Frequently in life, we want the genuine available product of a particular type. Maybe we want to buy the fastest computer or the one that has the largest storage capacity. For specific events, we may purchase the most raveled tuxedo or gown that money can buy.
Likewise, after retiring and settling all of our debts, we might be interested in buying the fastest or most luxurious automobile on earth. Furthermore, when in the market for a camcorder, we may seek the best digital camcorder on the market.
Best Is Comparable
While finding the best digital video camera may seem like a measured task, it will involve some subjectivity. For example, it is probably unthinkable to find a unit that all electronics experts would consider the best digital camcorder. It is wiser to categorize camcorders, and then evaluate the best digital video camera for each category
One way to sort the best digital camcorder is to first rank the models by price range. The line of digital camcorder's stretches from a few hundreds of dollars, to many thousands of dollars. The distinction is typically linked to their functions.
Most video professionals primarily use the expensive models, while beginners usually use the cheaper, more basic models. Seeing that most amateur camcorder users often shop on a budget, we will focus on finding the best digital camcorder for those users.
Three price ranges
The first price range for the superior digital camcorder includes those that cost near a thousand dollars. These video cameras are perfect for shoppers who want to utilize their camcorders regularly. They can be used for unusual situations, such as vacations. Nevertheless, they provide quality that is also perfect for simple video projects or independent filmmaking.
Another price scope for the best digital camcorder has a price tag of $700 or less. They offer a moderate number of features and frequently include hard drive and DVD models, as well as those with a ample image sensor, known as a charge-coupled device (CCD).
Lastly, for those on a tight budget, you can still find the best digital camcorder for $450 or less. These models oftentimes include a feature for taking still photos, though the resolution is typically poor. A $450 video camera is suited well for those who will seldom use their camcorders, and mostly for personal use. It is also perfect one for new camcorder users.
To find the best digital camcorder is definitely a challenging task that is greatly based on how "the best" is defined. Notwithstanding, when you locate a digital video camera that meets your filming needs and budgetary constraints, you can certainly classify that as the best one for you. When you find the one you like and the pictures and videos look great keep it and be happy.
http://www.articlecube.com/Article/The-Best-Digital-Camera-for-You-/179858
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Choosing Your First Digital Camera
Digital cameras are no longer a luxury these days, with high resolution mega pixels and sophisticated features coming within a very appealing price range. And thanks to many comprehensive digital camera reviews, it’s easy to pick the most sought after features and qualities and still stay within a budget.
Most people turn to digital photography because they like the ease of printing and sharing the photos on the web. Business owners choose the digital quality for their product catalogues or brochures, students employ digital cameras for their projects and with digital cameras in most recent cell phones, even a child can take a snap and publish it instantly on the web. And thanks to the newest lens and zooming qualities, you don’t have to be a seasoned pro to shoot close-to-professional images with modern digital cameras.
You can hardly find a digital camera today with resolution lower than 2 megapixels – two million color dots per picture. This is a decent quality for most uses, including printing the photos for the home or school use. The higher the megapixel rate, the bigger photos you can print without sacrificing the quality. However, if you are not a professional photographer or a graphic professional who deals with upscale images all the time, you don’t really need a digital camera that produces more than 8-megapixel camera – and these rarely become available for less than $1000. Plus, if you seek to print large detailed photos, make sure you have a high-quality printer that can reproduces all the tiny details that make a difference.
When you pick a digital camera, you should also pay attention to the zoom number. Digital cameras have two different kinds of zoom. Digital zoom enlarges all pixels digitally, while optical zoom enlarges the image with the lens magnification. Since you can always enlarge the image later, on the computer using the Photoshop or other image manipulation program, you would be better to concentrate on higher optical zoom rate. The average optical zoom for midlevel digital cameras is 2 to 4x.
There are a few other options to consider: whether a digital camera uses a rechargeable batteries (zoom and LCD screen consume a lot of energy); whether the digital camera has a standard flash memory (you may need to buy a few more flash memory cards in future), and if the menus are easy to understand. If you travel a lot, you may want a digital camera that is lightweight and compact.
Even if you decide to pick the least expensive digital camera to serve your basic photography needs, you will still enjoy all the benefits of digital photography: no film rolls to buy, no wasted photos to dispose of and best of all, no waiting time to get them printed. New models of digital cameras are constantly launched, and the older ones are becoming less expensive day by day. Know your priorities, check the most recent digital camera reviews, and there should be a digital camera to perfectly suit your needs.
http://www.articlejoe.com/Article/Choosing-Your-First-Digital-Camera/1670
Most people turn to digital photography because they like the ease of printing and sharing the photos on the web. Business owners choose the digital quality for their product catalogues or brochures, students employ digital cameras for their projects and with digital cameras in most recent cell phones, even a child can take a snap and publish it instantly on the web. And thanks to the newest lens and zooming qualities, you don’t have to be a seasoned pro to shoot close-to-professional images with modern digital cameras.
You can hardly find a digital camera today with resolution lower than 2 megapixels – two million color dots per picture. This is a decent quality for most uses, including printing the photos for the home or school use. The higher the megapixel rate, the bigger photos you can print without sacrificing the quality. However, if you are not a professional photographer or a graphic professional who deals with upscale images all the time, you don’t really need a digital camera that produces more than 8-megapixel camera – and these rarely become available for less than $1000. Plus, if you seek to print large detailed photos, make sure you have a high-quality printer that can reproduces all the tiny details that make a difference.
When you pick a digital camera, you should also pay attention to the zoom number. Digital cameras have two different kinds of zoom. Digital zoom enlarges all pixels digitally, while optical zoom enlarges the image with the lens magnification. Since you can always enlarge the image later, on the computer using the Photoshop or other image manipulation program, you would be better to concentrate on higher optical zoom rate. The average optical zoom for midlevel digital cameras is 2 to 4x.
There are a few other options to consider: whether a digital camera uses a rechargeable batteries (zoom and LCD screen consume a lot of energy); whether the digital camera has a standard flash memory (you may need to buy a few more flash memory cards in future), and if the menus are easy to understand. If you travel a lot, you may want a digital camera that is lightweight and compact.
Even if you decide to pick the least expensive digital camera to serve your basic photography needs, you will still enjoy all the benefits of digital photography: no film rolls to buy, no wasted photos to dispose of and best of all, no waiting time to get them printed. New models of digital cameras are constantly launched, and the older ones are becoming less expensive day by day. Know your priorities, check the most recent digital camera reviews, and there should be a digital camera to perfectly suit your needs.
http://www.articlejoe.com/Article/Choosing-Your-First-Digital-Camera/1670
Get Digital At Cheap Prices, Purchase Cheap Digital Cameras
Do you want a digital camera for yourself but do not want to spend much money on it? There is no need to loose heart.
