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| Sunday, 26 March 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Gadget Mania Mega Pixel Revolution! A zoom in on Digital Cameras
Why go in for a Digital Camera at all? Would you need to attend a special course to learn to take decent looking digital shots? Are digi- cams only for professional photographers? Is it expensive compared to traditional film roll photography? Most importantly, is it a hassle to use? Read on for a brief "least I need to know" guide to Digital Cameras and photography! Better, smaller, faster... Digital cameras, like all other gadgets of late, have become slimmer and smaller and they pack a lot of punch, giving you better results without bulky equipment and accessories. Yes of course they're getting cheaper by the day! They come in sophisticated high performance models for professional photographers (of course, with "professional" price tags!) and amateur "consumer" models for the rest of us. One of the main differences between the pro and amateur models is that the former enable extensive manual settings for each shot depending on the scenery, light, setting, etc and only serious photographers would have any idea of even how to start pressing those various knobs and buttons for desired effect. So even if you're loaded with baksheesh, don't waste it on a professional Digital Cam unless you are a serious photo-shooter. The amateur cameras provide ample features for taking breathtaking shots. These lightweight cameras have minimal manual settings, but advanced technology enables the automated settings to produce top quality images. Most Digital Cameras are loaded with a string of features which make photography pure pleasure. I screen, you screen... The best part about most Digital cameras are that they come with a handy little LCD screen at the back, and you get to see the subject of your "snap" on your screen before you actually take the picture. This enables you to see how exactly the photo will turn out before it's taken, so the probability of a "Bad" shot is lessened. And hey, if you do take a bad shot, you can just preview your existing snaps, decide which ones you don't like, and delete them on your camera itself, then and there and save valuable memory to take more shots. You can also edit pictures already taken using the camera itself, by using the LCD screen. The screen also serves as a navigational tool to guide you through the various settings of the Camera. Zooming in Digital cameras come with different zoom levels. Most models come with "Optical Zoom" and "Digital zoom". Optical Zoom is the key word to look for when buying a Digital Camera. What "Optical Zoom" does is, essentially bringing the subject of the photograph closer by making physical movements of lens parts. So the higher the Optical Zoom, the better the camera. Even if you are thinking of a Camera just to take photos of family get-togethers, club trips, or any special events, it is recommended that you go for at least "3x Optical zoom". If you wish to snap those elephants at Udawalawe with "close up effect" shots and wish to remain alive, too, you should go in for a Camera with more powerful Optical Zoom, (e.g. 8x, 10x or even 12x Optical Zoom)! What digital zoom does is enlarge a portion of the image, thus merely 'simulating' optical zoom. In other words, the camera crops a portion of the image and then enlarges it back to size. In so doing, you lose image quality. Mega Pixels The resolution and quality of an image is measured by pixels. A mega pixel contains one million pixels, and in Digital Camera terms, the higher the mega pixel capability, the better the camera. For amateur use, 4 or 5 mega pixel capable cameras are more than enough. Even professionals seldom use photos at more than 5 "megs" unless for developing giant prints. You can select the resolution of each snap before "shooting"! Low resolution pictures can be easily sent via e-mail. Where do I put the film roll? The good news is, no more film rolls, rewinding, negatives, etc.! Just "save" your snaps on a memory "card" or "stick"! These memory devices are widely available in Sri Lanka for sale in different storage capacities (128 MB, 256 MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, etc.). These cameras come with a "slot" into which these memory devices are inserted. While at least 256MB storage is recommended for the casual photographer, at least 1 GB is recommended for the more frequent user. These memory devices can be used over and over again, and it sure beats the hassle of running to buy more film roll! Seeing is believing Ok, what happens after the snaps are taken? You can transfer files via USB cable (usually supplied with Camera) into your Computer. Thereafter further editing of photos can be done using programs such as "Photoshop". You may also view images directly from your T.V. using the connecting cable! Photos can be transferred into any storage media such as CDs, DVDs, Flash Drives, etc. with ease. Wish to have conventional photo prints? Just take your storage device to "Millers Ltd" or any such reputed place and you will get prints just like you used to with your old film roll camera. Movies too? You gotta be kidding! Most basic Digital Cameras come complete with video capture mode, at no extra cost! Which Brand is best? Nikon, Leica, Cannon, Fujifilm, Olympus, Sony, Minolta, Kodak and Kyocera are some leading Digi-Cam brands and each have a variety of models to choose from. Its safe to avoid unknown brands even at cheaper rates. Happy snapping! - Sinha Dissanayaka |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Digital Cameras have been around for a while now, and different eye
catching models are, well, catching our eye these days, and we are not quite
sure as to which make or model we should choose from! 
