A Beginner's Guide to Digital Cameras
by Daniel Bousho
The digital camera has become a prevalent part of modern culture. Today it seems everyone has a digital camera, from families on vacation documenting their time together to professional photographers making a living with photography, digital cameras have found their way into every niche of modern living. So evolved has digital camera technology become, causing the cameras to be produced so cheaply, that the cameras are now available as cheap giveaway items much like the coffee mugs of the past.
Digital cameras are fun to use. The technology has opened up the field of photography in new ways to millions of people. With the digital cameras instant feedback of photos anybody can feel like a famous photographer posing subjects and setting shots. This flexibility has redefined the way families capture special moments. At dinner gatherings around the globe, families catch and share moments easily using a digital camera. With the need for film and film processing gone, digital photos are instantly made available. In many cases the photos can be shared on the spot with digital memory technology.
Digital cameras share the same principles of traditional film based cameras. There is an optic system that collects and focuses light from the subject and there is a shutter and depth of field system that controls how the light is channeled into the camera. In addition to the optics, a digital camera has the additional characteristic of pixel density, or mega pixel rating. This rating tells how many individual points of data will be used to render the image, the more the number of points, the higher the quality or resolution of the picture. A camera of 10 mega pixel density will take a higher quality picture than a camera of 5 mega pixels, but the optics also plays a key role in the quality of the picture. Simply measuring by pixel resolution is not enough; the camera still needs to employ a good optic system to get the most out of picture quality.
You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a digital camera, and unless you have a really professional need, you can get into a digital camera for well under $300.00. The price you pay will drive what type of digital camera technology you get. The lower end models are typically a point and shoot technology offering a variety of optics. In this level the price point is driven by the quality of the optics and the quality or size of the electronic sensor. Typically the point and shoot models have a fixed optic system with some higher quality point and shoots offering a basic optical zoom. Point and shoot cameras fit most people's needs and have found their way into countless homes around the globe.
Higher end professional models can be priced upwards of $1000.00. These models are extremely similar to the film based models professionals use in that they offer many features professionals expect. Complete control over the subject's exposure is a key consideration in a high end professional camera. Just like the film based SLR's, high end digital cameras offer the user settings for depth of field, shutter speed and even more settings particular to the digital camera. In recent years there have been lower priced entries into the professional digital camera arena. These entries coined "prosumer" models allow many of the features of a higher end digital camera but offer the affordability of a high end point and shoot. Which format you choose depends on your budget and what type of photography you plan to do.
The most common digital camera in use today is the basic point and shoot variety. These models offer the user the basic ability to capture a photograph with ease and efficiency. The cameras typically offer a limited range of settings that allow the user some creative control of the subject, but the cameras design intent is to be a simple device to take pictures with. The term point and shoot sums up the cameras operation, simply point the camera at the subject and press the button. The point and shoot varieties are the easiest digital cameras to use and offer most users ample flexibility to enjoy the camera without getting bogged down in the technology of photography or digital cameras.
The digital SLR camera shares many of the same properties with the film based SLR camera. The user is offered a multitude of setting adjustments for the camera allowing different depths of field and shutter speeds which control the cameras exposure just like a film based SLR camera. In addition to the traditional exposure settings, the user is offered additional settings to control particular digital camera characteristics like white balance and image resolution. Not only do digital SLR cameras share in the ability to control exposure, they also share the ability to interchange lenses, a major advantage over the point and shoot models. The ability to change lenses sets the digital SLR camera into a category all its own. With digital SLR's the user controls the shots just like a film based camera, but gets the convenience and flexibility of a digital camera. Using the cameras settings and lenses the digital SLR camera provides control and flexibility to generate high quality photos.
Digital camera technology has evolved as quickly as any other electronic technology. What was cutting edge yesterday is considered old hat today. When you consider what digital camera technology is available to use, it is easy to get lost in the specifications and particulars of cameras, but just like any other technology it's what you use it for that will determine how it fits in your life. If you feel it's time to get a digital camera, your considerations are as simple as ever with a camera. How much do you need? A well equipped point and shoot that's used often is as valuable as a high end SLR that you never learn to fully use. Get the one you want to use the most.
May 8, 2008
A Beginner's Guide to Digital Cameras