Gone are the days when digital cameras were the gizmos for rich and classy. The ‘digital’ need not be very expensive always. There are many cheap digital cameras in the market today.
So, following the digital technology for your photo hobby or professional photography is not a tall order at all. The Internet is the best place to gauge for all kinds of digital cameras at cheap prices. Just browse the web and you will get the grand choices for picking up an affordable digital camera.
Still, at doubts? Just read on this article and you would know how easy it is for you to find the digital technology at low rates today.
First things first, you must always know your budget and camera specifications you are looking for very well. The low budget should not be a hindrance to your preference. Just keep that in mind. In fact the advantages of having a cheap digital camera are many.
The range of cheap digital cameras starts at prices as low as £30. With such cost-effective price range, there is no need for you to be bothered about giving them to your young kids for photo explorations as well. Today’s cheap digital cameras also make for a great birthday gift or Christmas Day present for your friends and the members of your family. Moreover, a cheap camera is always utilized in a much better way than any of those expensive high tech gadgets. The reason is simple-- you feel more at ease with them.
In fact, if it is seen logically, the digital cameras are basically cheap gadgets. The main cost is of buying them and that is for once and all. Later, they will not make you spend your dollars on film rolls like the traditional cameras. This is because digital cameras mean no intake of films, no printing, no processing and thus no continuing costs.
There are many kinds of cheap cameras available in the market. Many of them are made on ‘use & throw’ basis. They are disposable cameras, which are rated quite inexpensively by the companies. Moreover, there are chances for you to get them at much less or bargained price even. As they are very cheap and affordable, people buy them on an urgent basis, or when they need them at once, for a family function, wedding or any other occasion.
Now, where you can find the cheap digital cameras? You can go and visit your nearby digital camera showroom to have a look at their collection of cheap digital cameras. You can get them in all sorts of brands, from renowned to local dealers. If you want to buy them online, there are many Internet sources as well to buy these cheap digital cameras, say Froogle or eBay.
One way to get the best price for each camera is to purchase them in bulk. For this you can contact the retailers who offer some particular discounts and packages to sell the digital cameras. The rule—the more the quantity, the lower the price—follows the camera trade, if you want to buy digital camera at low price.
Just remember that a cheap digital camera may or may not have all those features of a standard digital camera. It may not have a flash, good resolution or an effective zoom lens. But they certainly serve the simple photography purposes well. So judge all the pros and cons before making the deal.
If the price is the thing most important for you, a cheap digital camera is undoubtedly the best deal for you.
http://www.articlejoe.com/Article/Get-Digital-At-Cheap-Prices--Purchase-Cheap-Digital-Cameras/940
Gone are the days when digital cameras were the gizmos for rich and classy. The ‘digital’ need not be very expensive always. There are many cheap digital cameras in the market today.
So, following the digital technology for your photo hobby or professional photography is not a tall order at all. The Internet is the best place to gauge for all kinds of digital cameras at cheap prices. Just browse the web and you will get the grand choices for picking up an affordable digital camera.
Still, at doubts? Just read on this article and you would know how easy it is for you to find the digital technology at low rates today.
First things first, you must always know your budget and camera specifications you are looking for very well. The low budget should not be a hindrance to your preference. Just keep that in mind. In fact the advantages of having a cheap digital camera are many.
The range of cheap digital cameras starts at prices as low as £30. With such cost-effective price range, there is no need for you to be bothered about giving them to your young kids for photo explorations as well. Today’s cheap digital cameras also make for a great birthday gift or Christmas Day present for your friends and the members of your family. Moreover, a cheap camera is always utilized in a much better way than any of those expensive high tech gadgets. The reason is simple-- you feel more at ease with them.
In fact, if it is seen logically, the digital cameras are basically cheap gadgets. The main cost is of buying them and that is for once and all. Later, they will not make you spend your dollars on film rolls like the traditional cameras. This is because digital cameras mean no intake of films, no printing, no processing and thus no continuing costs.
There are many kinds of cheap cameras available in the market. Many of them are made on ‘use & throw’ basis. They are disposable cameras, which are rated quite inexpensively by the companies. Moreover, there are chances for you to get them at much less or bargained price even. As they are very cheap and affordable, people buy them on an urgent basis, or when they need them at once, for a family function, wedding or any other occasion.
Now, where you can find the cheap digital cameras? You can go and visit your nearby digital camera showroom to have a look at their collection of cheap digital cameras. You can get them in all sorts of brands, from renowned to local dealers. If you want to buy them online, there are many Internet sources as well to buy these cheap digital cameras, say Froogle or eBay.
One way to get the best price for each camera is to purchase them in bulk. For this you can contact the retailers who offer some particular discounts and packages to sell the digital cameras. The rule—the more the quantity, the lower the price—follows the camera trade, if you want to buy digital camera at low price.
Just remember that a cheap digital camera may or may not have all those features of a standard digital camera. It may not have a flash, good resolution or an effective zoom lens. But they certainly serve the simple photography purposes well. So judge all the pros and cons before making the deal.
If the price is the thing most important for you, a cheap digital camera is undoubtedly the best deal for you.
http://www.articlejoe.com/Article/Get-Digital-At-Cheap-Prices--Purchase-Cheap-Digital-Cameras/940
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
What Is The Best Digital Camera For Me?
There is so much to consider when looking for the best digital camera to suit your needs. It is important to decide what features matter the most to you. The main factors, apart from cost, in assessing which is the best digital camera for you are as follows:
• Size and weight
• Resolution
• Level of Control
• Options and features
The size and weight of the best digital camera for one person varies greatly to that of another. If you want a camera that is lightweight and will slip into a pocket or purse then a ultra-lightweight cameras will probably be the best digital camera for your needs. These are often the least complex of the digital cameras as they offer point and shoot simplicity and are the best digital camera for beginners. At the other end of the size and weight scale comes a bulky 1? pound SLR camera for the ‘serious’ photographer who wants the best digital camera with all of the accessories to take the perfect shot.
The resolution you need can narrow down which is the best digital camera for your requirements. The resolution affects the detail of an image for printing quality and the higher the resolution the greater the detail. The best digital camera for printing standard size pictures has a lower resolution than if you want to create oversize prints.
The best digital camera for being able to edit and manipulate your images is one with a resolution of 5 or 6 mega pixels so that you can crop the images with photo editing software and still print them out full size.
