Introduction to the Digital Camera

Digital Camera - an electronic device used to capture and store photographs electronically instead of using

photographic film like conventional cameras.

Parts of a Digital Camera• Like a standard camera that uses film, digital

cameras are still equipped with the following:– Depth of field– Lens– Viewfinder– Built-in flash (although not all standard film cameras

have these)– Aperture/Shutter Speed– Shutter Release Button– A storage space and storage component

Depth of Field• This is the distance from foreground to background that is in

acceptable focus.• Most of the time the digital camera focuses for you

automatically.• If the camera is equipped with a zooming in/out feature, then

you can usually see the camera automatically adjusting the depth of field

Lens• A series of convex- and

concave-shaped glass elements used to produce undistorted image on film plane or charged coupled device (digital camera).

• Charged coupled Device (CCD) is hit by the light that enters the lens on the camera.

Charged Coupled Device• The CCD is an array

(grid) of light-sensitive diodes.– When light strikes the

diodes, an electrical charge is generated

– This charge is converted to digital value (each digital value corresponds to a color)

– Digital data is then compressed and stored on flash media

– The CCD is then reset for the next photo to be taken

Viewfinder• The window on the back of

a camera that allows the photographer to see external objects to be photographed.

• On digital cameras, there is also an LCD screen, which allows you to see the external objects while holding the camera away from you. Sometimes this can show a more accurate reading of how the image will be cropped or the depth of field.

Built-in Flash• This triggers automatically in

low light conditions when set to auto mode.

• It is a device that produces an instantaneous flash of light (1/1000 of a second) at a color temperature to help illuminate a scene. Usually, this is when a scene does not have enough available light to adequately expose the photography.

Aperture• Opening and amount of

time in the lens that determines the f/stop (size of the opening) and allows light to strike the film.

• This is a part of the camera that you can adjust manually on a standard camera, but not necessarily on a digital one. Most of the ones we own are automatic and self-adjusting.

Shutter Release Button

• A mechanism that, when pushed down, causes the focal plane shutter to open & expose the film or the CCD.

Storage Space or Component

• Film - any substance— usually translucent, like paper, plastic, or glass—which has been coated with light-sensitive silver halide salts.

• Flash Media - a device which holds the digital information to construct an image. They offer high re-recordability, power-free storage, small form factor, and rugged environmental specifications.– CompactFlash cards– Memory Stick

What is Digital Photography?• Digital Photography – uses the electronic

devices to record the image as binary data. This facilitates storage and editing of the images on personal computers, and also the ability to show and delete unsuccessful images immediately on the camera itself.

• File Types:– RAW– JPEG 11

What’s the Difference?• RAW – this mode saves the image exactly as the

camera captured it. – Advantage: The settings on your camera at the

time the image was captured are saved inside the file, and with the right software you can actually go back and change everything from white balance to ISO settings after the picture is taken!

– Disadvantage: RAW files are BIG and take up a tremendous amount of space on your memory card and on your hard drive. They also require special software to read.

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• JPEG – a compressed file format. – Advantage: Images captured in JPEG are much

smaller than RAW files which means JPEG files are kind to your hard drive.

– Disadvantage: subtle tonal differences may be lost during the compression process. Will you notice the difference? On large prints - maybe - if you know what you're looking for. On small prints like the 4 inch prints we get for everyday pictures you'll never see the difference

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Units of Measurement• Byte - a unit of electronic storage• 1MB = 1 million bytes• 1GB = 1 billion bytes• Pixel - a single point in a graphic image. Short for

picture element.• Usually digital images are compressed as a file

ending with the extension: JPEG or JPG.

Pixilated Example

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Camera Modes• Auto- an automatic point and shoot mode where the

majority of settings are controlled by the camera in result to shooting conditions. This will adjust settings automatically to produce the best results with point and shoot simplicity.– In automatic mode, camera will: auto focus, decide if flash is

needed, choose shutter speed and select aperture.

• Portrait- shoots portraits with background in soft focus. Used to capture soft, natural-looking skin tones, if subject is far from background, background details will be softened and give composition a sense of depth.

Camera Modes cont.• Landscape- preserves details in landscape

shots. Uses the smallest aperture to capture sharp crisp results.– Built in flash will turn off automatically.

• Close up- allows the photographer to take vivid close-ups of small objects. Use for close-ups of flowers, insects, and any other small objects.– Camera will automatically focus on what is in

the center of the frame. A tripod should be used to prevent blur.

Camera Modes cont.• Sports- allows the photographer to freeze motion. The

camera will focus continuously while the shutter-release button is pressed halfway, tracking the subject in the center focus area. – Camera selects high shutter speeds to freeze subject in

motion. With this setting, the flash is automatically turned off.

• Night Landscape- take landscape shots at night. Slow shutter speed is used to produce night landscapes.– The built in flash is turned off automatically, and a tripod

should be used to prevent blur.

Camera Modes cont.• Night Portrait- take portraits against a dimly lit

backdrop. Provides a natural balance between the main subject and the background taken in low light.

• Self-Timer Mode- in Self-Timer Mode, the camera allows the photographer to take self-portraits and group shots. – Place camera on a tripod or any other stable, level surface.– Hold the shutter release button halfway down to focus, then

all the way down to start the self-timer. – The light will blink and beep, two seconds before the

photograph is taken, the blinking and beeping will become more rapid. Default self-timer is usually ten seconds.

Conversion of an Image into Memory on the Digital Camera

• What determines how many pictures will fit on a memory card?– Resolution setting of the camera– Size/capacity of the memory card

• Changing a digital camera’s resolution from “good” to “best”– Disadvantage: there is an increase in the

image size (storage requirement), resulting in room for even fewer pictures on a memory card.

– Advantage: improved picture quality occurs.

What do you do if…• Your batteries are constantly running out? How

can you make them last longer?–TURN OFF THE LCD PANEL!!!

• You have decided to take a photo using only natural light, but the picture turns out blurry?–Next time make sure there is enough light

available. The camera required a slower shutter speed because there was low light and no flash. This resulted in a long exposure time, which had a camera shake (movement of the camera while the shutter is open).

What do you do if…• You are running out of space on your memory

card, but still have several pictures to take?– Change the resolution to good or a lower

setting so that there will be more space to hold more images, instead of the large resolution files taking up so much space.

• You are wanting to take a picture with a great image quality, so you can submit it for Portfolio Review into an art college?– Change the resolution to best or to the

highest possible setting so that the picture quality will be of a higher standard.

Sources Cited• Nikon Corporation. (n.d.). The Nikon Guide to

Digital Photography with the D80 Camera. New York: Nikon, Inc.

• Photography. (n.d.). Retrieved August 15, 2006, from the Wikipedia:– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photography#

Uses_of_photography