The Computer Revolution/Entertainment/Digital Cameras

A digital camera is a device that captures an image into an electronic imaging sensor. Usage of a disk instead of a film provides immediate photos that can be stored, viewed in a desktop or printed right at home in a matter of minutes.

The Camera and the idea of creating a real image was adopted long ago in Ancient Greece. The camera much evolved gaining more advantages from previous creations. NASA revolutionized the world of photography from its need to develop an effective method of sending high powerful images back to Earth from all of its space missions. The quality of these pictures is determined by megapixels; the more the higher the resolution it will have. Today a vareity of Cameras are present which ranges in size, weight, quality, picture, and formats. The major producers of digital camera's include Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, Canon, and Casio but Kodak was the first to release the first consumer digital camera back in 1991.

Digital SLRs

Digital SLRs bring together the best of both worlds between high quality single lens reflex (SLR) film camera and digital cameras. Digital SLR's focuses on giving high manual control to the user through swappable lenses, manual control feature such as zoom, aperture, and depth of field and exposure control. If you want to let the camera do the work, most digital SLRs also have multi point focus and many of the same features that normal digital cameras have. Some advantages to the digital SLRs is that the start usually with higher mega pixels, which allows the ability to crop and blow up images with no image quality loss, as well as being able to store the photos in multiple formats such as jpeg and RAW. RAW images retain every last pixel of the image data, combine this with high mega pixel, this makes a perfect situation for users to edit their photos and still maintaining a high quality image. Some of the disadvantages to digital SLRs are usually quite a bit bigger, bulkier as compared to regular digital cameras and significantly more expensive.

Photo Editing

One of the most significant advantages to digital cameras is the ability to alter the photographs after they have been taken. Many digital cameras that are bought in store today are accompanied by software specific to the brand of camera. As well, Windows XP itself contains a program which allows the alteration of photographs. In these programs an individual is able to modify the image in a number of ways, such as:

1. Adjusting the brightness of the image
2. Repairing red eye
3. Inserting or removing people or objects
4. Applying textures
5. Adjusting contrast
6. Cropping the image

The above alterations and more allow each individual to alter their photos to their true potential. No longer are we stuck with half a roll of film of unusable pictures, no wasted money or time. When the alteration process is completed the user is able to print the best and most loved photos.

Adjusting Brightness

Previously when a photo was overexposed or underexposed it would have been thrown out; the photo was not usable. Even is the photography was impeccable, the negative influences of the setting would have ruined the picture. In cameras that are not digital the amount of light which was available was a major determining factor as to the quality outcome of the picture. While light still plays a role, it is not quite as critical because it can be altered after the fact.

Repairing Red-Eye

The destructive force of red-eye used to plague many-a-photo. Though the image was not lost the mood often drowned behing the focus of the red eyes. With the ability to alter photos a click of a button will significantly reduce the look of red eyes restoring the original integrity to the image.

Inserting or Removing People or Objects

Often not all the people in one picture photograph well, in this instance, with the use of digital cameras and photo editing, two photos can become one and the best individual image of a person in one photograph can be merged with another so that both people, animals or objects look their best.

Applying Textures

The software allows a picture in its entirety to be modified. Antiqued or black and white looks can be achieved effortlessly without special film. The photos that the user wants to change can be altered while the rest can be left in their original form, instead of an all or nothing decision.

Downfalls of Digital camera

The downfalls of digital camera are that there are no surprises anymore on what the pictures will look like as we can see every photo that is taken right at the moment, whereas before we would take them in and then have to wait with suspense as to what photo's were taken. Also when the photo is deleted that photo is gone, there is no way to recover that photo. It takes a lot of batteries to function properly, you always seems to run out at the worst time. As you can make so much adjustment the person almost seems fake not what was originally there.

Pixel

Pixel quality is important for the reason of enlarging photo's and cropping in on a certain objects to make them larger, if the pixel number is not sufficient enough then picture quality can be poor.

Connecting to the computer

They now over time have made the software very user friendly so that uploading photo's is fast and efficient. You can see a video on the computer that you recorded and then uploaded right away, it then is easy to send to friends. Once in the computer it is very easy to send all photo's to site that other users can enjoy such as "YouTube". Once the photo is on the computer you can send them to a local Photoshop and they will print them and have it ready for you to pick up.