Purchasing a new digital camera can be a very overwhelming experience. Technology is continually changing and there seems to be upgraded cameras available every month! With these changes you can still ensure that you purchase the right camera for your needs by understanding the technology. You will not be able to understand all of it, however you can gain the knowledge to make the right decisions. This article will cover the features of digital cameras that are most important for you to understand.

To begin with me will discuss the similarities between film and digital cameras. Basically a camera is a light airtight box that allows exposure of a light-sensitive material through the use of a shutter and an aperture. This process is the same with either a digital or film camera.

Both types of cameras have Lenses, which focus the image and control how the image will look (wide or telephoto). The lens is also one of the most important factors in determining overall image quality. The better the lens quality, the sharper and more clear your image. In film or digital photography- poor lenses=poor image quality.

Both types of cameras also use shutters to maintain the duration of the exposure. Both film and digital cameras need an aperture to control how much light hits the sensor during the period that the shutter is open. Very large apertures (2.8 or 4) will let in a lot of light, while small apertures (16 or 22) will let in very little light.

Focusing will always be a necessary step in creating sharp photographs regardless of whether you are using film or digital cameras. Manual and auto focusing can be found on both types of cameras. So what are the differences between the two? The main difference is the way in which the cameras record light. The traditional camera uses film while the digital camera has a sensor and a processor. Understanding the way the sensor and processor work is the key to knowing digital cameras.

Film Advance, Lag and Response Time The digital sensor records light much like film cameras do. The difference is that when light strikes film it is “exposed” and the camera must advance the film to the next frame in order to allow the user to take another photograph. With digital photography, the image that was captured during exposure is passed on to the processor and the sensor is then freed up to record another image. Advance Time is the amount of time it takes for the sensor to release its information and be ready to record again. The speed of the digital camera is also influenced by how many images it can store in its memory before the camera needs a time out to process them. A typical statistic you might find could be “23 full-res(resolution) JPEGs or 6 RAW images at 5 fps”(Canon 20D). In common language this means the camera will shoot 5 images per second until the memory fills up. The memory will become full at 6 exposures if you are shooting RAW and 23 if you are shooting the highest quality JPEG.

Film Advance, Lag and Response Time The digital sensor records light much like film. Once the light strikes film however, it is “exposed” and the camera must advance the film to the next frame to continue the process. With digital, the information that was captured during exposure is passed on to the processor and the sensor is freed up to record another image. The amount of time it takes for the sensor to “dump” its information and be ready to record again is called Advance Time. The digital camera’s speed is also influenced by how many images it can store in the buffer before the camera needs a time out to process them. A typical statistic could be “23 full-res(resolution) JPEGs or 6 RAW images at 5 fps”(Canon 20D). This means the camera will shoot 5 frames per second until the buffer fills up. The buffer will become full at 6 exposures if you are shooting RAW and 23 if you are shooting the highest quality JPEG.

ISO The ability to change ISOs at any time is one of the many benefits of digital cameras. ISO refers to the sensitivity of the sensor in a digital camera and film in traditional cameras. The higher the ISO setting the less light is needed to strike the film. With traditional film cameras, if you wanted to get a faster shutter speed due to low light or fast action, you needed to change to a higher ISO film. At best this could be wasteful or inconvenient . The nice thing about digital cameras is that you can change the ISO as you go. With digital cameras it is possible to be photographing outside in bright sunlight with a low ISO (for better color and image quality) and then walk indoors, you can easilty change the ISO and continue shooting.

As with many things, this increased sensitivity does have its drawbacks. When using film you might get an excess of grain, with digital photography you get what is called noise. The grain you might see on your film, in most cases, is generally considered acceptable and even might be desired in some cases. On the other hand noise does not have the same allure. Unlike different emulsions of film, the sensor really only has one sensitivity. To manage an increased ISO, or during very long exposures, the camera must send more power to the sensor, which often will result in the appearance of small specks or dots of white or color. You will also sometimes see a blotchy look which is created from the higher ISO’s or long exposures. Generally most of the noise is generally manifested in the darker areas of your photograph. If your photography requires higher ISO settings this is an important point to pay attention to; this often occurs during nighttime or long exposures. In higher priced cameras, manufacturers have spent the money to reduce the noise problem, but it still may present itself on the less expensive models. Look to reviews for how much noise individual cameras will produce.

