All About Cameras

Get to know some of the advantages of digital cameras, and which features you might look for while shopping for one.

The digital camera has totally changed the way we take photographs; it has made the greatest impact in the world of photography since the Polaroid Instamatic camera. It is a great accessory to the present day computer; photographs can be taken in an instant and loaded on to the computer, and emailed to a friend or a relative in the space of a few minutes. If you add a photo quality ink jet printer to your computer, you will not need to develop a roll of film ever again.

The digital camera started out from a single 1 mega pixel quality photo; now they come in over 10 mega pixels with huge print sizes, with amazing photo quality.

You may find it tough to decide which digital camera will fulfill your needs the best. You will have to undertake a bit of research, to help you to find the best camera, with the proper lenses, filters, external flash, tripods – everything you need so that you can start taking photographs, like a professional! Just spend a little time and figure out how you will be really using your digital camera, before you purchase one. Will it be for daily use, for special occasions like birthdays, family reunions? Will the price of the digital camera make a lot of difference?

The digital camera is also part of a new field of photography, in which you use a green or a blue background, and with special software like Corel Paint or PhotoShop, you can do wonders and create a new imaginative background. You can edit out the background and put in its place any of thousands of prepared indoors or outdoors backgrounds. There are multifunctional digital cameras that can take not only photographs but also video and sound. Digital cameras can be categorized as still cameras, video cameras and professional modular digital camera.

Since the market is so full of different models of digital cameras, you have to select a digital camera that will suit your needs. They come in different price ranges, so you will not have any difficulty selecting one that will fit into your budget. Before buying a digital camera, your first consideration has to be the resolution. A digital camera with a higher resolution than what you require can prove to be a waste of money, processing power and storage. A large number of pixels do not necessarily mean a superior image, so be cautious. A lower resolution digital camera is the best for posting images to the web, to view images on your computer, or to email files. You don`t always need a high capacity memory card, a small capacity memory card can also give high quality performance.

A digital camera can use its own battery and charger, or it can use double A size batteries. A digital camera may connect to a computer for data transmission. The most usual method of connectivity is USB, but Fire wire port or Blue Tooth are also used. Some digital cameras can connect to computer networks wirelessly.

One of the good things about a digital camera is that you do not have to spend anything on developing the film at a local store, nor do you have to drive to the store and back. A digital camera gives you an instant feeling of gratification when you view the pictures you have taken on the viewfinder or on your personal computer. You also have the full freedom of editing your photographs until you are fully satisfied with them!

You can select, save or delete photographs without any cost involved. The photos are stored hundreds of media cards, so you can take as many pictures as you wish before you run out of space.

Digital cameras are a vast improvement over the regular cameras. Electronic sensors are used in digital cameras to store pictures on a memory card. These pictures can be uploaded to a computer by an USB cable. Some digital cameras can record sound and video also.

It is imperative to study the different types of digital cameras, their features and identify our objective before buying a digital camera.

Types of digital cameras:
Compact digital camera – These are “snapshot” cameras invariably small and compact in size. They lack sophisticated hardware. Images are stored in JPEG format. Compact digital cameras have a sharp focus and a built-in flash.

Bridge camera – These cameras form a “bridge” between the compact digital camera and the DSLR camera. They have small sensors but large zoom ranges. Bridge cameras have an LCD electronic screen which can take a live preview of the photo before clicking it. Bridge cameras employ either electronic viewfinders (EVF) or optical viewfinders (OVF). The quality of these viewfinders is undergoing sea improvement regarding their size, resolution, visibility, magnification and refresh rate.

Digital single-lens reflex camera – An automatic mirror system is used which displays the exact image. The absence of time lag in the image is a great advantage for taking photos where the subject is constantly on the move. There is an auto focus system and furthermore, the resolution is extremely good. The only disadvantage is the absence of a “live preview” in most DSLR cameras.

Digital rangefinder camera – This is a portable camera suitable for theatre photography, portrait photography, street photography and candid shots. A rangefinder is a range finding focusing accessory attached to a digital camera allowing a sharp focus. Wide-angle lenses are more often used in rangefinders. Filters which absorb much light or change the color of the image can be used in this camera.

Main features:
Resolution – About 2 – 3 mega pixel resolution is enough for a decent digital camera. Resolution is a measure of the number of pixels on the sensor that create the picture. It is an important factor for printing a larger image or cropping it. Usually, the higher the resolution, greater the cost.

Type of lens – A glass lens gives a better quality picture than a plastic one. Again, a zoom lens adds greater versatility.

Close-up mode – Many digital cameras have a special close-up mode which allows one to take close-ups of extremely small objects like jewelry and coins.

Manual mode – Modes of different types are there, which enhance the quality of photographs in a particular situation. Portrait, landscape and close-up are the special exposure modes. Shutter speed and lens opening can be maneuvered in the manual exposure mode. Burst mode allows a number of pictures to be taken in rapid succession. Different filters can be used to provide beautiful effects. Extra flash modes can also enhance the clarity of the picture.

ISO – This value normally varies between 100 and 400. A higher value indicates that more number of pictures can be taken in dim light.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC N2
The Sony DSC N2 is a stylish digital camera with ten mega pixels and a three times optical zoom. The feature that sets the DSC N2 apart from just about all other digital cameras is its large 3″ touch LCD screen. This cuts the number of dials and buttons the camera has to an absolute minimum, helping to accentuate its looks and style.

Another feature that adds to the attraction of the camera is the fact it has a manual exposure mode. This allows you to set the shutter speed and aperture you shoot at. This model is probably aimed at the more casual user who still wants the premium picture quality to boast at cocktail parties. There is some debate on whether the CPU, or ‘brain’, of the DSC is any better than the DSC N1, so that the extra megapixels may not be processed in a manner that makes the pictures any better. I would recommend trying one out in the shop before committing yourself to a purchase.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Sony Digital Camera Reviews

Sony DSC-T100
The DSC-T100 fits an amazing combination of high-tech features into super-slim dimensions. It has high-resolution 8.1 MP imaging, a powerful 5x optical zoom lens and a huge 3.0″ Clear Photo LCD Plus screen that lets you snap and share photos easily. This means that it can zoom in closer to distant objects with better clarity than the majority of the other brands that fit into a pocket. The optical zoom is the best feature of this camera, and would be very useful for images at concerts, wildlife photography or impressive holiday snaps. The size makes it very portable and I would recommend this one over the DSC N2.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Canon EOS 400D
The Canon EOS 400D is the latest member of Canon’s extensive range of SLR digital cameras. It is now over three years since Canon released their first entry-level DSLR, the 6 megapixel EOS 300D, which kick-started the whole budget DSLR boom. An entry-level camera, the new Canon 400D has a hard act to follow as it attempts to build on the success of the 300D and 350D models. The 400D closely follows the general design of the 350D, having similar compact proportions to the older model, but it adds some new features to try and remain competitive in what has become a rapidly expanding sector of the photography market. This model is more for the budget professional, perhaps as a useful backup for the main shooter. That said, you can always rely on Canon to bring a functional and competent camera, and the styling of this model would feel at home in any paparazzi’s man-bag.

Rating : 4 out of 5.