Digital Cameras - A Basic Introduction

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A digital camera is used as the same as the traditional 35mm film camera. Basically you point, shoot and you capture an image. But the similarity ends there, and this is where the digital camera (or rather the images that have been captured) becomes so versatile.

First of all, your image is there waiting to be transferred to your computer. No more waiting to use all of the film and then going down to the photo processing lab and waiting hours/days for the images to be ready. The most common way of transferring your images to your computer is via a USB cable and software on your PC. Once on your PC, you can edit, crop, email or print out your photos. Becoming more common these days is sharing them on the internet via an online photo album (eg myspace, Flickr or a personal website).

Whilst on the subject of film, with digital cameras where are the images stored? Normally on a memory card. Memory cards come in a variety of sizes (both physical size and storage capacity). These factors are largely dependant on the type of digital camera that you buy, and typically can store hundreds of photos.

The main thing to look for when selecting a digital camera is the number of 'Megapixels' it has (or its 'resolution'). Pixels are the number of individual dots that make up the maximum size of the photo that you can take with your camera. Megapixels are in multiples of 1 million. So obviously the more Megapixels, the better you photo will look on your computer screen - and printed out. Note: The higher the resolution, the larger the physical size of the photograph in pixels, and the more space (file size) it will take up.

When looking at what digital camera to buy, also take note of the zoom feature of the camera. You will see terms such as optical and digital zoom. Optical zoom is taken care of by the camera and its physical lense, whereas digital zoom is zooming done by software in the camera itself. Digital zoom decrease the quality of the image as it is artificial - what the camera 'thinks' the image should look like. So it is best to take notice of the optical zoom capabilities of the camera only.

Do you want a no hassles digital camera when the shutter speed, aperture settings and flash options are all automatic? Most cheaper digital cameras have an automatic mode where all this is taken care of. Perfect for most consumers, and as you start to pay more for a camera, the features (and quality) will improve. These types of cameras will have a range of automatic modes, plus manual settings that allow full control over how the photo will be taken.

You may hear a term DSLR - Which stands for a Digital Single Lense Reflex. The basic theory behind these cameras is that what you see through your viewfinder is what the camera is seeing, thus operating the same as a traditional 35mm camera. These sorts of camera will have all the electronic functions of other digital cameras, and are generally more expensieve to buy.

In summary, do your homework.There is a large number of cameras available, ranging from low budget up to many thousands of dollars for a top class, professional outfit depending on your needs as a consumer.

Breaking the cycle of buying digital camera

That's it for me that I have way too many digital life has come to my house. At last count there were four or five digital cameras in circulation here, and I'm not sure exactly how all had, but I think it has something to do with my children and a bag loose. The book is mine. I do not even want to think about the number of digital cameras that I bought as gifts for others. Then of course there are all mobile phones in circulation, that digital cameras embedded herein it. People are afraid of an invasion of privacy when they walk or drive on the road with all the surveillance cameras, but I'm worried only about getting up in the morning.

However, joking aside, I think the world seen enough of the cheap digital compact camera to make it last several millennia. The next camera I buy is to buy a camera will be. For years everything has refrained from reflex, because they are too complicated or too difficult, or shouldto carry many lenses and accessories. Well, last time I went on a family vacation, I'm sure the weight of all our supposed culmulative easy to carry and easy to compact cameras that cost me an extra twenty dollars a baggage handling. not to mention all those chargers, USB cable, camera bags and expect to lose all individuals.

What should really have taken a single lens reflex camera was good, the HD movie showed tons images, notbreaking the bank. A good SLR these days, it also breaks the myth that they are too complicated to use. The truth is that if you regularly use a digital camera, your more than qualified for a digital SLR camera. They all have the same (and more) settings Auto, so you do not have to fiddle with manual controls, unless you do not want. And believe me, once you get the bug with your SLR photography, you'll love to fiddle with manual controls. It opens a wholenew world when it comes to shooting creativity.

Therefore, a recommendation of the experts is to sell on eBay, all compact cameras cheap (except one) I have read that someone on this point is not, and get a good start in digital SLR camera. All Canon Rebel or ladder Nikon D40 / D60 should do the job.

Canon SLR Lens Overview - EF-S 17mm - 85mm F-4.0-5.6 USM IS Image Stabilized Autofocus Zoom Lens

The EF-S series of lenses, by Canon, are exceptional lenses applicable for Canon digital SLR cameras such as: the EOS 20D and Rebel models. Why? The key design feature aims to match the APS-C imaging sensor with the image circle. How? This matching objective is achieved by reducing distance between the rear of the lens and the focal plane, thus decreasing the size of the image circle.