Resolution Resolution is probably one of the most talked about but least understood features of digital cameras. Most people believe the higher the resolution the better. This is true, generally speaking. However more resolution doesn’t always mean better photographs.

Resolution Probably the least understood and most talked about feature of digital cameras. The more the better, right? Well, most of the time. More resolution doesn’t always mean better photographs.

Please don’t forget, it is common to see cameras that are equal in resolution but have different size sensors. In cases like this I would go for the larger sensor. So how can you figure out how much resolution you do need? It’s very simple really. Just ask yourself how large of a picture do you want to make. The 3 and 4 Megapixel cameras are plenty sufficient for everything will print good quality pictures up to 8×10. If you want to make larger printsyou can move up to the 5 and 6 Megapixel cameras.

White Balance White balance refers to the processors ability to create “correct” color in your pictures. The digital camera sensor always captures “raw” information and then the camera processor processes it and sends it to the memory card.

White Balance White balance refers to the processors ability to create “correct” color in your pictures. The digital camera sensor always captures “raw” information and then the onboard processor processes it and sends it to the memory card.

So if your light is Then the color is Choose this White Balance for good color Daylight Neutral (“white) Daylight Late Afternoon/Sunset Warm (yellow/orange) Daylight Early Morning Warm (yellow/orange) Daylight Cloudy Cool (blue) Cloudy/Overcast Open Shade Very Cool (blue) Open shade Unknown Light source ??? Auto Tungsten/Incandescent Very yellow/orange Tungsten/Incandescent Fluorescent Green Fluorescent

So if your light is Then the color is Choose this White Balance for good color Daylight Neutral (“white) Daylight Late Afternoon/Sunset Warm (yellow/orange) Daylight Early Morning Warm (yellow/orange) Daylight Cloudy Cool (blue) Cloudy/Overcast Open Shade Very Cool (blue) Open shade Unknown Light source ??? Auto Tungsten/Incandescent Very yellow/orange Tungsten/Incandescent Fluorescent Green Fluorescent

Lenses Lenses play a major part in creating high image quality, along with the sensor and processor. Luckily in todays marketplace we are at a place in time where most lenses are of a very high quality. So we now know that speed and length are the qualities that you should look at. Speed refers to the fastest -stop of the lens. 2.8 is faster than 3.5, which is faster than 4. A faster lens allows you to shoot in lower light conditions without raising your ISO. It also allows you to achieve a shallow depth of field, which should result in a blurred back or foreground.

Buying a new digital camera

Focal length is the next consideration. Do you like to shoot with wide-angle lenses? Long telephoto lenses? Do you enjoy shooting up close with macro lenses? Digital cameras come with all of the same lens options that your film camera does. It is just a matter of choosing the camera with the qualities that you want. By looking at magazines or stepping on to the web and going to dpreview.com you can easily find the specifications that describe all of the options.

When it comes to focal length it is important to remember that two sets of specifications are generally given. The first is usually the actual focal length of the lens. For example, 7mm-28mm. This would be an extreme wide angle on a film camera. The digital camera however, has a smaller sensor area then the film camera which makes the 7mm lens look more like a 35mm lens. So the second set of numbers on this lens would be 35mm-136mm. This is generally called the 35mm equivalent. When looking for a digital camera these are the numbers you should pay attention to when checking for focal range as they will be more familiar to you.

Most amateur digital cameras do not provide real wide angle lens choices. They will commonly go down to 35mm or even 28mm but rarely can you find a 24mm or wider. This is mainly due to the difficulties in building such a small focal length lenses. So if you enjoy wide angle photography you many want to think about moving up to a digital SLR.

The digital cameras have a big advantage when it comes to long telephoto lenses! The smaller sensor size will turn even moderate telephotos into very long lenses. For example a real 57mm focal length behaves like a 370mm! This is very important to people who like to shoot “long”. Some cameras claim their longest focal length as Digital Zoom. It is important to beware of this. Digital Zoom should always be avoided. For this topic we are concerned only with real or actual focal lengths.

