power.
The amount of detail that the camera can capture is called the resolution, and it is measured in pixels. The more pixels a camera has, the more detail it can capture and the larger pictures can be without becoming blurry or “grainy.” High-end consumer cameras can capture over 12 million pixels. Some professional cameras support over 16 million pixels, or 20 million pixels for large-format cameras. For comparison, Hewlett Packard estimates that the quality of 35mm film is about 20 million pixels.
Exposure and Focus
Just as with film, a digital camera has to control the amount of light that reaches the sensor. The two components it uses to do this, the aperture and shutter speed, are also present on conventional cameras.
Aperture: The size of the opening in the camera. The aperture is automatic in most digital cameras, but some allow manual adjustment to give professionals and hobbyists more control over the final image.
Shutter speed: The amount of time that light can pass through the aperture. Unlike film, the light sensor in a digital camera can be reset electronically, so digital cameras have a digital shutter rather than a mechanical shutter.
These two aspects work together to capture the amount of light needed to make a good image. In photographic terms, they set the exposure of the sensor.
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20 Sep 08 How to Find a Cheap Digital Camera
Author: Matt Peters
Advances in modern science ushered in a wave of new technology that the world can enjoy. In the old days, photographers used actual bulbs for camera flash. Only photographers carry cameras because lugging them around isn’t really fashionable at that time. Discoveries and development of cameras produced the digital camera, wherein taking pictures isn’t so cumbersome anymore. It is less expensive because you can see the images before printing them so you could choose what to actually print. The images could also be uploaded to your computer for storage and further manipulations. These days, it not unusual to carry a compact digital camera. It’s perfect for capturing those random wacky moments with your friends.
The only problem it seems is finding a cheap digital camera. Can you even find one? Because of the features that are offered by digital cameras, they are often costly. That is enough to make any person have second thoughts about buying one. But for someone who considers photography a passion, affordability is relative. You just have to set a budget before buying a camera. You can find a cheap digital camera that is just right for you if you look hard enough. Don’t buy one that is more than you can afford, even if it has a lot of features. Make sure that you can actually use these features so that you can get your money’s worth. Consider your lifestyle and your objectives. Do you plan to spend a lot of time taking pictures or do you just want something small that can fit in your bag? If you are still a beginner, don’t buy a high-end professional camera just for the assurance of image quality and zoom performance. Instead, buy a cheap digital camera that is compact but has powerful features and easy to carry around. Explore the basics before cashing out on expensive professional cameras.
Though these are very important points to ponder when buying a cheap digital camera, you also have to consider the performance and features of your camera. Check the megapixels, zoom capability, image quality, type of media and battery. These are actually features that digital cameras highlight in advertisements.
· Megapixels – They are not the be-all and end-all of digital cameras. Salespeople like to throw this information to you because it promises clearer images. But this is just one factor that comprises your digital camera. You have to check the megapixels’ quality. Most image sensors can only find certain hues like red, blue and green. They can’t detect all three at the same time.
· Zoom capability – You’ve seen advertisements like 10x digital zoom or 5x zoom capability. While it is true, advertisers often forget to highlight optical zoom, which is actually more important. The difference is that with digital zoom, your image gets broken into small pixels if you enlarge it on your computer. If your camera has high optical zoom, you would not see pixelated images if you enlarge the image.
· Image quality – Check the quality of your image after you take a picture. Is it fuzzy or pixelated? Sharpness of colors is very important.
· Type of media – This is the memory of your digital camera. Find a memory card or stick that is compatible with your other equipment so it is easier to upload your images.
· Type of battery – See to it that your cheap digital camera doesn’t require expensive batteries or that it allows rechargeable batteries.
These points would help you decide on what kind of cheap digital camera to buy. Like what was mentioned earlier, affordability is relative for the passionate photographer. Find your niche by choosing the best but cheap digital camera.
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19 Sep 08 Digital Camera Basics-resolution, Exposure, Focus, and Storage
Author: Brian Lee
The amount of detail that a camera can capture is called the resolution, and it is measured in pixels. The more pixels a camera has, the more detail it can capture and the larger pictures can be without becoming blurry or “grainy.” High-end consumer cameras can capture over 12 million pixels. Some professional cameras support over 16 million pixels (megapixels), or 20 million pixels for large-format cameras. For comparison, it has been estimated that the quality of 35mm film is about 20 million pixels.
Exposure and Focus
Just as with film, a digital camera has to control the amount of light that reaches the sensor. The two components it uses to do this, the aperture and shutter speed, are also present on conventional cameras.
Aperture: The size of the opening in the camera. The aperture is automatic in most digital cameras, but some allow manual adjustment to give professionals and hobbyists more control over the final image.
Shutter speed: The amount of time that light can pass through the aperture. Unlike film, the light sensor in a digital camera can be reset electronically, so digital cameras have a digital shutter rather than a mechanical shutter.
These two aspects work together to capture the amount of light needed to make a good image. In photographic terms, they set the exposure of the sensor.
In addition to controlling the amount of light, the camera has to adjust the lenses to control how the light is focused on the sensor. In general, the lenses on digital cameras are very similar to conventional camera lenses — some digital cameras can even use conventional lenses. Most use automatic focusing techniques.
The focal length, however, is one important difference between the lens of a digital camera and the lens of a 35mm camera. The focal length is the distance between the lens and the surface of the sensor. Sensors from different manufacturers vary widely in size, but in general they’re smaller than a piece of 35mm film. In order to project the image onto a smaller sensor, the focal length is shortened by the same proportion.
