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DIGITAL CAMERA CLASS
DIGITAL CAMERA CATAGORIES
Pocket Size, Point and shoot, High end
Weight - Flash Range - Picture Quality
Voice & Video
Document ‘Scanner’
MEGAPIXEL CONFUSION
Less then 3MB for shoot and print - 3MB for good quality and minor editing
5MB or greater for detail editing - More pixels needs more memory for storage
Aspect Ratio - Newer cameras have wide screen
ISO - Higher = lower light Consider greater then
1200
Dynamic Range = How many shades of a single color -
Consumer Reports
MEMORY – TYPES AND SIZE
Consider a single large memory card. -- Hi Q photos can be ~
10 MB
1 GB min - allows photos, voice and video At 5 GB, batteries become limitation.
Compact Flash – Cheap but large - SD popular small size
Photo Quality – JPEG Compression artifacts
LENS AND ZOOM
Is lens protected when off - Does lens protrude
3X Optical Zoom - very useful, but above 5X a tripod may be needed
Low light capability
Image Stabilization – mechanical or digital
Ignore ‘Digital Zoom’ rating - it is of limited value a
Photomerge allows wider screen photos
SCREENS, OPTICAL VIEWFINDERS
Optical viewfinders work well in bright sun and save power
LCD Screens work well in low light - Large LCD drain batteries.
LCD also show menu choices and let you edit.
Some newer LCD’s work well in bright light
SHUTTER LAG, NEXT SHOT DELAY and STARTUP TIME
Some camera take seconds to start – could miss a shot - Fast start cameras can be left off
Some cameras require seconds between shots
Auto multi-shots - easy delete (Party Mode)
Hi Def Video is a form of multi-shot if video continues with out
button press
BATTERIES
Standard cell size – can be purchased at convenience stores
Small cameras almost all use proprietary batteries
One time, NiCd, NiMH, Lithium [smallest]
Must battery be removed for drop in charging? - Docking Station
SAVING, TRANSFERING PHOTOS
USB - Either to Windows directly or to photo software
Card readers - Can be used for any files - a printers with reader is less flexible
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