How to use a Digital Camera!

For this assignment, we are asked to go over the history of digital cameras. Everything from the history to hand-colouring, and to the eventual closure of Kodak. 

Why go digital? What are some of the reasons to use digital photographs?

Mainly, the reason to use digital photographs is ease of use. Instead of using film and going into a store and having them developed (which may take a couple days), you can do all of this as soon as you take a photograph because you can upload your digital photos to your personal computer via a memory card and print them off yourself. You can say digital photography is virtually free. Memory cards are reusable over and over again. Finally, you can take over 1000 photos on just one memory card if you wish, where as analog photography you are limited to which roll of film you purchase.

 What is a digital photograph? What are Pixels?

A digital photograph is made up of a series of pixels. Pixels, also commonly known as “picture element”, are a physical point in a raster image, or the smallest unit of information that makes up a picture. Usually, a pixel is round or square and is typically arranged in a two-dimensional grid.

What is the relationship between the number of pixels and quality of the image?

To put it simply: the greater the number of pixels, the higher the image quality will be. When an image has been taken (or uploaded) a file size has been compressed, although can be changed. The lower the compression rate, the higher the image quality will be again.

The three steps of digital photography

Explain the three basic steps involved in creating and using digital photographs and briefly give examples.

Step 1: Inputting photographs

To input photographs, simply push/press the capture button to take a photograph.

Step 2: Processing photographs

With processing photographs, light is captured through the camera lenses and transformed to create a digital image.

Step 3: Outputting photographs

The digital image is displayed on the monitor screen (either on the camera itself, or computer screen)

How a digital camera works How similar is a digital camera to a traditional camera?

Digital cameras actually operate very similar to the standard traditional camera. Both call for the need to have a lens with which to focus on an image, a shutter with which to let light into the camera and an aperture in which to adjust the amount of light that comes into the camera.

What differs, is how the picture comes in. Light from the image you are capturing zooms into the camera lens. The incoming picture hits a light detector called a charge-coupled device (CCD), which breaks it up into millions of pixels. The CCD then measures the colour and brightness of each pixel, then stores it as a number.

What is hand-colouring? What is the history behind hand colouring? Why was it used?

Hand colouring was a technique commonly used in the mid to late 1900’s where you could manually add colour to a black and white photograph.

This method had been introduced in Europe with the 1840’s. The technique however gained considerable popularity in Japan, where the practice became a respected and refined art form beginning in the 1860’s.

Finally, this method/technique was used generally to heighten the realism of the photograph or for artistic purposes.

Types of digital cameras Digital camera can be divided into three groups based on their image resolution, features and price. Find out some prices and briefly give an outline of each of the following –

Point and shoot cameras

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 - $304.99

Point and shoot cameras are a still camera designed primarily for simple operation. Most of these types of cameras use focus free lenses or autofocus for focusing, automatic systems for setting the exposure options and have flash units built in.

Prosumer cameras

Panasonic Lumix FZ100 - $500

Prosumer cameras usually have better lenses, higher detail (resolution) with the addition of CCD and the ability to have much more control over exposure. Generally, Prosumer cameras are high-end digital cameras, ranging from medium to high range prices.

Professional Cameras

Nikon D5500 DSLR Camera - $846.95

Professional cameras are preferably the standard cameras of today. They produce the highest of quality photographs. DSLR cameras also can record audio, video and have a wide range of options for every type of photographer – from amateur to professional.

Speciality cameras These sorts of specialty cameras have recently come on the market, eg. Security cameras, helmet cameras. Describe some of their advantages and special features.

Security cameras can come in all shapes and sizes. Most can be hidden which makes it useful and subtle for possible security measures you may have. Some can even be disguised.

Waterproof cameras are generally ideal for all occasions. Most waterproof cameras are waterproof to a deep 50 feet. As well as this, and most likely surprising to some, are waterproof cameras can also be drop-proof cameras too. And for more higher end waterproof cameras, the quality of the images produced can equal the likes of professional cameras.

Image storage Describe how digital cameras store their images.

Storing images on digital cameras depends on if using a memory card or not. Most cameras have an internal storage which can hold a certain number of images. But with a memory card inserted, you can hold many more photos in which you can transfer easily to a personal computer or photo kiosk.

Name some of the popular makes of Flash cards on the market. What are their features?