The last lens specification to consider is the focusing distance. If you like or need to shoot macro, look for a lens that focuses very close. They will usually be signified by a “macro mode” or be called “close focusing”.

Shooting your digital camera in the field Using your digital camera should be the fun part. Do not let all of the bells and whistles confuse you when it comes time to take your photos. We agree that there are many choices and they can be a bit overwhelming. Here we have listed three of the most important things you should always check before you start photographing.

ISO- If you are outdoors or in areas where you have plenty of light keep the ISO set to a low (100 or 50). Raise the ISO only when you need to prevent camera shake. Typically most digital cameras will provide great images all the way up to 400 ISO. If you need to go higher than 400 ISO, you must know that you may run the risk of introducing a visible amount of noise to your photos. Take some time and play with your digital camera to figure out which ISO produces unacceptable noise levels.

Jpeg vs. Raw- This choice is an easy one. If you want to work on every image in your computer, shoot RAW. This format is much more flexible and allows you to correct for errors in exposure and color cast without degrading your image quality. If you do not have the time or desire to work on every image, then shoot in the highest quality Jpeg mode. This mode will use a minimum amount of image compression which will provide extremely high quality pictures.

Image Size- Many cameras will come with multiple resolutions. Your choices may look like this: 2304×1728, 1600×1200, 1280×960, 640×480. Simply put, always choose the highest resolution. In this case that would be 2304×1728. This will supply you with the highest quality images possible.

Digital Camera Accessories There are nearly as many accessories for digital cameras as there are digital cameras. There are loads of options available: cases, cards and storage units. Don’t open your wallet just yet, there are only a very few accessories that are considered absolute necessities.

Compact Flash-The first is the type of storage that your camera uses. I prefer cameras the use Compact Flash. This medium seems to be the best all around Flash Card. Sturdy, durable, not too small to lose or to big to be bulky. It also comes in very large capacities-up to 8 gigabytes! My recommendation is to have a least two cards in case one becomes damaged or lost. Your total amount of storage will be determined on how much you want to spend on your cards (cameras rarely ship with a card that is adequate for most photographic purposes). Having two 512Mb cards seems to be adequate for most shooting situations, unless you are very trigger happy. Having 4 of these cards or two 1 GB cards will ensure that you will never be without storage.

Portable Storage-If you have invested in enough Flash Card storage, you will probably not need a portable storage unit. This is however contingent on downloading your cards on a daily basis. If you are in a situation where you will not have access to your computer for long periods of time (in order to upload your photos from your camera to your computer) you may want to consider a portable storage unit. The idea of a Portable Storage unit is to move your photos from your Flash Card to the storage unit thereby freeing up space on the card. You can then put the card back into your camera, reformat it, and continue taking pictures. When you return home you simply attach the storage unit to your computer and transfer the images to your computers harddrive. Most Portable Storage units come with enough space for many days of shooting. A recommendation would be to purchase a unit with at least 10Gb of storage.

Storage and photo transfer are some of the most basic functions which all of the models will perform. To go beyond this point they can get really fancy. Some units will automatically burn Cds from your cards, which is nice in that it produces an immediate archive of your images. Others come with an Lcd screen that enables you to view your photographs right on the storage unit. Advanced features will even enable you to organize your images into folders and albums. An important consideration is to think about the length of time you will be away from your computer before purchasing one of these storage units. Once you consider your needs you may find that you may not need one.

Extra Batteries / Charger Digital cameras go through batteries at an alarming rate. You will definitely need to have back up batteries. Given that you will go through so many batteries, rechargeable batteries are the intelligent choice. Most digital cameras come with a proprietary battery with a charger. This is helpful as it allows a stronger battery. If this is your situation, it is a good idea to purchase extra batteries when you buy your camera. If your camera is powered by common AA batteries, you would be wise to buy a couple sets of rechargeable batteries.

Bulb blower- If you are considering an interchangeable lens SLR this is a must as when you change lens on these types of cameras it is common to introduce dust into the camera body. Ultimately this will migrate to your sensor and embed itself as small blurry splotches on your final image. It is a smart investment of your time to spend a few seconds with the blower bulb which will save you hours on the computer cleaning up your photographs!