The Ultimate Buying Digital Camera Guide
Tips And Tricks
Learn The Digital Camera Terms
Jan 10th
It helps when learning to use your new digital camera to also know what some of the more common terms mean. Below you will find many of these common terms defined..
Automatic Mode — A setting that sets the focus, exposure and white-balance automatically.
Burst Mode or Continuous Capture Mode — a series of pictures taken one after another at quickly timed intervals with one press of the shutter button.
Compression — The process of compacting digital data, images and text by deleting selected information.
Digital Zoom — Cropping and magnifying the center part of an image.
JPEG — The predominant format used for image compression in digital cameras
Lag Time — The pause between the time the shutter button is pressed and when the camera actually captures the image
LCD — (Liquid-Crystal Display) is a small screen on a digital camera for viewing images.
Lens — A circular and transparent glass or plastic piece that has the function of collecting light and focusing it on the sensor to capture the image.
Megabyte (MB) — Measures 1024 Kilobytes, and refers to the amount of information in a file, or how much information can
be contained on a Memory Card, Hard Drive or Disk.
Pixels — Tiny units of color that make up digital pictures. Pixels also measure digital resolution. One million pixels
adds up to one mega-pixel.
RGB — Refers to Red, Green, Blue colors used on computers to create all other colors.
Resolution — Camera resolution describes the number of pixels used to create the image, which determines the amount of
detail a camera can capture. The more pixels a camera has, the more detail it can register and the larger the picture can be
printed.
Storage Card — The removable storage device which holds images taken with the camera, comparable to film, but much smaller. Also called a digital camera memory card…
Viewfinder — The optical “window” to look through to compose the scene.
White Balance — White balancing adjusts the camera to compensate for the type of light (daylight, fluorescent, incandescent, etc.,) or lighting conditions in the scene so it will look normal to the human eye.
How to Capture the Little Things With a Digital Camera
Jan 9th
Have you ever wondered how a photographer gets such clear, detailed photos of things like flowers or insects? Capturing such close-up pictures is most often done with a setting that comes as an option on many digital cameras–the macro setting. More >
Ways to Make Money Using Your Digital Camera
Jan 9th
Have you ever wanted to find a way to bring extra money into your household–yet don’t have a lot of time to spend on a full-time endeavor? The solution is as close as the digital camera sitting there in a drawer. More >
Red Eye and Your Digital Camera
Jan 9th
You’ve seen the dreaded demon-eye effect that occurs when the camera flash bounces off the eye of a person or pet. An otherwise wonderful picture can be ruined by this. Technically, this is called red-eye and is caused when the pupil of your subject’s eye is wide open and the light from the camera’s flash reflects off the subjects retina. In people, the color ends up red; in pets, the color is often green. More >
Making Your Digital Camera Battery Last Longer
Jan 9th
With all the features digital cameras have these days, you may find keeping batteries a problem. This could well be your biggest expense, but there are some things you can do to increase the length of time your batteries stay charged. More >
How to Save Photos From Your Digital Camera
Jan 8th
Once you’ve taken photos with your digital camera, you need to store them somewhere. You could always leave them on the memory card, but that would get rather expensive, so let’s explore a few other options. More >
How To Take Better Pictures With Your Digital Camera
Jan 8th
Today’s cameras make taking pictures a lot easier than the one’s of yesterday. There is always room for improvement, however. Use the following tips to help make your photos go from acceptable to great.
1. Always be aware of the background. You don’t want to find trees growing out of people’s heads or a passing vehicle to draw attention from your subject. Sometimes moving your subject just a couple steps to either side can make all the difference.
2. Use available light. If your digital camera has an option to turn the flash off and it’s light enough outside to read a book then use the available light and turn the flash off. In general camera flashes are too harsh for human skin and make all of us look pale. Indoors, where there isn’t enough daylight, place your subject by a window and use your fill flash feature.
3. Aim your camera slightly down at the person’s face. Also don’t shoot just face on to the person, try a little to the side, a three quarter view, so that you see more of their face. Remember camera higher looking down and a three quarter view, it will slim your subject.
4. Remember your focus. Get closer to your subject. Fill the frame with your subject and there will be no doubt as to what the picture is saying.
5. Never put your subject dead center. Put your just slightly off center; not a lot just a little. When you’re shooting groups of people, find the imaginary center line of your group and put that line just a bit off center in your view through your lens or screen.
Following these tips won’t turn you into an award-winning photographer today, but you will be on your way to better, more powerful photographs that others will comment on for years to come.
What Is the White Balance Setting on my Digital Camera?
Jan 8th
Have you ever taken a picture of a beautiful winter scene and been disappointed to discover the crisp, white snow came out with a bluish tint? This is the kind of situation your digital camera’s white balance is meant to prevent. More >
Why Digital Photography?
Jan 8th
Digital photography is quickly becoming the preferred way to take pictures. If you are in the market for a new camera, consider the following advantages of digital over traditional film photography. More >
Your Digital Camera Owner’s Manual
Jan 8th
All cameras come with an owners manual, but so few people take the time to read it. Once they get past the basic operations, they get anxious to go out and try the camera. Maybe all the new terms are confusing or there seems like too much information to digest. This is understandable, but by not reading the entire manual, you limit yourself and many cool features of your camera are never used. Hopefully you will find the following suggestions helpful in getting the most from your digital camera. More >
