|
|
||||
|
|
Digital camera know-how A New Resolution - how much is enough? One of the first questions you need to address is how much resolution you want. Simply put, resolution determines the size of the picture the camera can print without sacrificing clarity. Your resolution requirements are linked to the size of the pictures you were planning to print, both now and in the future. How does it work? Unlike our traditional film cameras that expose the film to light in order to capture the image, digital cameras use light sensitive sensors to convert information on the image into digital code. The more light sensors the camera has, the more detailed the print will be, and the larger the print can be before distortion. Digital images are made up of coloured dots called pixels. The greater the number of individual dots of colour used to produce the image, the clearer the image. Resolution is about these coloured dots or pixels. The key to understanding resolution is in the Mega-pixel capacity of the camera. The Mega-pixels refers to the number of light sensors the camera uses to create digital picture. This is one of those times where more is better, so the greater the Mega-pixels, the larger the print the camera is capable of producing. Let's run some numbers to explain this concept: A 3 Mega-pixel camera is capable of printing images up to 8x10, while a 4 Mega-pixel camera is capable of printing images up to 11x14. Now, most people do not regularly print themselves 8X10's of their holiday snaps, let alone 11X14's, but the size of the whole picture is only part of what you need to consider. With digital photography, one of the most valuable elements of the technology is the ability it gives us to edit the images we have. While you may not choose to hang 11X14 prints on your wall, digital images allow you to crop, enlarge and capture that single priceless expression or a close up of a family member who looked good in your holiday photo. The greater the Mega-pixels you have, the better the quality of the edited picture you produce. If there is a "downside" to high resolution, it is that the digital code can take up a lot of space on your camera's memory. To accommodate this, many cameras come equipped with several different resolution settings. This allows you the option of lowering the resolution in order to have smaller file size and fit more images onto the memory card.
A digital camera uses memory to store the digital code that make up the images. The more memory you have available, the more pictures you can store. There are very few cameras on the market that offer built-in memory because it is generally quite limited. Instead, most cameras today include a type of removable memory to store images called a memory card. Think of the memory card as a re-usable digital film. The size of the memory card determines the capacity of the camera to store pictures. The resolution of the camera also influences the amount of memory required. The higher the resolution of the camera the larger the file size of the image. Most high-resolution cameras can take pictures at a lower resolution setting, allowing you to fit more images onto your memory card. Memory cards are reusable. In order to keep the images you must transfer them to another form of media to free up the camera's memory card. A popular option is to transfer them to CD-ROM, which is an inexpensive and reliable form of removable media. If a CD burner is not available to you, CD-ROM transfer service is available through your London Drugs Photofinishers. There are many different types of memory as well, including Compact Flash, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, and XD. These various shapes and sizes operate in a similar fashion, and the type of memory card you use is generally dictated by the type of camera you select. While one memory card is not necessarily better than another, these types of memory are beginning to appear in many other electronic devices so it may be in your best interest to keep things compatible. An idea to consider is the purchase of an additional memory card, an extra one to use as backup. Here again, more is better; and the more memory you have available, the greater the number of pictures you can store on your memory card before it is full and needs to be downloaded to your computer or transferred onto CD ROM and made into prints by a photolab. The ability to store a large number of images without having to download is especially useful if you are away on vacation. You are traveling to Africa and want to photograph your vacation. While on your air balloon ride your memory card fills up. Your choices are; delete images and continue to shoot, use your additional media you brought along, or if already filled up, purchase additional media in the country you visited. If you prepared in advance you could have previously purchased a digital wallet. This allows you to download your images into a 5, 10 or 20 gig portable hard drive which fits conveniently on your belt, then delete the images on the card and continue to photograph. While purchasing additional memory cards can be expensive, they are a worthwhile investment because they can be used over and over again.
Accessories When it comes to accessories, it can be fun finding out which ones are compatible, which ones are beneficial and which ones are right for you. Memory Card Readers - Can simplify the process of transferring images to your computer and save battery power in your camera. Rather than connecting cables from the computer to your camera, a memory card reader is permanently attached to your computer. Simply remove the memory card from the camera and put it in the reader and the image files show up on your computer, just like any other drive, ready to be transferred, copied to CD-ROM, or emailed to London Drugs Photofinishing to be made into prints. After that you can wipe the card clean and start all over again. Memory Card Adapters - Similar to memory card readers, memory card adapters plug into PC card slots, and your memory card plugs into the adapter. PC card slots are found on most notebook computers and offer an alternative to Memory Card Readers, which plug into a USB port on your computer, which may be unavailable. Add-on Lenses - Some digital cameras have the capability to add on either telephoto or wide-angle lenses to the existing lens. The telephoto lens can add 2x more optical zoom to your existing zoom, so a current 3x optical zoom becomes 6x! A wide-angle adapter can allow you to fit more into your image. Wide-angle add-ons are available in .5x. Camera Bags - Most digital cameras do not come with bags, leaving you to choose a bag that best suits your needs. Be sure to protect your investment as bags can protect your camera not only from impact damage, but from weather elements as well, such as moisture and humidity. What Should You Do Now? This guide has hopefully given you a better idea of the types of digital camera and accessories that are available. If you would like to compare models and features, you should check out our product comparison feature on this site. If you would like to get a hands-on demonstration of the different models we carry, we encourage you to visit your local London Drugs. The experts in our Electronics Department can help you with any questions this guide didn't answer and help you to choose the best unit to suit your needs. Visit them at www.LondonDrugs.com
Quick links: Home
About us
Contacting us
Our equipment
Photos of our dives
Dive links
Free Electronic puzzles | |||
|
| ||||
| ||||
Web promotion by