subject: Consumers Tip: Digital Camera [print this page] Buying a digital camera can be a very confusing task for the consumer because there are hundreds of digital cameras available in the present market with prices starting from INR 5000. Each one will be having some disadvantage or advantage over the others. Some of the cameras will be very small and it will easily fit into our pockets. However, to use some of the digital cameras the customers might need some training to use the camera because it will have many controls and we have to change the setting manually. To add more confusion, the companies use abbreviations while advertising about their products. For a common customer it will be very difficult to understand. In this article, we will discuss some of the basic features of a digital camera and how it helps to rate the camera.
In a digital camera, we use an image sensor for taking pictures. When light falls on the image sensor it emits electrical signal. Based on the signal, images are processed and stored on a memory card. The images are made up of thousands of dots or pixels. One million pixels is equivalent to one megapixel. Therefore, the number of megapixels helps us to know how many pixels will be there in the image. Hence, megapixel is one of the important features that determine the quality of the image.
Digital cameras are divided into four types. They are subcompact, compact, superzoom, and Single Lens Reflex (SLR). Subcompact cameras are very small and it will easily fit into the pockets but they are slight costlier than the compact type. However, some of the features will be missing like view finder, smaller controls and no manual controls. The compact cameras are comparatively bigger than subcompact cameras. They are very simple to use and it works using the preset scene modes. The superzoom camera will have a zoom range of 10x or above. It will be bulkier and heavier than the rest. The SLR cameras are loaded with advanced features but are more complex to use. We can shoot images very fast, faster start up, excellent battery life and so on.
The features of the digital cameras vary greatly from model to model. We are going to discuss some of the features of the digital camera. The first one is the exposure mode. It helps to manage the shutter speed and aperture according to the intensity of the light. The next one is the zoom lenses. It is made up of different lens, which allows us to change the focal length. It helps us to see the images at a closer range without moving from our position. It comes with a wide-angle lens for better viewing. These lenses will protrude from the camera when we switch it on. The next is the image stabilization. It helps us to reduce the amount of blurs from occurring in the image. Optical and mechanical image stabilizers are the most popular type of image stabilizer. Optical stabilizer stabilizes the lens while mechanical stabilizer stabilizes the body of the camera.
The next feature is the face detection and smart camera'. It allows the customer to find a particular face from a group of persons. The other types of face detections features are smile detection and blink detection. In smile detection, the camera will take a picture if that person smiles. The blink warning will inform the user, if the customer blinks his eyes while taking photos. The next one is the focus. The camera should be able to focus the subjects without much delay. Next is the shooting mode. There are three shooting modes: single image, burst mode, and self-timer. In single mode, we take a single photo. In the burst mode, we will take a series of photos one after the other with a single click. In the self-timer, we will set a delay time and press the shutter button. It will take a photo after that counter expires.
Next is the playback mode. Most of the digital cameras have a LCD screen and we can see the photos that we have taken just now. We can delete the photo if we did not like it. We can zoom the photos using it. With the help of the LCD screen, we can change the settings and access the features. The ISO setting tells us how sensitive the sensor is to light. Higher the ISO settings, more flexible the camera will be. Next is the LCD viewfinder. Now most of the digital cameras are having a 3.5-inch viewfinder to view the photos and to change the settings of the camera. The flash feature is available in most of the digital cameras and it is used to illuminate the subject if there is not enough light in the surroundings. The file format of the pictures will be JPEG. The digital cameras use memory cards to store the images and we can transfer these photos to our computer using data cables. Some cameras can be connected to the printers to take print of the photo.
The customers should know his requirements and choose wisely without spending too much money on a digital camera.
