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Thread: Camera tutorials!!!!

  1. #1
    Deciding which digital camera best suits your needs can be a nightmare.
    How many megapixels and what zoom should you go for?

    With flexible models now available for less than Rs:10000, digital cameras are as popular as their film-based counterparts. Unfortunately, buying the right one can be just as confusing, thanks to the huge range of products and facilities on offer.

    How many megapixels do you need? What type of zoom should you get? Here we give some tips to point you in the right direction.

    Weighing up
    If you're looking to buy a point-and-shoot camera to snap those Kodak moments, the size and weight of the model you pick is critical. If a camera is too big or heavy, you'll end up leaving it at home, while the images from small or ultra-light models can suffer from any shaking in your hands. The best solution is to check the feel of things before you buy; go to a shop and play, even if you plan to buy online.

    Enthusiasts or professionals looking for the highest flexibility can go for a large, fully featured digital SLR. These are now available for under £1,000, but don't expect to pop one in your pocket.


    Measure megapixels
    In general, the higher the megapixel count of a digital camera's sensor, the more detailed the images it can produce. A 2megapixel camera is fine for printing your holiday snaps at 4 x 6in and even 5 x 7in, but you'll need at least 3-4megapixels for good 8 x 10in prints.
    For anything larger than that we'd suggest a minimum of 4-5megapixels. Look on brochures for the number of 'effective' pixels as this will give you the true megapixel resolution of the camera.


    Optical v digital zoom
    While most digital cameras offer both optical and digital zooms, the former is by far the most important. An optical zoom actually zooms in on the subject, bringing things closer, showing more detail and retaining the quality of the image. By contrast, digital zooms simply crop into the centre of picture.
    Some models then go further by blowing up the remaining image to the full resolution of the camera using a technique known as interpolation: mathematically inserting new pixels in between existing ones. However, this doesn't provide any more detail and can result in blurry pictures.

    Ignore digital zoom and go for a camera with a minimum of 3x optical zoom, around 5x-7x if you want to get close to the action in sport or wildlife. Some high-end models allow the use of interchangeable lenses, so check this if it's important to you. If you then want to crop in, do so using photo-editing software on your computer.


    Features
    Digital cameras almost always feature a selection of automatic or pre-set picture modes for standard shots, portraits, night shots and landscapes, plus 'macro' modes for close-up photography. These are perfect for those who simply want to point-and-snap.
    Movie modes are interesting but not essential, and at best the results are nowhere near as good as even a basic camcorder. But they're fine for short movie clips to play on your PC so, if you're interested in this function, check how many frames per second (fps) they offer. Most are 15fps, but some are 30fps. Many cameras also let you record sound to go with your pictures.

    3D picture modes are more gimmicky, as are digital colour filters or options to make people look thinner. Chances are you'll only use them once.

    More experienced photographers looking to achieve particular results will want manual controls for aperture and shutter priority, white balance and focusing. Good cameras should also provide quick and easy access to image quality, resolution and format settings.

    Built-in flashes are fine for everyday shots, and many include a red-eye reduction mode, but cameras with a hot-shoe for larger external flashes will allow much greater illumination and control over lighting if you want to experiment.


    Battery life
    Battery life is a big issue with digital cameras. Many models come with NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) rechargeables, but those with lithium batteries will typically last longer. Also, smaller cameras often mean smaller capacity batteries. Make sure your camera comes with a charger, and budget for a couple of spare batteries, then keep them charged so that they are ready to go when you need them.

    CCD versus Cmos
    Digital cameras use CCD or Cmos image sensors to convert light into an electrical charge, and therefore a photo. But they differ both in their internal architecture and imaging capabilities. Until recently, the main differences between the two have been cost of production and image quality.
    CCDs (charge-coupled devices) have highly sensitive sensors with low noise characteristics, but are expensive to produce, require a lot of ancillary electronics that can't be integrated on the chip and use a lot of power.

    Cmos sensors are cheaper than CCD sensors to manufacture, consume relatively little power and have the potential for integration of other circuitry on the Cmos chip itself. However, CCDs have been around for some time, while Cmos sensor development is still in its infancy.

    Until fairly recently, the results from Cmos sensors were disappointing, the main problems being low sensitivity and high noise. Manufacturers such as Canon have attempted to overcome the noise problem by using on-chip noise reduction technology, and Kodak now incorporates High Performance Low Noise technology.

    As the technology improves, some of the more recent cameras using the Cmos sensors have achieved higher megapixel resolution. A promising development in sensor technology is the Foveon X3 chip. Conventional image sensors use a filter layer to produce an RGB image, but the X3 (a Cmos chip) uses the properties of silicon to capture red, green and blue light.

    Silicon absorbs light of different wavelengths at different depths. By using three photodiodes at different depths, the X3 can detect blue light at the surface, green in the middle and red at the bottom. The X3 produces sharper images that suffer from none of the colour artefacts associated with Bayer filtering used by conventional sensors. X3 chips have yet to gain a wider foothold in the digital camera market.


    Remember your memory cards
    While many cameras can feature a limited amount of internal memory, the majority also use removable media. Sony uses the proprietary Memory Stick, while other manufacturers use Compact Flash (CF), XD Picture Card, Secure Digital (SD), Smart Media or Multimedia Card (MMC) memory.
    While each format has its merits, the standard 8MB or 16MB cards usually bundled won't hold many images - often fewer than 10 at higher resolutions.

    Budget for an additional 128MB or 256MB card as soon as possible and beware generic brands, as they may save money but can have a slow data transfer rate which can put paid to rapid, continuous shooting. Some older cameras can use CDs or floppy disks to record images, but these are best avoided.
    You know What i Mean!

  2. #2
    Thanks for sharing.....
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  3. #3
    Good Post..If u r going to continue then let it stay here..otherwise this belongs to the GK section.

    Helped me a lot..

    Fantastic work bro !!

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