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Welcome to the Mad Dog Diving website
Digital camera know-how
A New Resolution - how much is enough?
One of the first questions you need to address is how much
resolution you want. Simply put, resolution determines the size of
the picture the camera can print without sacrificing clarity. Your
resolution requirements are linked to the size of the pictures you
were planning to print, both now and in the future.
How does it work?
Unlike our traditional film cameras that expose the film to light in
order to capture the image, digital cameras use light sensitive
sensors to convert information on the image into digital code.
The more light sensors the camera has, the more detailed the print
will be, and the larger the print can be before distortion.
Digital images are made up of coloured dots called pixels. The
greater the number of individual dots of colour used to produce the
image, the clearer the image. Resolution is about these coloured
dots or pixels.
The key to understanding resolution is in the Mega-pixel capacity of
the camera. The Mega-pixels refers to the number of light sensors
the camera uses to create digital picture. This is one of those
times where more is better, so the greater the Mega-pixels, the
larger the print the camera is capable of producing.
Let's run some numbers to explain this concept:
A 3 Mega-pixel camera is capable of printing images up to 8x10,
while a 4 Mega-pixel camera is capable of printing images up to
11x14. Now, most people do not regularly print themselves 8X10's of
their holiday snaps, let alone 11X14's, but the size of the whole
picture is only part of what you need to consider.
With digital photography, one of the most valuable elements of the
technology is the ability it gives us to edit the images we have.
While you may not choose to hang 11X14 prints on your wall, digital
images allow you to crop, enlarge and capture that single priceless
expression or a close up of a family member who looked good in your
holiday photo.
The greater the Mega-pixels you have, the better the quality of the
edited picture you produce.
If there is a "downside" to high resolution, it is that the digital
code can take up a lot of space on your camera's memory. To
accommodate this, many cameras come equipped with several different
resolution settings. This allows you the option of lowering the
resolution in order to have smaller file size and fit more images
onto the memory card.
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Close up and personal - choosing the right
Zoom
The zoom function on a camera allows you to "zoom" in on a specific
part of the picture you are taking without having to physically move
closer to it.
Digital cameras use two types of zooms, digital and optical.
Understanding how these features work will help you select the
combination that it right for you.
Optical zoom behaves in the same way that traditional film cameras
do, using lenses to magnify the image. In other words, optical zoom
brings you closer to the picture. This is the preferred method of
taking a close up picture, mainly because optical zoom does not
negatively impact the resolution of the image. The general standard
for optical zoom is 3X (which indicated a threefold magnification of
the image). Higher optical zoom is offered on many models, although
upgrading optical zoom will influence the price.
Digital zoom, on the other hand, takes a portion of the image, crops
it and expands the pixels to magnify the image and brings the
picture closer to you. One of the negatives to the digital zoom is
that it diminishes the quality of the image by making the pixels
bigger.
Close ups using digital zoom can also be done after the picture is
taken using an image manipulation software package (included with
most cameras).
Memory - How Does
Memory Work?
A digital camera uses memory to store the digital code that make up
the images. The more memory you have available, the more pictures
you can store.
There are very few cameras on the market that offer built-in memory
because it is generally quite limited. Instead, most cameras today
include a type of removable memory to store images called a memory
card. Think of the memory card as a re-usable digital film. The size
of the memory card determines the capacity of the camera to store
pictures.
The resolution of the camera also influences the amount of memory
required. The higher the resolution of the camera the larger the
file size of the image. Most high-resolution cameras can take
pictures at a lower resolution setting, allowing you to fit more
images onto your memory card.
Memory cards are reusable. In order to keep the images you must
transfer them to another form of media to free up the camera's
memory card. A popular option is to transfer them to CD-ROM, which
is an inexpensive and reliable form of removable media. If a CD
burner is not available to you, CD-ROM transfer service is available
through your London Drugs Photofinishers.
There are many different types of memory as well, including Compact
Flash, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, and XD. These various shapes
and sizes operate in a similar fashion, and the type of memory card
you use is generally dictated by the type of camera you select.
While one memory card is not necessarily better than another, these
types of memory are beginning to appear in many other electronic
devices so it may be in your best interest to keep things
compatible.
An idea to consider is the purchase of an additional memory card, an
extra one to use as backup. Here again, more is better; and the more
memory you have available, the greater the number of pictures you
can store on your memory card before it is full and needs to be
downloaded to your computer or transferred onto CD ROM and made into
prints by a photolab.
