5 Basic Digital Camera Terms You Need To Know

Understanding digital camera terms is essential basic knowledge when it comes to digital
photography. Being familiar with the terminology used in any subject of interest in is
always useful, and digital cameras are no exception. Although most digital cameras
available on the market allow you to simply point your camera and quickly snap a picture
with the touch of a button, there is often a lot more going on behind the scenes than you
may have realized.

Put simply, understanding the most important digital camera terms will allow you to
make a better-informed purchase of a new digital camera, let you have more control over
your digital camera’s features, and help you to take the best quality photos possible.

1. Megapixel
When we use the term megapixel, we are referring to the maximum resolution at which a
digital camera can take photos in millions of pixels. This means that a camera with a
range of 4 megapixels can take photos which each contain a maximum of 4 million
pixels.

But what does this mean to the consumer? One word: quality. A higher megapixel count
means better quality photos, and considering the price of digital camera getting lower all
the time; you should try to stick with a digital camera that has a 3 megapixel range or
above, especially if you intend of making prints of your photos.

2. Focal Length
Focal length is one of the digital camera terms overlooked far too often in amateur
photography, and refers to how much the lens of a camera can magnify a shot. Focal
lengths are generally split into two categories, these being wide-angle and telephoto,
which are better for spacious and narrow fields of view respectively.

Due to the ease of manufacturing telephoto lenses, digital camera manufacturers seem to
provide wide-angle lenses in a lot less cameras, even though these lenses are better suited
towards the type of photos that most people commonly take, including groups of friends
and wide landscapes. To sum up, a wide-angle focal length is the better choice in most
cases, with the 20mm and 35mm varieties catering to most people’s needs.

3. Digital Zoom
Unlike the focal length, digital zoom is a term that seems to be given a lot more attention
than it deserves. Unlike optical zoom, which uses the physical lenses inside the camera to
enlarge a scene, digital zoom electronically enlarges the pixels in the center area of a
photo, meaning that any time you use the digital zoom function on your camera you are
actually sacrificing the quality of your photos. It is a good idea to disable the digital zoom
function all together to stop this from happening.

4. ISO
The term ISO stands for the International Standards Organization, but what does this
have to do with your digital camera? The organization sets standards for photography,
and the ISO range of a camera refers to how sensitive the camera is to light.

For instance, a low ISO number (100 or under) is not very sensitive to light, and is best
for shots in good lighting conditions. A higher ISO range means that the camera will be
suitable for photography in darker conditions, so it is best to look for a camera that has an
adjustable range; ISO 100 to 400 should be adequate for most people’s needs.

5. Shutter Lag
Shutter lag refers to the time between pressing the button to take a photograph and the
time when the picture actually gets taken. This may not seem a very important factor
when buying a camera, but think of it this way: if you have to wait a second or longer for
a photo to be taken, like with many older and inexpensive digital cameras, then chances
are that you won’t end up with the photo you desired. Many camera manufacturers do not
list the shutter lag time for their cameras, so the best way to find this out is by testing a
camera before you buy.

Film Speed
Film speed. So you have this great new camera. Now you’re standing in front of a display
of more film that you’ve ever seen. All you want to do is take some great family photos
but you don’t know where to start. Here’s short guide to help you get started.

Film speed is a number that represents the film’s sensitively to light. The higher the
number the more sensitive to light, in that the less light is needed to take a well exposed
photo. The number is also an indicator of the detail you will receive from the negative.
The higher the number the more likely that you’ll see a graininess to the print when
enlarged. It is alos referred to as "ISO rating" and has a range from 25 to 1600.

25 to 200
Best for still life and portrait work, in studio conditions where the lighting is controlled.
This is not the film for family shots indoors even with a camera mounted flash. You’d
really need a complete lighting set up to use this film effectively. 200 speed film is very
good for outdoor sunny conditions when you’re trying to get a shot of a beautiful
landscape. It offers excellent detail and color saturation.

