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If you use a digital camera, it can help to have a little deeper understanding how these modern wonders work. Briefly, digital cameras have a series of lenses that focus light onto a sensor instead of film. The sensor electronically records the image, and transfers it to the "brains" of the camera. Here it is organized and then converted into binary data, so it can be stored in memory or on removable memory units for later reading by a computer or printer. When it comes to the sensor, most digital cameras use a charge-coupled device (CCD), while other cameras use a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) instead. Both sensors convert light into electrical charges, which are then read by the electronics in the camera and transferred to the relevant storage media. As we all learned in grade school, there are three primary colors. Digital cameras use filters to divide the light into those three colors during the conversion process. Good quality cameras have three separate sensors for filtering, with each sensor matching one strand of light. Aperture and shutter speed are the mechanisms used to control the amount of light that reaches the sensor. In most digital cameras the aperture setting is automatic, but some cameras also allow manual control. Professional photographers and enthusiasts prefer this option. The shutter, on the other hand, is set electronically. There are four main types of lenses for digital cameras: fixed focus, replaceable lens systems, fixed zoom, and digital zoom. Less expensive cameras typically have fixed focus or fixed zoom lenses. Digital zoom lenses have a way of enlarging the pixels from the middle of the image, rather than actually zooming in on an object in the distance. Therefore, they tend to make images grainy or fuzzy, unlike the much more cleanly zoomed images that an optical zoom lens can produce. An LCD screen is standard on most digital cameras today, and they help in previewing images and also checking them out after taking a shot. Many screens are rather small, because there is only so much space on a camera for them. It is always best to transfer the images to a computer for viewing. In terms of image quality in general, the higher resolution the camera, the better the image quality. For printing photos, resolution of the original image is also key. A low quality camera such as those found in many cell phones will create images that are really only useful for emailing or for web pages. A 2-megapixel camera produces images that can be blown up to about 4x6 inches. Four megapixels will create nice 16x20 inch images, but with falling prices on most digital cameras, if you enjoy photography and enlarging photos, don't settle for less than six megapixels. In the early days of digital cameras, images were stored on fixed memory locations built into the device. When it came time to transfer images, you needed a cable to attach to your computer. Today, removable memory storage is the way to go, as the flexibility and convenience of the camera is enhanced. And reusable memory means you can enhance the amount of data you can comfortably keep with the camera -- more pictures and higher resolution pictures. Removable memory is stored on various devices such as CompactFlash cards, SmartMedia cards, and other memory sticks. Some cameras use small hard drivers, called microdrives, or burnable DVDs. No matter what you choose, having a digital camera is fun, and frees you from the costs of film.
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Author Wilfred Ursley writes for several popular web magazines, with tips and resources on new products and health education themes. Feel free to grab a unique version of this article from the digital cameras Articles Submission Service
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