The amount of control that you have available will also be an issue in finding the best digital camera. Some people think that the best digital camera is one they can use in an automatic mode and let the camera do the work. Others choose the best digital camera that allows them more input in the creative process by manually adjusting the focus, speed, aperture and other settings. A simple point and shoot camera is the best digital camera for people not wanting to make any setting changes but the range of manual controls available on other cameras varies with make and model. The latter will require more research to find the best digital camera to meet your requirements.
The next part in deciding which is the best digital camera to buy is to assess what, if any, additional features you would like. Here are some suggestions:
• Audio annotation to add commentary to your images.
• Burst shooting which allows you to take multiple pictures in rapid succession for fast moving action shots.
• Macro photo capability that focuses on extreme close-up detail for images of flowers, insects, etc.
• Movie mode with audio to take short videos.
• Panoramic stitching function, often included in a camera's software package, which joins individual images into a multi-photo panoramic picture.
• Weatherproof casing
The most important aspect in choosing the best digital camera for you is ensuring that you are comfortable using it and have some fun taking pictures.
About The Author
Steve Gargin is the administrator of http://digital-camera-reviews.helper-guru.com/digital-camera-kodak-easyshare-ls753/index.html which is a great website dedicated to giving free advice on Digital Cameras.
• Size and weight
• Resolution
• Level of Control
• Options and features
The size and weight of the best digital camera for one person varies greatly to that of another. If you want a camera that is lightweight and will slip into a pocket or purse then a ultra-lightweight cameras will probably be the best digital camera for your needs. These are often the least complex of the digital cameras as they offer point and shoot simplicity and are the best digital camera for beginners. At the other end of the size and weight scale comes a bulky 1? pound SLR camera for the ‘serious’ photographer who wants the best digital camera with all of the accessories to take the perfect shot.
The resolution you need can narrow down which is the best digital camera for your requirements. The resolution affects the detail of an image for printing quality and the higher the resolution the greater the detail. The best digital camera for printing standard size pictures has a lower resolution than if you want to create oversize prints.
The best digital camera for being able to edit and manipulate your images is one with a resolution of 5 or 6 mega pixels so that you can crop the images with photo editing software and still print them out full size.
The amount of control that you have available will also be an issue in finding the best digital camera. Some people think that the best digital camera is one they can use in an automatic mode and let the camera do the work. Others choose the best digital camera that allows them more input in the creative process by manually adjusting the focus, speed, aperture and other settings. A simple point and shoot camera is the best digital camera for people not wanting to make any setting changes but the range of manual controls available on other cameras varies with make and model. The latter will require more research to find the best digital camera to meet your requirements.
The next part in deciding which is the best digital camera to buy is to assess what, if any, additional features you would like. Here are some suggestions:
• Audio annotation to add commentary to your images.
• Burst shooting which allows you to take multiple pictures in rapid succession for fast moving action shots.
• Macro photo capability that focuses on extreme close-up detail for images of flowers, insects, etc.
• Movie mode with audio to take short videos.
• Panoramic stitching function, often included in a camera's software package, which joins individual images into a multi-photo panoramic picture.
• Weatherproof casing
The most important aspect in choosing the best digital camera for you is ensuring that you are comfortable using it and have some fun taking pictures.
About The Author
Steve Gargin is the administrator of http://digital-camera-reviews.helper-guru.com/digital-camera-kodak-easyshare-ls753/index.html which is a great website dedicated to giving free advice on Digital Cameras.
Digital Camera Storage Media
When someone buys a new digital camera for recreational purposes, they rarely look at the type of storage media the camera supports. How important is the storage media, exactly? Well, it's where your pictures are stored, so it must be pretty important! Someone doesn't want to be in a another country before they figure out the camera blinks "Memory Low" in red. A new digital camera usually comes with a means of storage, but the storage media is, most of the time, not sufficient enough to hold the slighest amount of pictures. The average stock digital camera may come with 16MB, 32MB, and maybe even 64MB worth of memory media. A memory card with at least 512MB-1GB storage is highly recommended to replace the stock memory card the camera packaging includes. The most common types of digital camera storage media are CompactFlash, Secure Digital, xD Picture, Memory Stick, MicroDrive, and SmartMedia.
Most of the current digital cameras use CompactFlash cards. The two types of CF cards are Type I and Type II(slightly thicker). The Type II CompactFlash card is also known as MicroDrive, which will be discussed further down this storage media list. SanDisk describes their CF cards as "size of a matchbook and only weighs half an ounce". There is a controller card that allows for faster transfers. These cards are the most popular because of the decent price and the support throughout many digital cameras.
Secure Digital Cards are the smallest digital camera media cards in the storage media market. The cards can store up to 4GB of memory as of now, but new technology will soon increase the max size to 8GB. A high level of protection is guaranteed against illegal copying. This means that Secure Digital Cards offer more data security.
xD Picture Cards can be used in CompactFlash supported cameras with a CompactFlash adapter. The maximum capacity of xD Picture Cards is a gigabyte of space. The cards offer fast read and write capabilities for digital cameras.
Memory Sticks were created by Sony for their Cybershot line of digital cameras. They aren't supported by brands of digital cameras other than Sony which decreases their digital camera's support of Memory Sticks severely. Many of Sony's other products, besides digital cameras, support Memory Sticks. The Playstation Portable(PSP) uses Sony's Memory Sticks as well as Sony's Vaio line.
MicroDrives are the hard drives inside of Type II CompactFlash Cards. They have better value and are better priced than flash memory, but flash memory has more space and storage. You may have heard that hard drive MP3 players fail over time due to their moving parts. The same concept can be applied to these cards because they have moving parts as well. This is why you may have heard that MicroDrives are unreliable and low in quality. Many of them would break due to the mishandling of the card.
SmartMedia cards are being replaced by the new flash card technology. The cards are still available, but the modern digital cameras usually don't support this type of storage media anymore. The card is cheaper than all the other types of storage media mentioned above.
Storage Media for digital cameras is constantly evolving and improving in quality and capacity. Years ago, the maximum storage capacity for an average memory card was 128MB or 256MB at max. They cost way too much, probably 300% more than they cost right now. The prices of digital camera storage media gets lower every year as the technology gets better. The types of storage media provides diversity and choice for the average consumer with a digital camera.
About The Author
Charlie Vuong is the webmaster of DealOverflow, http://www.dealoverflow.com/, a site that offers deals on technology. Features computer deals, pda deals, laptop deals, digital camera deals, and coupons.
Things You Should Know Before Buying Discount Cameras
Taking photographs has always been considered an enjoyable pastime. Photography is one of the best ways to capture a moment in time. It seems now the world has become obsessed with taking pictures. Everywhere you look there are advertisements for cameras. Probably one of the most significant innovations in the Digital Age has been the digital camera. At one time these cameras had one thing in common with their non-digital counterparts—an expensive price tag. In recent years the cost of digital cameras has dropped considerably; so much so that you can easily purchase a digital camera for less than $200. To find the best deal you will need to do some comparison-shopping. By arming yourself with some information about digital cameras, you will better prepare yourself for buying discount cameras.
