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 Soon film rolls may become things of the past. Digital
cameras, once the exclusive property of the rich few, are turning
out to be affordable alternatives to 35mm cameras. Though many professional
photographers still prefer the traditional film-based camera over
digitals, there is no denying that these hi-tech devices are here
to stay, and may well phase out the traditional gadget.
Though the major argument against digital cameras is the poor quality
of the images when compared to film-based cameras, its convenience
far out weighs the disadvantages. Besides, technological inroads have
improved image quality. It is easy to get good pictures with point-and-shoot
digital cameras, but to get pictures of excellent quality you need
to understand the basic functions of the camera. If you get a hang
of the basic principles, you will be able to capture the mood and
details that make up a scene.
The greatest advantage that digital
photography enjoys over traditional photography is that it is flexible
and instant. Once the photo is taken the image is seen immediately
on the small LCD screen at the back of the camera. Another plus
point is that these images are flexible and can be stored
in a u niversal format, making them transferable
between many devices and applications.
HOW A DIGITAL CAMERA
WORKS
Images in digital format are made up of hundreds
of thousands, or even millions of tiny squares called pixels.
A digital camera has a lens and a shutter that lets in light.
But the light strikes an array of image sensors or photosensitive
cells instead of a film. The sensor array is a chip about 6-11 mm
across. Each image is a charged-couple device (CCD), which converts
light into an electrical charge. The charge is stored as analogue
information, then digitized by another bit of technology called
an analogue to digital converter (ADC). Every receptor in the array
of thousands creates one pixel, and for each pixel a certain amount
of information is stored.
| HOW TO CHOOSE A DIGITAL CAMERA |
| Choose a camera
that has the right balance of features and portability.
Though a small compact camera can be carried everywhere,
it may not have certain features that make for great photos.
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| Buy the camera with the highest
resolution you can afford, at least 2 to 3 mega pixels
(2 million to 3 million pixels), if possible. |
| The lens should be 100 percent glass.
Avoid plastic lens. |
| The more RAM the camera has the
more pictures it can store. Buy a camera with as much
RAM as you can afford, so your won't need to download
or erase them as often. |
| A UBS allows fast connection for
downloading pictures. Serial connections, on the other
hand, are very slow. |
| A camera with a rechargeable battery
is the best. It saves time and money. |
| There are four types of memory cards:
Compact Flash type I cards, Flash type II cards, Smart
Media cards, and Multimedia cards. CF cards are the best.
Avoid buying Smart Media cards. |
| Inspect the zoom capabilities of
the camera you intend to buy. |
| Look for an optical (through-the-lens)
viewfinder as well as an LCD display. |
| If you intend outputting pictures
only on to a computer monitor (for viewing, web page use
or e-mail), and inexpensive digital camera with a 640-by-480
pixel resolution will provide very satisfactory results |
| If you plan to print photographs
on a good colour printer, go in for a high resolution
camera. |
| Investigate auto focus and macro
features, shutter-release lag times and bundled software.
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| Consider other features like interchangeable
lenses, steady-shot, burstmode, auto exposure, automatic
white balance, voice memo, variable shutter speeds, manual
focus and self-timer. |
| Other useful features will include
a battery-time-remaining indicator and AC adapter. |
| Video-out connections are used for
outputting to a television. |
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Digital Cameras are available at:
GK Vale Digital Services,
MG Road, Bangalore 560001
Phone: 5589429
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