The ability to store a large number of images without having to
download is especially useful if you are away on vacation.
You are traveling to Africa and want to photograph your vacation.
While on your air balloon ride your memory card fills up. Your
choices are; delete images and continue to shoot, use your
additional media you brought along, or if already filled up,
purchase additional media in the country you visited.
If you prepared in advance you could have previously purchased a
digital wallet. This allows you to download your images into a 5, 10
or 20 gig portable hard drive which fits conveniently on your belt,
then delete the images on the card and continue to photograph.
While purchasing additional memory cards can be expensive, they are
a worthwhile investment because they can be used over and over
again.
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Demand for Power:
There is also the issue of batteries. Digital cameras use battery
power, and should the batteries deplete, the cameras will stop
functioning. Granted the digital cameras is more demanding on
batteries however if prepared, you can overcome the power demands of
the camera.
There are several options for power used by digital cameras.
Some cameras come with rechargeable batteries. Even those that don't
can be retrofitted with rechargeable batteries that are available as
an add-on purchase for almost all cameras. Since digital cameras are
quite power hungry appliances, rechargeable batteries are generally
considered to be the most economical way to go.
Some cameras come with proprietary rechargeable batteries that offer
convenience and often a long lasting lithium ion battery. Lithium
ion batteries, similar to camcorder batteries, have little memory
effect, which means that you can recharge the battery at anytime
without having to fully drain the battery.
They also offer a long lasting charge to maximize the use of your
camera between charges. The drawback to these systems is that,
despite the longer life of these batteries, they can be expensive to
replace and are specific to certain camera models. If you select a
camera with a proprietary rechargeable battery it is recommended
that you buy a spare to avoid losing power at an inconvenient time
(like in the middle of a vacation).
The other power option that digital cameras use is AA size
batteries. Due, however, to the previously mentioned power hungry
nature of digital cameras, standard AA size alkaline batteries, both
disposable and rechargeable, only last a few hours in the camera
with average use.
The best option for digital cameras is a high-output nickel
metal-hydrate rechargeable system
The advantage to these cameras is that in a pinch, if your
rechargeable runs out of juice, a AA battery can do the job until
you can get recharged.
Lithium disposable batteries also make excellent back-up power on
the road due to their long shelf life and reliability, so make sure
you carry a set to all your important events. Most cameras also have
capabilities for AC adapters. For convenience, why waste battery
power while you transfer your images to your computer or view your
images on the camera's LCD screen at home.
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Accessories
When it comes to accessories, it can be fun finding out which ones
are compatible, which ones are beneficial and which ones are right
for you.
Memory Card Readers - Can simplify the process of transferring
images to your computer and save battery power in your camera.
Rather than connecting cables from the computer to your camera, a
memory card reader is permanently attached to your computer. Simply
remove the memory card from the camera and put it in the reader and
the image files show up on your computer, just like any other drive,
ready to be transferred, copied to CD-ROM, or emailed to London
Drugs Photofinishing to be made into prints. After that you can wipe
the card clean and start all over again.
Memory Card Adapters - Similar to memory card readers, memory card
adapters plug into PC card slots, and your memory card plugs into
the adapter. PC card slots are found on most notebook computers and
offer an alternative to Memory Card Readers, which plug into a USB
port on your computer, which may be unavailable.
Add-on Lenses - Some digital cameras have the capability to add on
either telephoto or wide-angle lenses to the existing lens. The
telephoto lens can add 2x more optical zoom to your existing zoom,
so a current 3x optical zoom becomes 6x! A wide-angle adapter can
allow you to fit more into your image. Wide-angle add-ons are
available in .5x.
Camera Bags - Most digital cameras do not come with bags, leaving
you to choose a bag that best suits your needs. Be sure to protect
your investment as bags can protect your camera not only from impact
damage, but from weather elements as well, such as moisture and
humidity.
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What Should You Do Now?
This guide has hopefully given you a better idea of the types of
digital camera and accessories that are available. If you would like
to compare models and features, you should check out our product
comparison feature on this site.
If you would like to get a hands-on demonstration of the different
models we carry, we encourage you to visit your local London Drugs.
The experts in our Electronics Department can help you with any
questions this guide didn't answer and help you to choose the best
unit to suit your needs.
Visit them at
www.LondonDrugs.com
Mad Dog Diving
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TM
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