As most of the innovations in digital technology, digital cameras are considered more complex than they really are. When you shop for discount cameras, price should not be your only guide. It is a good idea to understand some of the basic features of digital cameras so that you can effectively compare the various models available on the market.
If you’re interested in buying discount cameras, you undoubtedly are familiar with at least one buzzword associated with digital cameras: megapixel. Megapixel, which refers to the number of pixels per one million or how fine an image’s resolution is, is important to consider when buying discount cameras because megapixel directly relates to the image quality you are able to obtain. When you shop for discount cameras you will notice that there are a wide range of megapixels. At one time, a digital camera with 1.3 megapixel was standard and a camera with 5.0 megapixels was considered top-shelf. With the recent introduction of digital cameras with 9.0 megapixels, the standard in megapixels is changing.
Buying a digital camera with the highest number of megapixels is not necessarily the best method of selecting a digital camera. Since megapixels relate to an image’s resolution, you should first determine your plans for the digital camera. If you want simply to take images for personal use, a median number of megapixels such as 3.5 may be sufficient. If on the other hand you intend to enlarge and crop images, you may want to shop for digital cameras with a higher number of megapixels.
The number of megapixels that a camera uses is the primary selling point for digital cameras. However, it is the additional features that will have the greatest effect on price. Optional features that you may want to consider include video recording capabilities, an optical zoom lens, and a histogram. Most cameras include a zoom lens, but it is usually a digital zoom lens. This type of lens only appears to enlarge the image. An optical zoom lens is an ideal option if you will use your digital camera to shoot distant objects. Creating a digital movie is another popular option. If you want a digital camera with this feature, be sure to note the maximum recording time. A handy feature that is not used often, but is very handy if you are serious about digital photography is histogram. Once you snap an image you can use the histogram option to analyze the exposure. If an image is too bright or too dark you can reshoot the image.
Monday, October 29, 2007
There Is A Story In Every Digital Picture Frame
Are you running out of space to display your favourite photographic memories? Fidelity Electronics has introduced state-of-the-art technology that allows you to view your personal photos on a high-resolution digital picture frame. This new technology allows photos that are being hidden away to re-appear again giving them the pride and place they so rightly deserve for all to see and admire. Each ingenious product has all the high technology, modern design and requisite features one requires for displaying precious and memorable moments.
Over the last year, Fidelity Electronics of Canada has been intensely involved in developing the digital photo and picture frame market. Fidelity recently launched their newest Digital Picture Frame, the DPF-1500 Pro with 1GB of internal memory, and an impressive 15" high-resolution color LCD screen.
Fidelity now carries 9 models of different digital picture frames each with different capabilities and styles. Useful features include, rotation, zoom, auto start and auto format. Many of the frames are also multimedia and play MPEG video and MP3 music on built in stereo speakers.
Digital picture framing will offer a new visual experience to people of all walks of life, from the high-tech pro for a traditional sales presentation to the grandmother that wants to display family photos on the mantel or hanging on the wall.
All frames have the capability of being viewed directly from all popular digital memory cards - without the need for a computer, camera or Internet connection and most include internal memory So you can sit back, relax and enjoy showcasing your photos. Imagine the conversations it will create as you, your friends and family admire your digital images! For something different, music can also be added making it the perfect presentation tool...
The love of photos really has no boundaries, all your vacation shots, party photos, baby snaps and other personal photos can come to life in just one picture frame, giving you a stylish touch to an instant photo gallery! It’s another marvellous breakthrough in the field of digital photograph framing. If you are looking to achieve a modern display of high resolution digital photo frames that offers crisper graphics, then bid farewell to the old photo lab and other obsolete contraptions and enjoy your photo memories with the new look of today.
With auto start and auto format functions all Fidelity Electronics products are effortlessly stylish while remaining perfectly functional in the same breath, making anyone of their range of digital picture frames the perfect presentation tool.
http://www.articlefair.com/Article/There-Is-A-Story-In-Every-Digital-Picture-Frame/40016
Over the last year, Fidelity Electronics of Canada has been intensely involved in developing the digital photo and picture frame market. Fidelity recently launched their newest Digital Picture Frame, the DPF-1500 Pro with 1GB of internal memory, and an impressive 15" high-resolution color LCD screen.
Fidelity now carries 9 models of different digital picture frames each with different capabilities and styles. Useful features include, rotation, zoom, auto start and auto format. Many of the frames are also multimedia and play MPEG video and MP3 music on built in stereo speakers.
Digital picture framing will offer a new visual experience to people of all walks of life, from the high-tech pro for a traditional sales presentation to the grandmother that wants to display family photos on the mantel or hanging on the wall.
All frames have the capability of being viewed directly from all popular digital memory cards - without the need for a computer, camera or Internet connection and most include internal memory So you can sit back, relax and enjoy showcasing your photos. Imagine the conversations it will create as you, your friends and family admire your digital images! For something different, music can also be added making it the perfect presentation tool...
The love of photos really has no boundaries, all your vacation shots, party photos, baby snaps and other personal photos can come to life in just one picture frame, giving you a stylish touch to an instant photo gallery! It’s another marvellous breakthrough in the field of digital photograph framing. If you are looking to achieve a modern display of high resolution digital photo frames that offers crisper graphics, then bid farewell to the old photo lab and other obsolete contraptions and enjoy your photo memories with the new look of today.
With auto start and auto format functions all Fidelity Electronics products are effortlessly stylish while remaining perfectly functional in the same breath, making anyone of their range of digital picture frames the perfect presentation tool.
http://www.articlefair.com/Article/There-Is-A-Story-In-Every-Digital-Picture-Frame/40016
Digital Camera Primer: Look Before You Buy
As with any type of electronics, such as computer notebooks, printers, or a computer desktop, buying a digital camera presents you with a myriad of choices. Each digital camera manufacturer has more than a dozen offerings, ranging from the more basic "point and shoot" camera to the top of the line professional single lens reflex digital camera. So, it's important to consider a number of factors before you buy. Here's a primer to get you started.
Digital Camera Cost
Just a few years ago, inexpensive digital cameras had terrible optics and were an overall disappointment. Not anymore. Today, even a $149 camera has more features than a $799 camera had in the past. Of course, you can pay more than $10,000 for a camera, but for most casual photographers a camera under $500 will have everything you want and then some.