400
Considered the all purpose film. Most films touted as all subject or general purpose are
really 400 speed film. When in doubt use 400 speed film. Though you may still be using
your camera mounted flash in room lighting conditions. Also good for outdoor
conditions, will give you some flexibility in darker conditions and where you are trying
to capture a moving subject.
800 to 1200
Made for capturing fast moving subjects in all types of lighting situations. People
running, playing ball, etc. This is the film you want if you want to freeze frame the action
of a baseball game. This speed can be used for capturing fast moving wildlife, like birds,
but you will see less detail if you enlarge above a 16 by 20 size.

1600
This film is for super high speed shots. Unless you shooting a car or boat race you
probably won’t need this film. Don’t use this for nature and landscape images the lack of
detail will be obvious in enlargements.

Most of the time you’ll only need a 400 speed film for basic snapshots. But it doesn’t hurt
to use the other speeds for special occasions, you’ll notice a difference.

Night Photography
From sparkling city skylines to moonlit rural landscapes, night photography can be
enchanting. Although digital cameras are capable of capturing more color within a night
scene than the human eye is capable of registering, capturing such a view requires some
adjustments and special techniques to avoid blurry, underexposed photographs. The
following tips will provide a good starting point for beginners as they begin to
experiment and practice with night photography.

• Many digital cameras have a "night" setting. If it is available, this feature needs to be
selected. Although most models of digital cameras can create a reasonable night time
image, higher resolution cameras produce higher quality low light photographs.

• Turn off the flash function if at all possible. Use of flash for night photography often
results in underexposure of the subject. The flash range on any camera is limited to only
several feet.

• Light is required for night photography, therefore, the best time for shooting tends to be
just after sunset or just as the moon is rising.

• To get enough light onto the sensor at night time, it is usually necessary to use a slower
shutter speed. It is also possible to obtain more light by increasing the aperture. Most
digital cameras offer a shutter priority and an aperture priority mode that allow the user to
make adjustments manually. Manual mode allows the user to adjust both shutter speed
and aperture.

• As more light comes into the camera, the sensor can heat up quickly and create thermal
"noise". Noise is simply the white spots that distort the image. For this reason it is best to
leave the camera off until ready to shoot the picture or to take night shots during cooler
weather. Some digital cameras have a noise reduction feature; again this can be quite
effective in reducing the effects of noise and should be selected if available.
• Camera shake can also distort an image. The risk of camera shake during night time
shooting is increased due to the slower shutter speed. Use of a tripod or some other form
of stabilization is highly recommended to eliminate camera shake. Most photographers
even recommend the use of a remote or manual cable to trigger the shot versus touching
the camera to assure that it is stable for the shot. When a remote is not available, use of
the self-timer can also allow triggering without touching. Some digital cameras offer a
feature that allows the user to lock the mirror which can further assure stability during
shooting.

• Take multiple shots. Taking good images requires practice, beginners should be
prepared to take multiple shots of the same scene, select the best, and delete the
remainder. Check the viewfinder for the results of each shot and readjust shutter speed
and aperture as needed.

Creating clear images that capture the magical quality of a night time scene requires a
small amount of light which can be obtained through shutter and aperture adjustments,
stabilization, and a significant amount of practice.

Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is the amount of time the shutter is open exposing the sensor and creating a
picture. When using a fast speed (or have the shutter open for a short amount
of time) you have the ability to take pictures of fast moving subjects and still
keep them sharp and crisp. This is a desirable technique when taking photos of
people playing sports, wild animals that move quickly, or when you are in a
moving vehicle.

When using a slow speed (or have the shutter open for a long
time) you have the ability to capture the movement of
objects. Depending on how slow of a speed you use, you may
want to use a tripod. Anything slower than 1/60 of a second
should be used with a tripod. Without using a tripod, longer
exposures will reveal camera shake and result in blurry
images. I like to use a slow speed when taking pictures of
cars going down a busy street at night. The lights on the cars create beautiful streaks of
lights passing across the photograph. I also like to use long exposure when I want to take
photos of landscapes in low light situations. I can just set my camera on the tripod and get
a great sharp image and not have to worry about having any blur.