The result? Canon's EF-S lenses are more efficient in terms of: weight and cost of wide-angle lenses while ensuring superior image quality, resolution and contrast at all focal lengths.

As a member of the EF-S family of lenses, the 17-85 F4 IS USM is a strong performing wide-angle to telephoto lens. Its list of features include: Image Stabilization for hand-held situations; and is optically optimized for the digital SLR camera; a ring-type USM designed for fast and silent auto focus. The full-time manual focus in AF mode is also a useful addition.

The EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens provides a 5x zoom ratio and an angle of view equivalent to a 27-136mm lens on a 35mm camera. Also present in this lens is a glass-molded aspherical lens element with aspherical surfaces on both sides. The result, superb image quality through the full zoom range. The focusing distance is impressive at a distance of 12 inches at all focal lengths. Finally, the EF-S 17-85mm IS lens, when compared to the EF 28-135mm IS lens, is 5% shorter and 12% lighter, and accepts 67mm filters.

What is the Diana Mini?

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The Diana Mini, sold by Lomography, is the spiffy addition to the Diana F+ range. As its name suggests the Mini is smaller then the Diana F+. In fact it's quite cute! It offers all the same basic features, such as the tri-pod mount, Flash plug, B(Bulb) mode for long exposures, N (Normal) mode for an automatic shutter release of 1/100th of a second, sunny and cloudy exposure, cable release ability and lastly the ability to change distance (1-2, 2-4, 4-oo metres).

The main differences of the two cameras besides the size, is the type of the film. The Diana F+ uses 120mm film as its default but uses attachments to allow, instant photos and 35mm film. While the Mini uses exclusively 35mm film. This redesign allows affordability in film and gives the camera the ability to be so small. Another unique quality this camera has is being able to switch between half frame (24-17mm) and square frame (24-24mm) modes. The half frame is a brilliant feature as it allows double the exposures on the same roll of film. So for a normal 24 frame 35mm film, the half frame allows up to 48 frames. Roughly double the exposures. The square frame mode is a little bit more tricky as it has a tendency to overlap the frames. The trick is to ensure that one frame is exposed on the 35mm film. Square frame allows the standard amount of exposures. One of the smaller features on this camera is that it allows a closer distance then the Diana F+, the Diana Mini starts at 0.6m. The Diana Mini is my favourite toy camera. It is small, light, affordable and creates the edgy shots Lomo is known for. I highly recommend it.

Is A Digital SLR Camera Right For You?

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Digital SLR cameras are today the fastest expanding section of digital camera sales and are no longer just for professional photographers, but are fast becoming more affordable for amateurs. If you are serious about your photography and, because digital cameras are so affordable, there is no doubt that a digital SLR camera should be on your shopping when you are looking for a new camera.

SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex and the digital range is comparable in functionality to their 35 mm SLR equivalent and is just a computerized version of the same device, using light sensor chips and memory cards instead of film. Also known as TTL (through-the-lens) cameras they allow the photographer to see exactly what the final picture will look like because of the design that light entering the lens makes it's way to the viewfinder via reflection by a mirror. Focus and zoom is by the use of interchangeable lenses all with various vocal lengths

Some of the disadvantages of a digital SLR camera are minimal. However, compared to point and shoot models they are usually larger and heavier meaning that they are not always readily available for that opportunist photograph. To the inexperienced user they can also appear complicated and intimidating. Susceptibility to dust contamination can also be a problem as particles can enter the camera when changing lenses although many leading companies are now introducing sophisticated dust reduction systems to counteract this problem.

Today's digital SLR cameras are less expensive and more refined than ever and offer more expert management of your photographs. Some of the features within these cameras can include in-camera editing, image stabilization, auto focus, high-speed continuous shooting. However, because they are becoming more attractive to the amateur does not mean that more advanced photographers are losing out.

The number of digital SLR cameras that are on the market now can be overwhelming to the newcomer, but some of the popular cameras geared to be more affordable and worth considering are the Nikon D70s, Nikon D50, Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, Canon EOS Rebel Xti, Olympus Evolt E-300, Canon EOS 10D, Nikon D40, Pentax K100D, and the Sony Alpha A100. Obviously this list is by no means complete, but is a starting point.

Whether you are upgrading from compact digital cameras or 35mm SLR camera it is easy to see that digital SLR cameras are superior to the more unsophisticated cameras. Digital SLR cameras fall mainly into four categories, between consumer and ultra professional, and it is important to determine how much you are willing to pay as at each level the price increases significantly.