Megapixels
It wasn't that long ago that a three-mexapixel digital camera was considered state-of-the-art. Today, fairly basic consumer models are seven- or eight-megapixels, which allows you to considerably crop any photo and still get a high-quality print. For that reason, don't consider buying a camera that's less than five megapixels.
LCD Display
It may not seem like the most important part of a camera, but the size of the LCD display will make a big difference while you're shooting your photos. A two-inch LCD is great, but a three-inch is even better since you'll be able to see at a glance whether the photo you just took is fuzzy or if it's a keeper. Beyond size, make sure that the LCD display is clear in all lighting conditions - indoors, outdoors, and at night. If you can't see the photo you just took, it defeats the purpose of having a digital camera.
Shooting Modes
Many digital cameras offer a variety of shooting modes as well as manual settings. Many of the ultracompact consumer cameras, however, do not have manual overrides, and you must choose among the shooting modes provided. If you're in the market for a "point and shoot" digital camera, that's no problem. On the other hand, if you want to be able to change the aperture or shutter speed, make sure you buy a digital camera that allows you to do manual settings. Similarly, if you'll primarily use your camera in a specific environment (at sporting events, for example), make sure that the digital camera you select has that specific mode. Keep in mind that some digital cameras even have underwater capability or an "eBay" setting for taking photos of items you want to auction on eBay, so don't assume the way you'll use your camera is unique.
Storage Medium
Unfortunately, there's not an industry standard when it comes to storage cards. Make sure that you understand the type of film card your camera uses, and that you have a reader that will allow you to transfer your photos from your camera to your computer desktop or laptops. Alternately, many cameras come with software (usually on a DVD) that will allow you to plug your camera directly into your desktop or notebooks and upload your pictures.
After You Buy
Once you've purchased your digital camera, take time to practice and play with the various settings. It's often said that digital cameras are more like computer peripherals than cameras, so keep in mind that there may be a learning curve. Once you've mastered it, however, you'll be amazed at the enjoyment you'll get from your new purchase.
http://www.articlefair.com/Article/Digital-Camera-Primer--Look-Before-You-Buy/35481
Digital Camera Cost
Just a few years ago, inexpensive digital cameras had terrible optics and were an overall disappointment. Not anymore. Today, even a $149 camera has more features than a $799 camera had in the past. Of course, you can pay more than $10,000 for a camera, but for most casual photographers a camera under $500 will have everything you want and then some.
Megapixels
It wasn't that long ago that a three-mexapixel digital camera was considered state-of-the-art. Today, fairly basic consumer models are seven- or eight-megapixels, which allows you to considerably crop any photo and still get a high-quality print. For that reason, don't consider buying a camera that's less than five megapixels.
LCD Display
It may not seem like the most important part of a camera, but the size of the LCD display will make a big difference while you're shooting your photos. A two-inch LCD is great, but a three-inch is even better since you'll be able to see at a glance whether the photo you just took is fuzzy or if it's a keeper. Beyond size, make sure that the LCD display is clear in all lighting conditions - indoors, outdoors, and at night. If you can't see the photo you just took, it defeats the purpose of having a digital camera.
Shooting Modes
Many digital cameras offer a variety of shooting modes as well as manual settings. Many of the ultracompact consumer cameras, however, do not have manual overrides, and you must choose among the shooting modes provided. If you're in the market for a "point and shoot" digital camera, that's no problem. On the other hand, if you want to be able to change the aperture or shutter speed, make sure you buy a digital camera that allows you to do manual settings. Similarly, if you'll primarily use your camera in a specific environment (at sporting events, for example), make sure that the digital camera you select has that specific mode. Keep in mind that some digital cameras even have underwater capability or an "eBay" setting for taking photos of items you want to auction on eBay, so don't assume the way you'll use your camera is unique.
Storage Medium
Unfortunately, there's not an industry standard when it comes to storage cards. Make sure that you understand the type of film card your camera uses, and that you have a reader that will allow you to transfer your photos from your camera to your computer desktop or laptops. Alternately, many cameras come with software (usually on a DVD) that will allow you to plug your camera directly into your desktop or notebooks and upload your pictures.
After You Buy
Once you've purchased your digital camera, take time to practice and play with the various settings. It's often said that digital cameras are more like computer peripherals than cameras, so keep in mind that there may be a learning curve. Once you've mastered it, however, you'll be amazed at the enjoyment you'll get from your new purchase.
http://www.articlefair.com/Article/Digital-Camera-Primer--Look-Before-You-Buy/35481
Friday, October 26, 2007
DIGITAL CAMERA TOOLS
More and more people are using digital cameras simply because more and more people are using Internet and computers. Digital Cameras don't replace standard 35mm film in quality (at least not yet), but they are easy to use if you want to send pictures to your friends by e-mail or you are working on multimedia projects.
In most cases the images from digital cameras should be adjusted. It is very common that images from digital cameras doesn't look too impressive in bad light conditions. Many images need to boost color saturation or make brighter midtones. Also sometimes you would like to filter noise or "too much realistic" skin on portraits.
Well the old good Brightness/Contrast sliders in image processing applications doesn't help because usually the images are ok there... You need more advanced image processing tools.
http://www.mediachance.com/digicam/index.htmlv
In most cases the images from digital cameras should be adjusted. It is very common that images from digital cameras doesn't look too impressive in bad light conditions. Many images need to boost color saturation or make brighter midtones. Also sometimes you would like to filter noise or "too much realistic" skin on portraits.
Well the old good Brightness/Contrast sliders in image processing applications doesn't help because usually the images are ok there... You need more advanced image processing tools.
http://www.mediachance.com/digicam/index.htmlv
Thursday, October 25, 2007
What to Look for When Shopping for a Digital Camera
Shopping for digital camera for the first time can be a confusing and daunting experience. With so many models and features from which to select, first-time purchasers often rely upon the advice of a sales person as to which is the best digital camera. Someone who may not be all that knowledgeable about available products and features, or doesn't know what the main function of the camera will be. All of which are very important.
First-time purchasers also often make the mistake of purchasing a digital camera solely because of its appearance, brand name, or price; without knowing a thing about digital camera photo quality or camera memory.
There is a wiser method of determining which camera to buy. First and foremost, determine the purpose for the camera. Will it be for semi-regular personal use, to take photographs as a hobby, or for professional purposes? Only after determining primary camera use is it time to move on to what specific features are most desirable in a camera.
Digital camera resolution is very important. The resolution determines how many pixels make up a photo. The term 'Pixel' is short for 'picture element.' Each pixel refers to a single point in an image.
Pixels are usually measured in horizontal x vertical resolution. High picture resolution results in a shaper picture. For the most part, higher-end cameras are capable of a higher picture resolution; lower priced cameras usually have a lower resolution capacity.