There are quite a few different types of flash cards, but the most popular cards are CompactFlash (CF), SD cards, SDHC and MicroSD cards. All are recommended flash cards as they all do generally the same thing. But there are subtle differences in both performance and speed. SD cards are good for entry-level flash cards, generally used with point and shoot cameras. SDHC cards are also great entry-level memory cards and while it is speedier then a standard SD card, it can have lower speeds compared to pricier counterparts. Basically, the higher the price and storage, the speedier and better performance it will deliver.

Downloading images, what to plug in Explain the process of downloading? What are some of ways of transferring images to the computer?

There are a wide variety of ways to transfer images to a computer, with the two most common ways being the use of a flash/memory card and the second being the use of a USB cable. By inserting a memory card or connecting your camera to a USB cable, your computer will read what is on the card/camera and from there, you are able to transfer or “download” images to your own computer files.

Image sensors In your own words, what is resolution? Describe the importance of image quality.

Resolution within an image relates to the amount of detail (pixels) within the image - the higher the resolution, the higher the quality of the image. Having a high quality image is very important especially from a professional stand-point. You want your images to look perfect and clear. You want the image sharp and for the colours to be seen clearly and complement each other. That’s why it is usually recommended to have your images of the highest quality possible.

What is a megapixel? How does it relate to the quality of the photo?

Generally, a megapixel consists of one million pixels. Again, the more resolution within a image (pixels), the higher the quality of the image.

Digital camera file formats Summarise in your own words some of the basic formats your digital camera offers and why would you choose them.

Depending on the settings I use, standard images usually are taken in a JPEG file. But for images with a higher setting (higher resolution), the images will be taken using PNG or TIFF. The disadvantage of JPEG images is that the quality becomes “lossy” after editing or reproducing of the same said image. On the other side, the format of choice for most professionals is the TIFF file format. TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) keeps all of the high resolution with no loss and is easily recognisable and readable with most computers.

Preview screens & viewfinders What is the difference between a preview screen and a viewfinder? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

A preview screen is what an image will look like BEFORE you take the picture, hence the term “preview”. This is ideal for setting up shots and lighting before taking the photo. The only downside is that there will not be as much detail and is more prone to “shaky hands”, meaning blurry images and loss of focus. A viewfinder is used to frame and compose a scene, in this case an image. It is generally an optical view device that helps the photographer see what the camera is seeing. The main benefit for this is that the image you see is typically the image you will get, quality and all.

Automatic flash Explain the different flash modes on the digital camera.

Fill-flash: To always use flash by default.

Auto flash: To use flash in low-lit areas.

Red-eye reduction: A flash before the actual photo is taken to shrink the subject’s pupils and reduce red-eye.

Flash off: Simply turning flash “off”

Batteries Explain the different types of batteries available for digital cameras.

Alkaline: The more traditional battery which has the disadvantage of having a short-life span.

Lithium: Lasts a lot longer than most other batteries. Can also handle cold weather better.

Rechargeable batteries: The ideal choice for digital cameras, nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries has the most power and is safer for the environment.

Battery packs: Some cameras are fitted with an add-on battery pack which can hold two more batteries, increasing the length of your batteries’ life)

What do these icons mean?

Software

Describe some of the software that comes with the digital camera.

Most digital cameras come with standard photo editing software, generally manufactured by the same company as the camera itself. Some cameras also come with storage management software which you can arrange your images and files on your camera on the PC for ease-of-use.

Meta Data Information is recorded in a photo. Explain advantages of this and describe how you would insert this into a Photoshop file. What are tags? How can tags help the user?

The advantages of Meta data for photography are knowing the original content’s author, the date the photo was created and the file size of said photo.  It is also made more convenient by adding tags. Tags allow other users to find certain photos by searching for the tag. For example: if a photo was taken on a certain day, they can type that particular day/date into a search to find the photo.

Kodak has now folded and no longer exists. How does this impact the digital camera market?

Whilst it is unfortunate that Kodak no longer exists, the impact on the digital camera market (at least in my opinion) hasn’t been too negatively impacted. Kodak did introduce and invent a lot in Photography which is mandatory today (snapshot camera for example), but unfortunately when it came to the digital age in photography, Kodak were unable to adapt and embrace it – which ultimately lead to their exit. The digital camera market will continue to thrive and get even bigger without Kodak, so it’s safe to say the folding of Kodak will not affect the digital camera market at all.

HDR What is HDR and how can you use it in your photography or your images?

HDR (High Dynamic Range) refers to an old photography practice recently introduced to camera phones like the iPhone and Android devices. The purpose of HDR is to help you take better looking photos, especially in circumstances such as low-lit scenes, portraits in sunlight and big landscape-type pictures.