Better quality images without the strain and greater flexibility are just a couple of the attractions of digital SLR photography and once you have a tried it you'll find it difficult to return to point and shoot photography.

35mm Slide Scanner - How to Use it to Back Up Your Non-Digital Photos

Even today, many individuals have their images in drawers and cupboards rather than their systems. Elderly people, enjoy and relish olden times specially and the 35mm scanner helps them to bring those moments back to life once again.

Slide scanner does the difference

While it is possible to use an all in one flatbed scanner, you will get an improved result by using a dedicated photo slide scanner, which would make storing and printing images faster than before. With a dedicated film and slide scanner scanning and transferring your images to your system becomes easy and quick.

Types of Slide Scanners

Photo scanner come in different sizes and models and few include the manufacturer's software. A scanner's software is very important as it is the software that allows you to edit, save and store your pictures on a computer. The flat bed scanner that scans documents as well as images and the dedicated slide scanner which we are reviewing here are the two major types of scanners.

Polaroid, Nikon and HP are the leading manufacturers of Photo Slide Scanners and the price varies from moderate to high, determined by your requirements and liking. When you're thinking of buying a scanner, your basic guide on making a choice should be surrounding the requirements you are looking at from it. If you are just looking to scan the old pictures then a moderately priced one should be OK. A straightforward search online can provide lots of info and there are sites which compare different rates for various models too.

Slide scanner in operation

Since the scanner and the software come together, it's mostly plug and play where you insert the disk to your drive and begin editing your pictures. Once you load the software from the CD, choose the source or type of scan after opening the file, for eg: if it's a slide then choose positive color film and the scan will start. After you scan, you can see a preview of the image which can be edited if needed before you decide to complete the scan.

If you are likely to scan old slides and films then the first thing you need to do is make sure that the images are clean and free from dust. Finalize on your strategy when it comes to saving the images so you'll be able to remember, e.g. by date or subject cause this will make finding easier if they are scanned and stored. You can actually also sort your categorized slides by thickness in order to avoid changing the scanner settings often.

Also for a 35mm slide scanner, ensure you set it to the recommended resolution of 300 dpi to get better quality image. Keep in mind that if you enhance the resolution, you also increase the time it takes to scan the image. Small files that you scan can be saved as BMP for a Windows based PC and TIF for a MAC. Regardless of it being a PC or Mac, the files must be saved as TIF if they are huge.

35mm Slide Scanner - How to Use it to Back Up Your Non-Digital Photos

Even today, many individuals have their images in drawers and cupboards rather than their systems. Elderly people, enjoy and relish olden times specially and the 35mm scanner helps them to bring those moments back to life once again.

Slide scanner does the difference

While it is possible to use an all in one flatbed scanner, you will get an improved result by using a dedicated photo slide scanner, which would make storing and printing images faster than before. With a dedicated film and slide scanner scanning and transferring your images to your system becomes easy and quick.

Types of Slide Scanners

Photo scanner come in different sizes and models and few include the manufacturer's software. A scanner's software is very important as it is the software that allows you to edit, save and store your pictures on a computer. The flat bed scanner that scans documents as well as images and the dedicated slide scanner which we are reviewing here are the two major types of scanners.

Polaroid, Nikon and HP are the leading manufacturers of Photo Slide Scanners and the price varies from moderate to high, determined by your requirements and liking. When you're thinking of buying a scanner, your basic guide on making a choice should be surrounding the requirements you are looking at from it. If you are just looking to scan the old pictures then a moderately priced one should be OK. A straightforward search online can provide lots of info and there are sites which compare different rates for various models too.

Slide scanner in operation

Since the scanner and the software come together, it's mostly plug and play where you insert the disk to your drive and begin editing your pictures. Once you load the software from the CD, choose the source or type of scan after opening the file, for eg: if it's a slide then choose positive color film and the scan will start. After you scan, you can see a preview of the image which can be edited if needed before you decide to complete the scan.

If you are likely to scan old slides and films then the first thing you need to do is make sure that the images are clean and free from dust. Finalize on your strategy when it comes to saving the images so you'll be able to remember, e.g. by date or subject cause this will make finding easier if they are scanned and stored. You can actually also sort your categorized slides by thickness in order to avoid changing the scanner settings often.

Also for a 35mm slide scanner, ensure you set it to the recommended resolution of 300 dpi to get better quality image. Keep in mind that if you enhance the resolution, you also increase the time it takes to scan the image. Small files that you scan can be saved as BMP for a Windows based PC and TIF for a MAC. Regardless of it being a PC or Mac, the files must be saved as TIF if they are huge.