Because a high resolution camera takes up more camera memory, most cameras allow you to change picture resolution. If you want to e-mail photos to friends, a low resolution such as 640 x 480 work's fine. If you want to print photos, a high picture resolution is necessary for a clear picture that isn't grainy.
Digital camera compression is another important aspect. It is the process that shrinks a photo's file size. Pictures saved as JPEG files take up less memory space. Compression also makes it faster to save and download photos; it makes it easier to send and download e-mail pictures. However, compression affects image quality.
Because compression causes a small amount of data loss, if you want to take pictures for professional purposes, you might want a camera that can take uncompressed photos.
Digital camera memory equals film to a conventional camera. It is storage space for pictures. If you plan to download pictures from your digital camera directly to a computer or other source, a high camera memory capacity might not be important. However, if you take many pictures at one time without downloading, you will want a camera that has a lot of internal memory or one with expandable memory so that you can purchase a large-capacity digital camera memory chip or memory card.
These important aspects, along with required power source and connection functions, and consideration of extra features such as an LCD viewfinder, self-timer, built-in flash, and capacity for audio recording - and the price - should all enter into the decision making process when it comes to purchasing the best digital camera for your purposes.
You only other consideration is buying the best quality digital camera you can, within your budget. Persons who will be using the digital camera mainly for e-mail purposes can get away with a used digital camera, or inexpensive model. Where as hobbyists and professionals will want to get the best, top digital camera they can afford.
http://www.cryosphere.f2s.com/articles/cameras/what-to-look-for-when-shopping-for-a-digital-camera.html
First-time purchasers also often make the mistake of purchasing a digital camera solely because of its appearance, brand name, or price; without knowing a thing about digital camera photo quality or camera memory.
There is a wiser method of determining which camera to buy. First and foremost, determine the purpose for the camera. Will it be for semi-regular personal use, to take photographs as a hobby, or for professional purposes? Only after determining primary camera use is it time to move on to what specific features are most desirable in a camera.
Digital camera resolution is very important. The resolution determines how many pixels make up a photo. The term 'Pixel' is short for 'picture element.' Each pixel refers to a single point in an image.
Pixels are usually measured in horizontal x vertical resolution. High picture resolution results in a shaper picture. For the most part, higher-end cameras are capable of a higher picture resolution; lower priced cameras usually have a lower resolution capacity.
Because a high resolution camera takes up more camera memory, most cameras allow you to change picture resolution. If you want to e-mail photos to friends, a low resolution such as 640 x 480 work's fine. If you want to print photos, a high picture resolution is necessary for a clear picture that isn't grainy.
Digital camera compression is another important aspect. It is the process that shrinks a photo's file size. Pictures saved as JPEG files take up less memory space. Compression also makes it faster to save and download photos; it makes it easier to send and download e-mail pictures. However, compression affects image quality.
Because compression causes a small amount of data loss, if you want to take pictures for professional purposes, you might want a camera that can take uncompressed photos.
Digital camera memory equals film to a conventional camera. It is storage space for pictures. If you plan to download pictures from your digital camera directly to a computer or other source, a high camera memory capacity might not be important. However, if you take many pictures at one time without downloading, you will want a camera that has a lot of internal memory or one with expandable memory so that you can purchase a large-capacity digital camera memory chip or memory card.
These important aspects, along with required power source and connection functions, and consideration of extra features such as an LCD viewfinder, self-timer, built-in flash, and capacity for audio recording - and the price - should all enter into the decision making process when it comes to purchasing the best digital camera for your purposes.
You only other consideration is buying the best quality digital camera you can, within your budget. Persons who will be using the digital camera mainly for e-mail purposes can get away with a used digital camera, or inexpensive model. Where as hobbyists and professionals will want to get the best, top digital camera they can afford.
http://www.cryosphere.f2s.com/articles/cameras/what-to-look-for-when-shopping-for-a-digital-camera.html
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
30th Anniversary of the Digital Camera
marks the 30th anniversary of the one of the hottest consumer electronic products in the world today – the digital camera. In 1975, the world’s first digital photograph was taken at a Kodak lab in Rochester, NY, USA, in an event that preceded the Compact Disc, the Personal Computer and the Internet. In 1974 Steven Sasson, an engineer at Kodak’s Applied Electronics Research Centre, was tasked with devising an “electronic handheld still camera”. The following year his first working prototype – weighing 8.5 pounds, powered by 16 AA batteries and recording images on a cassette – took the first ever digital still camera photograph. That’s Steve, the world’s first digital camera and the world’s first ever digital photograph at right.
http://www.gizmag.com/go/4717/
“When I took the first digital image in 1975, I had no idea of the impact it would have on the world of photography,” enthuses Sasson, who still works for Kodak today. “Kodak’s flair for fostering innovation allowed us to continue developing our vision of digital imaging, which has come to fruition through the advent of the PC and the Internet. Kodak has continued to push the limits of the technology, ensuring that we stay at the cutting edge of photographic innovation.”
Sasson predicted the digital revolution more than 15 years ahead of time. He knew that digital imaging would be huge, but not until technology in the computer environment had caught up. Now that has happened, digital imaging has revolutionised photography. Digital cameras’ instant results have generated mass consumer appeal to the degree that digital images are now used in everyday communications at home and at work. In 2004, the 74 million digital cameras sold worldwide outstripped film camera sales for the first time. Forty billion digital snapshots will be taken in 2005.
Kodak’s 125th anniversary year is also a year of digital milestones. In addition to the 30th anniversary of the world’s first digital camera prototype and announcement of the world’s first wireless camera, the company is also celebrating its 15th year in digital document scanners, and the 10th anniversary of the first Kodak-branded consumer digital camera.
http://www.gizmag.com/go/4717/
The SANYO VPC-CA6 weatherproof digital movie camera
We’ve always thought it was kinda dumb that cameras should be so averse to water – they are, after all, there to capture special moments and some of those moments occur while it’s raining. So it’s partly with disbelief that we are writing up a digital movie camera with weatherproof functionality as being all that special, though a lack of such functionality elsewhere does make this camera special. Shouldn’t they all be weatherproof? Shouldn’t all cameras be portable and durable? If you think this should be standard fare, as we do, then Sanyo’s newly launched VPC-CA6 weatherproof digital movie camera is designed for you – presumably a user with an active lifestyle that involves water recreational activities. The hardwearing splash-proof VPC-CA6 body offers carefree video recording by the pool, camping, at the beach or on the water, allowing users to capture their treasured moments with wet hands. The camera’s compact ergonomic design enables one handed usage, which can prove useful.
