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PHOTOGRAPHY
SANS FILM
 Soon film rolls may become things of the past. Digital
cameras, once the exclusive property of the rich few,
are turning out to be affordable alternatives to 35mm
cameras. Though many professional photographers still
prefer the traditional film-based camera over digitals,
there is no denying that these hi-tech devices are here
to stay, and may well phase out the traditional gadget.
Though the major argument against digital cameras is the
poor quality of the images when compared to film-based
cameras, its convenience far out weighs the disadvantages.
Besides, technological inroads have improved image quality.
It is easy to get good pictures with point-and-shoot digital
cameras, but to get pictures of excellent quality you
need to understand the basic functions of the camera.
If you get a hang of the basic principles, you will be
able to capture the mood and details that make up a scene.
The greatest advantage that
digital photography enjoys over traditional photography
is that it is flexible and instant. Once the
photo is taken the image is seen immediately on the
small LCD screen at the back of the camera. Another
plus point is that these images are flexible and
can be stored in a u niversal format, making them transferable between
many devices and applications.
HOW A DIGITAL CAMERA WORKS
Images in digital format are made
up of hundreds of thousands, or even millions of tiny
squares called pixels. A digital camera has a lens
and a shutter that lets in light. But the light strikes
an array of image sensors or photosensitive cells
instead of a film. The sensor array is a chip about
6-11 mm across. Each image is a charged-couple device
(CCD), which converts light into an electrical charge.
The charge is stored as analogue information, then
digitized by another bit of technology called an analogue
to digital converter (ADC). Every receptor in the array
of thousands creates one pixel, and for each pixel a
certain amount of information is stored.
| HOW TO CHOOSE A DIGITAL
CAMERA |
| Choose a camera
that has the right balance of features and
portability. Though a small compact camera
can be carried everywhere, it may not have
certain features that make for great photos.
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| Buy the camera
with the highest resolution you can afford,
at least 2 to 3 mega pixels (2 million to
3 million pixels), if possible. |
| The lens should
be 100 percent glass. Avoid plastic lens.
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| The more RAM
the camera has the more pictures it can store.
Buy a camera with as much RAM as you can afford,
so your won't need to download or erase them
as often. |
| A UBS allows
fast connection for downloading pictures.
Serial connections, on the other hand, are
very slow. |
| A camera with
a rechargeable battery is the best. It saves
time and money. |
| There are
four types of memory cards: Compact Flash
type I cards, Flash type II cards, Smart Media
cards, and Multimedia cards. CF cards are
the best. Avoid buying Smart Media cards.
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Inspect the zoom capabilities
of the camera you intend to buy.
|
| Look for an
optical (through-the-lens) viewfinder as well
as an LCD display. |
| If you intend
outputting pictures only on to a computer
monitor (for viewing, web page use or e-mail),
and inexpensive digital camera with a 640-by-480
pixel resolution will provide very satisfactory
results |
| If you plan
to print photographs on a good colour printer,
go in for a high resolution camera. |
| Investigate
auto focus and macro features, shutter-release
lag times and bundled software. |
| Consider other
features like interchangeable lenses, steady-shot,
burstmode, auto exposure, automatic white
balance, voice memo, variable shutter speeds,
manual focus and self-timer. |
| Other useful
features will include a battery-time-remaining
indicator and AC adapter. |
| Video-out connections
are used for outputting to a television. |
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1:31:13 PM 
