Basic Digital Camera Terms You Need to Know
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Put simply, understanding the most important terms about digital cameras will allow you to make a better-informed purchase of a new digital camera, let you have more control over your digital camera's features, and help you to take the best quality photos possible.
Megapixel
When we use the term megapixel, we are referring to the maximum resolution at which a digital camera can take photos in millions of pixels. This means that a camera with a range of 4 megapixels can take photos which each contain a maximum of 4 million pixels.
But what does this mean to the consumer? One word: quality. A higher megapixel count means better quality photos, and considering the price of digital camera getting lower all the time; you should try to stick with a digital camera that has a 5 megapixel range or above, especially if you intend of making prints of your photos.
But what does this mean to the consumer? One word: quality. A higher megapixel count means better quality photos, and considering the price of digital camera getting lower all the time; you should try to stick with a digital camera that has a 5 megapixel range or above, especially if you intend of making prints of your photos.
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The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2
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Each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you'll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints.
Focal Length
Focal length is a term overlooked far too often in amateur photography, and refers to how much the lens of a camera can magnify a shot. Focal lengths are generally split into two categories, these being wide-angle and telephoto, which are better for spacious and narrow fields of view respectively.
Due to the ease of manufacturing telephoto lenses, digital camera manufacturers seem to provide wide-angle lenses in a lot less cameras, even though these lenses are better suited towards the type of photos that most people commonly take, including groups of friends and wide landscapes. To sum up, a wide-angle focal length is the better choice in most cases, with the 20mm and 35mm varieties catering to most people's needs.
Due to the ease of manufacturing telephoto lenses, digital camera manufacturers seem to provide wide-angle lenses in a lot less cameras, even though these lenses are better suited towards the type of photos that most people commonly take, including groups of friends and wide landscapes. To sum up, a wide-angle focal length is the better choice in most cases, with the 20mm and 35mm varieties catering to most people's needs.
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Digital Zoom
Unlike the focal length, digital zoom is a term that seems to be given a lot more attention than it deserves. Unlike optical zoom, which uses the physical lenses inside the camera to enlarge a scene, digital zoom electronically enlarges the pixels in the center area of a photo, meaning that any time you use the digital zoom function on your camera you are actually sacrificing the quality of your photos. It is a good idea to disable the digital zoom function all together to stop this from happening.
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ISO
The term ISO stands for the International Standards Organization, but what does this have to do with your digital camera? The organization sets standards for photography, and the ISO range of a camera refers to how sensitive the camera is to light.
For instance, a low ISO number (100 or under) is not very sensitive to light, and is best for shots in good lighting conditions. A higher ISO range means that the camera will be suitable for photography in darker conditions, so it is best to look for a camera that has an adjustable range; ISO 100 to 400 should be adequate for most people's needs.
For instance, a low ISO number (100 or under) is not very sensitive to light, and is best for shots in good lighting conditions. A higher ISO range means that the camera will be suitable for photography in darker conditions, so it is best to look for a camera that has an adjustable range; ISO 100 to 400 should be adequate for most people's needs.
Shutter Lag
Shutter lag refers to the time between pressing the button to take a photograph and the time when the picture actually gets taken. This may not seem a very important factor when buying a camera, but think of it this way: if you have to wait a second or longer for a photo to be taken, like with many older and inexpensive digital cameras, then chances are that you won't end up with the photo you desired. Many camera manufacturers do not list the shutter lag time for their cameras, so the best way to find this out is by testing a camera before you buy.
RAW FORMAT
A relatively recent method of capturing digital images. A RAW image file contains processed data from the image sensor of a camera. It consists of data written to the camera's memory and needs to be interpreted by specialised software, then re-saved in a normal format, like JPEG or TIFF.
The benefit of RAW is that it is closest to the original image and uncompressed. The disadvantages are that a RAW file is much larger.
A RAW image is usually closest to the original picture in the sense that it preserves exactly what the camera's sensor captured.
Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/digital-photography-jargon-easy#ixzz0gV3Jt66G
The benefit of RAW is that it is closest to the original image and uncompressed. The disadvantages are that a RAW file is much larger.
A RAW image is usually closest to the original picture in the sense that it preserves exactly what the camera's sensor captured.
Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/digital-photography-jargon-easy#ixzz0gV3Jt66G
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Brightness
Brightness in a digital photograph is achieved by a combination of the input of brightness from the outside source as well as the equipment in the camera and how it is distributed and stored. The sensor in the camera is sensitive to a range of brightness and tonal values, and the light that comes in through the lens is translated to these ranges. Furthermore, the output of the camera has a range of tonal and brightness values, as well, that it is capable of storing and presenting in a photograph as brightness. Digital photography uses JPEG images, and these images have their own curves and translations when printed on paper with ink that limits their ability to interpret the information given. Therefore, the brightness and tonal values of a photograph may not be an entirely accurate portrayal of the original image that was being photographed when it finally makes its way to paper.
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