Featuring MPEG-4 digital recording for DVD movie quality, with high resolution of 6.0 megapixels, the SANYO VPC-CA6 captures high quality images producing professional looking footage of holidays, sporting events and family events.
The SANYO VPC-CA6 features a 5x optical and 12x digital zoom. The optical zoom magnifies the image using a real multifocal-length lens ensuring the finest picture quality even when using the zoom function.
For a professional final result, the SANYO VPC-CA6 weatherproof includes an editing function for quick and easy editing directly from the camera, as well as USB storage support, and a PC movie editing kit. Video clips and images can be played back or recorded through the DVD recorder connection, or viewed through the TV connection.
The SANYO VPC-CA6 can also be used as a still digital camera and video camera simultaneously. By simply pressing the shutter button users can capture still images while recording video.
Fast paced lifestyles can lead to easy-to-miss situations; however the SANYO VPC-CA6 has a rapid start-up time of 1.3 seconds, so memorable moments can be quickly captured.
The SANYO VPC-CA6 also features a digital stereo and noise reduction function for clear and accurate sounds and a digital image stabiliser to correct unintentional camera shake.
For a limited time, the SANYO VPC-CA6 weatherproof movie camera will include a bonus 1GB SD memory card, giving extra space to store precious memories. Users can take pictures anywhere and anytime and keep them saved on the card, which is great for holidays when downloading images and movies might not be an option.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Sensor size and Depth of field in film and digital cameras
Depth of field is defined as the range in which the photo is in focus. Achieving a specific depth of field is a useful photography technique used for example to achieve a blurry background effect. Film and digital cameras have different optical attributes as a result of using different sensor sizes. For that reason depth of field is also different in film and digital cameras.
Before you can understand the difference between film and digital cameras when it comes to depth of field, it is important to understand what depth of field is and how it can be set by the photographer. Depth of field (also known as DOF for short) is defined as the range in which the photo is in focus. For example: an infinite depth of field means that the photo will be in focus from a certain distance from the camera and up to infinity. Another example: when taking a blurry photo the goal is to set the depth of field just around the object, which results in the object being in focus while the background behind it is not.
The depth of field is influenced by the optical parameters of the camera and the specific scene. The main parameters that influence the depth of field are:
The distance of the object from the camera influences the possible depth of field settings. For example shooting an object that is very close to the camera will result in a smaller depth of field. On the other an extreme case when the object is in practical infinite distance from the camera will result in the camera focused on infinity and the depth of field being infinite too.
The aperture: The depth of field increases as the f number increases. The wider the aperture (f number decreases) the smaller the depth of field and vice versa: the narrower the aperture (f number increases) the greater the depth of field.
The focal length of the lens: The depth of field grows as the focal length gets shorter. For example if you use normal lenses at somewhere around 50mm your depth of field will be much greater than if you use zoom lenses at 200mm. With a very long focal length the depth of field can be extremely small.
One of the main differences between film and digital cameras is the sensor used to capture the photo. Film cameras use a film sensitive to light that is placed behind the lens. When a photo is taken the shutter opens for a predetermined period of time and light hits the film. The result is a photo “printed” on the film. Digital cameras on the other hand use a fixed electronic sensor (also known as CCD) that is situated behind the lens. The sensor is built from tiny light sensitive sensors each representing a pixel. When the shutter opens light hits the sensor and each pixel gets its “value”. Put together all the pixels comprise one digital photo.
A normal single frame of film size was standardized at 35mm. Digital cameras on the other hand use smaller sensors. One of the reasons why digital sensors are smaller is cost – manufacturing a large electronic sensor is costly (for reasons such as yield and other specific process limitations). The depth of field changes with the sensor size, the smaller the sensor the higher the depth of field. In fact low end pocket cameras use small sensors that together with their other optical limitations result in depth of field that is practically infinite. Because photographers used to measure everything based on 35mm film – many digital cameras still quote “35mm equivalent” measurement. There are a few high end SLR digital cameras that use 35mm sensors thus providing the same optical characteristics as the old film cameras. These are still expensive and considered high end professional cameras.
http://www.kokkada.com/Article/Sensor-size-and-Depth-of-field-in-film-and-digital-cameras/22403
Before you can understand the difference between film and digital cameras when it comes to depth of field, it is important to understand what depth of field is and how it can be set by the photographer. Depth of field (also known as DOF for short) is defined as the range in which the photo is in focus. For example: an infinite depth of field means that the photo will be in focus from a certain distance from the camera and up to infinity. Another example: when taking a blurry photo the goal is to set the depth of field just around the object, which results in the object being in focus while the background behind it is not.
The depth of field is influenced by the optical parameters of the camera and the specific scene. The main parameters that influence the depth of field are:
The distance of the object from the camera influences the possible depth of field settings. For example shooting an object that is very close to the camera will result in a smaller depth of field. On the other an extreme case when the object is in practical infinite distance from the camera will result in the camera focused on infinity and the depth of field being infinite too.
The aperture: The depth of field increases as the f number increases. The wider the aperture (f number decreases) the smaller the depth of field and vice versa: the narrower the aperture (f number increases) the greater the depth of field.
The focal length of the lens: The depth of field grows as the focal length gets shorter. For example if you use normal lenses at somewhere around 50mm your depth of field will be much greater than if you use zoom lenses at 200mm. With a very long focal length the depth of field can be extremely small.
One of the main differences between film and digital cameras is the sensor used to capture the photo. Film cameras use a film sensitive to light that is placed behind the lens. When a photo is taken the shutter opens for a predetermined period of time and light hits the film. The result is a photo “printed” on the film. Digital cameras on the other hand use a fixed electronic sensor (also known as CCD) that is situated behind the lens. The sensor is built from tiny light sensitive sensors each representing a pixel. When the shutter opens light hits the sensor and each pixel gets its “value”. Put together all the pixels comprise one digital photo.
A normal single frame of film size was standardized at 35mm. Digital cameras on the other hand use smaller sensors. One of the reasons why digital sensors are smaller is cost – manufacturing a large electronic sensor is costly (for reasons such as yield and other specific process limitations). The depth of field changes with the sensor size, the smaller the sensor the higher the depth of field. In fact low end pocket cameras use small sensors that together with their other optical limitations result in depth of field that is practically infinite. Because photographers used to measure everything based on 35mm film – many digital cameras still quote “35mm equivalent” measurement. There are a few high end SLR digital cameras that use 35mm sensors thus providing the same optical characteristics as the old film cameras. These are still expensive and considered high end professional cameras.
http://www.kokkada.com/Article/Sensor-size-and-Depth-of-field-in-film-and-digital-cameras/22403
Thursday, October 18, 2007
GE Digital Cameras are Strong Sellers at Micro Center
"Micro Center stores do a lot of volume and are an important outlet for us," said Hiroshi "Hugh" Komiya, chairman and CEO of General Imaging. "We're excited about adding this retailer to our team."
