Film cameras have almost disappeared from the market, replaced by a mind-boggling array of smart-looking and much more versatile digital alternatives. And digital cameras have moved from devices for nerds and geeks to fashionable accessories and event-recording tools that are very much in the mainstream. Everywhere you go you can see people snapping pictures, with digicams, camcorders and camera-phones.
... [more]What are the most critical differences between compact digicams, advanced digicams and digital SLR cameras?
The camera market is divided into four segments: compact digicams of various styles, digital SLR cameras, camcorders and camera-phones. All have specific benefits - things they do particularly well - and areas they handle less effectively. To help you choose the best type of camera for your needs, we've listed the strengths and weaknesses of each camera type below. ... [more]Don't be seduced by the megapixel counts touted in advertising materials and on camera packaging. It's no longer true that the higher a camera's megapixel count the better. The only thing more megapixels will give you is the ability to enlarge and crop pictures without individual pixels becoming visible. Other factors are much more important in determining overall picture quality. ... [more]Digital cameras are seldom supplied with memory cards these days, partly because the cards that were once supplied are woefully inadequate for today's camera resolution levels and partly because many digicams come with built-in memories where pictures can be stored. Unfortunately, these internal memories are often relatively small so new camera purchasers should always buy at least one high-capacity card when they purchase a new camera.
... [more]As a photographer, making prints not only allows you to turn your digital images into a tangible asset; it also provides you with a great way to display them. Compared to the facilities our parents had, today's photo printers are light years ahead in convenience, economy and durability. Models are available to suit all levels of expertise and many are simple enough for children to operate. Furthermore, the prints themselves can last four or five times longer than traditional minilab prints.
... [more]Much of the fun of digital photography comes from editing images on a computer so choosing the right monitor is important. Two types of monitors are popular: LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and CRT (Cathode Ray Tube). Although CRT monitors were once favoured by photographers for their colour and tonal accuracy, flat-panel LCD monitors have largely replaced them at all levels of imaging. ... [more]Aside from the pictures you miss because you forget to carry a camera, two factors are responsible for the majority of missed shots everyday photographers report. The first is the delay between when you press the shutter button on your digital camera and when the picture is actually taken. This is often referred to as 'shutter lag' but is actually a combination of shutter and autofocus lag. Our preferred term for this combination is 'capture lag'.
... [more]How big should you print your photos? What media should you use? These questions are important to photographers at all levels. We've looked at the relationship between a camera's megapixel count, the size of the image sensor and the size of the light-collecting photosites in the Chapter 2 on megapixels. In this chapter, we'll consider the relationship between a camera's megapixel count and the maximum size at which shots taken with the camera should be printed. ... [more] |