Digital Cameras and Digital Photography

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Digital Cameras and Digital Photography

• Mike Garton
• SMSU COE
• MikeGarton_at_smsu.edu

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Where to learn more

• Mikes digital photography web links
  http//courses.smsu.edu/emg381t/rcet/digital_camer
  as/
• HP Learning Center Graphics Design
  Coursehttp//www.hplearningcenter.com/
• Digital photo editing shortcoursehttp//www.short
  courses.com/editing/index.htm
• The digital camera super centerhttp//www.zdnet.
  com/special/filters/sc/camera/

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Camera Features

• Sensor size
• Resolution (VGA, XGA, SVGA, SXGA)
• Lens
• Focus
• Zoom
• Focal Length
• Exposure
• Compression
• Flash

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Sensor size

• CMOS
• CCD
• Look for CCD, better all in one cameras use 3

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Resolution

• VGA 640 x 480 300,000 pixels. Good for 4 x 6
  print.
• SVGA 800 x 600
• XGA 1024 x 7681 mega pixel camera 700,000 to
  1.3 million pixelsGood for 5 x 7 prints
• SXGA 1600 x 12002 mega pixelgood for 8 x 10
• 3 megapixel for 11 x 14 prints

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Lens

• Plastic
• not as optically transparent
• Scratch easily
• Glass
• Aspherical glass
• More transparent

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Focus

• Fixed focusok for all around
• Auto focus
• Manual focususually only found on high end
  cameras

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Zoom

• Optical Zoom
• Digital Zoomends up giving you a lower
  resolution than your camera is capable of

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Focal Length

• Related to Zoom
• The distance from the sensor to the lens
• Lowest number (1x) is cameras widest setting
• Largest number (typically 2 to 3x) is cameras
  most close up setting.

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Exposure

• Shutter and Aperature
• Digital cameras generally use presets
• White balance

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Compression Settings

• Bitmaps
• JPEGs (1/8 original file size)
• TIFFs

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Flash

• Most digital cameras have built-in flash good to
  about 8 feet
• Some cameras have hot shoe for external flash

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Battery

• Lithium Ion
• Alkaline
• Nickel Cadmium

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Storage media

• Smart Cards
• Compact Flash
• Floppy disks
• CD-rom disks
• Zip disks
• Memory sticks
• Built in Memory