Focal length also determines the magnification, or zoom, when you look through the camera. In 35mm cameras, a 50mm lens gives a natural view of the subject. Increasing the focal length increases the magnification, and objects appear to get closer. The reverse happens when decreasing the focal length. A zoom lens is any lens that has an adjustable focal length, and digital cameras can have optical or digital zoom — some have both. Some cameras also have macro focusing capability, meaning that the camera can take pictures from very close to the subject.
Digital cameras have one of four types of lenses:
1) Fixed-focus, fixed-zoom lenses - These are the kinds of lenses on disposable and inexpensive film cameras — inexpensive and great for snapshots, but fairly limited.
2) Optical-zoom lenses with automatic focus - Similar to the lens on a video camcorder, these have “wide” and “telephoto” options and automatic focus. The camera may or may not support manual focus. These actually change the focal length of the lens rather than just magnifying the information that hits the sensor.
3) Digital-zoom lenses - With digital zoom, the camera takes pixels from the center of the image sensor and interpolates (alters) them to make a full-sized image. Depending on the resolution of the image and the sensor, this approach may create a grainy or fuzzy image. You can manually do the same thing with image processing software — simply snap a picture, cut out the center and magnify it.
4) Replaceable lens systems - These are similar to the replaceable lenses on a 35mm camera. Some digital cameras can use 35mm camera lenses.
Most digital cameras have an LCD screen so you can view your picture right away. This is one of the great advantages of a digital camera — you get immediate feedback on what you capture. Of course, viewing the image on your camera would lose its charm if that’s all you could do. You want to be able to load the picture into your computer or send it directly to a printer. There are several ways to do this.
Although most of today’s cameras are capable of connecting through serial, parallel, SCSI, USB, or FireWire connections, they usually also use some sort of removable storage device. Digital cameras use a number of storage systems. These are like reusable, digital film, and they use a caddy or card reader to transfer the data to a computer. Many involve fixed or removable flash memory. Digital camera manufacturers often develop their own proprietary flash memory devices, including SmartMedia cards, CompactFlash cards and Memory Sticks. Other removable storage device include floppy disks, hard disks (external, or microdrives), and writeable CD’s and DVD’s.
Regardless of what type of storage they use, all digital cameras need lots of room for pictures. They usually store images in one of two formats — TIFF, which is uncompressed, and JPEG, which is compressed. Most cameras use the JPEG file format for storing pictures, and they sometimes offer quality settings (such as medium or high).
To make the most of their storage space, almost all digital cameras use some sort of additional data compression to make the files smaller. One compression routine takes advantage of patterns that repeat. The image can be reconstructed exactly as it was recorded, reducing the file size no more than 50%, often much less. Another compression routine called irrelevancy eliminates some of the more meaningless data, taking advantage of the fact that digital cameras record more information than the human eye can easily detect.
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18 Sep 08 Digital Camera: a Buyers’ Guide
Author: Russ Snapper
A digital camera takes still photographs or videos or both by recording the images on a light-sensitive sensor digitally. Most compact digital still cameras can record moving video and sound as well, apart from still photographs. The sales and popularity of digital cameras have increased now compared to the 35mm film cameras.
Digital cameras have a feature for viewing the image that is recorded immediately on the Camera display screen, the feature that is not available in film cameras. Other features include such as the facility to capture a lot of images on a small memory chip, record video along with sound, edit the images, delete the images not required etc. Digital cameras are now available along with many devices ranging from mobile phones and PDAs to vehicles.
The camera perhaps has been affected more by the digital technology than any other products. The digital cameras are not a new phenomenon. The first digital camera was released by Kodak in the U.S. market around 15 years ago. The DCS-100 model at that time with 1.3-mega pixels was available for about $13,000. The digital cameras have emerged with more features and are available at comparatively lesser prices, even to the extent of $80 at select stores.
The biggest benefit of Digital camera technology is the storage capability. You can view the photos on the camera itself, on a web page, a computer monitor, or on paper after printing. The digital camera can be connected to the printer directly through the USB port for printing pictures. People can afford to buy a digital camera today as the prices have fallen with the availability of more features.
It is important for you to know the issues of image resolution for comparing digital camera models. The unit of graphical representation used for displaying digital data by Digital cameras is called Mega Pixel (MP). More the mega pixels, the higher the resolution of the final image. Still you need to compare digital camera images recorded with your actual requirements.
Some typical resolutions found on Digital cameras are:
256×256 – This is available with very cheap cameras. Picture quality is unacceptable.
640×480 – Suitable for posting pictures over a web site or for sending pictures by email.
1216×912 – This resolution is good for printing pictures.
1600×1200 – This is a High resolution standard with around 2 million total pixels.
2240×1680 – This is available on most 4 mega pixel cameras.
4064×2704 – This is available on high-end digital camera with 11.1 mega pixels.
Some High-end consumer cameras can record pictures of over 12 million pixels. Most professional cameras have 16 million pixels. Large format cameras have 20 million pixels. For comparison sake, it is stated that the quality of 35mm film is approximately around 20 million pixels. Some types of Digital cameras are Point and Shoot, Semi-Professional, Bridge and SLR.
You need to know the complete package offered when you compare the prices of digital cameras. You can look for the availability of image-editing software, carry case, add-on Memory card and USB cable for working on your computer, when you want to compare the prices and the features offered. Other general features that you can look into are the availability of an LCD screen, a timer, a built-in flash, a date & time stamp, optical zoom feature and optical zoom lenses of good quality.
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