Micro Center stores have a more upscale feel than typical big-box consumer-electronics stores, offering selection, service and sales staff expertise modeled after Nordstrom and other service-oriented retailers. "The Micro Center business model reaches a whole new demographic for us," said Rene Buhay, General Imaging's senior vice president of sales & marketing for the Americas.
Kevin Jones, vice president of merchandising for Micro Center, said, "The new GE cameras made an immediate impact with our customers. Their feature sets and price points are excellent."
All GE cameras boast sleek and intuitive design, plus a host of popular, advanced functions as standard features, including face detection, image stabilization, red-eye removal, 1600 ISO sensitivity (or higher), and panorama stitching - all of which are embedded in the camera. Panorama stitching is proving to be an especially popular feature, allowing the user to join three images together seamlessly to take in landscapes and other wide vistas.
GE cameras also offer movie mode, continuous-shot mode, and a variety of special scene modes - all at prices far less than many of their competitors.
Even at the entry level, the GE A730 (MSRP just $99.99) includes features one would expect from a much more expensive camera, including 7 megapixels of resolution, a 3x zoom, and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. The A830 ($129.99) is the next step up, offering 8 megapixels and the same specs for zoom and screen size. The G1 ($149.99) offers 7 megapixels, a 3x zoom and a 2.5-inch screen as well, but its drawing card is its ease of handling and pocket-friendly dimensions (35/8 inches wide x 2 1/2 inches high).
The four models in the mid-priced E series offer even more, including even higher resolution, larger zooms, a wide-angle lens, and higher ISO. At the high end of the GE line, the X1 (price TBD) will offer a 12x zoom - great for close-ups when the shooter is far from the action.
About Micro Center
Micro Center operates twenty stores in major markets nationwide. Founded in 1979 in Columbus, Micro Center's distinctive features include:
-- A destination retailer designed to satisfy the dedicated computer user.
-- Uniquely focused on computers and computer-related products. In fact, Micro Center offers more computer and computer-related SKUs (more than 30,000 in stock) than any other retailer.
-- More square footage devoted exclusively to computers and computer-related items than any other retailer (stores average 40,000 square feet).
-- Selection, service and sales staff expertise which surpass all other computer stores.
-- More upscale atmospherics than big box consumer electronics stores.
-- Innovators of the departmentalized approach to computer retailing. Service levels and expertise vary to meet customer preferences by department. This means:
-- Consultative career sales staff in hardware departments which surround staple items in the center of the store.
-- Quick in/out shopping experience on staple items with checkouts arranged conveniently.
-- Large gaming departments featuring XBOX 360, PS3, Wii and PC Gaming displays on HDTVs, more than 2,000 games and nearly 350 different accessories per store.
Readers of the leading U.S. consumer magazine have consistently rated Micro Center among the best stores at which to buy a PC since the publication began surveying satisfaction with computer stores in 2003. Consumers can also purchase online at www.microcenter.com.
http://www.digital-camera-advice-tips.info/article.cfm/id/224779
Micro Center stores have a more upscale feel than typical big-box consumer-electronics stores, offering selection, service and sales staff expertise modeled after Nordstrom and other service-oriented retailers. "The Micro Center business model reaches a whole new demographic for us," said Rene Buhay, General Imaging's senior vice president of sales & marketing for the Americas.
Kevin Jones, vice president of merchandising for Micro Center, said, "The new GE cameras made an immediate impact with our customers. Their feature sets and price points are excellent."
All GE cameras boast sleek and intuitive design, plus a host of popular, advanced functions as standard features, including face detection, image stabilization, red-eye removal, 1600 ISO sensitivity (or higher), and panorama stitching - all of which are embedded in the camera. Panorama stitching is proving to be an especially popular feature, allowing the user to join three images together seamlessly to take in landscapes and other wide vistas.
GE cameras also offer movie mode, continuous-shot mode, and a variety of special scene modes - all at prices far less than many of their competitors.
Even at the entry level, the GE A730 (MSRP just $99.99) includes features one would expect from a much more expensive camera, including 7 megapixels of resolution, a 3x zoom, and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. The A830 ($129.99) is the next step up, offering 8 megapixels and the same specs for zoom and screen size. The G1 ($149.99) offers 7 megapixels, a 3x zoom and a 2.5-inch screen as well, but its drawing card is its ease of handling and pocket-friendly dimensions (35/8 inches wide x 2 1/2 inches high).
The four models in the mid-priced E series offer even more, including even higher resolution, larger zooms, a wide-angle lens, and higher ISO. At the high end of the GE line, the X1 (price TBD) will offer a 12x zoom - great for close-ups when the shooter is far from the action.
About Micro Center
Micro Center operates twenty stores in major markets nationwide. Founded in 1979 in Columbus, Micro Center's distinctive features include:
-- A destination retailer designed to satisfy the dedicated computer user.
-- Uniquely focused on computers and computer-related products. In fact, Micro Center offers more computer and computer-related SKUs (more than 30,000 in stock) than any other retailer.
-- More square footage devoted exclusively to computers and computer-related items than any other retailer (stores average 40,000 square feet).
-- Selection, service and sales staff expertise which surpass all other computer stores.
-- More upscale atmospherics than big box consumer electronics stores.
-- Innovators of the departmentalized approach to computer retailing. Service levels and expertise vary to meet customer preferences by department. This means:
-- Consultative career sales staff in hardware departments which surround staple items in the center of the store.
-- Quick in/out shopping experience on staple items with checkouts arranged conveniently.
-- Large gaming departments featuring XBOX 360, PS3, Wii and PC Gaming displays on HDTVs, more than 2,000 games and nearly 350 different accessories per store.
Readers of the leading U.S. consumer magazine have consistently rated Micro Center among the best stores at which to buy a PC since the publication began surveying satisfaction with computer stores in 2003. Consumers can also purchase online at www.microcenter.com.
http://www.digital-camera-advice-tips.info/article.cfm/id/224779
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Getting The Best Out Of Your Digital Camera
The light from even a small flash is as powerful as the sun but, given that it's only source of energy is a small battery, it can only produce this amount of light for an extremely small period of time - less than 1/1000th of a second. The actual length of time the flash fires for is very carefully controlled by your camera. During a flash exposure, your camera constantly monitors the amount of light reaching the image sensor and shuts off the flash as soon as the picture is exposed correctly.
It has to do this because the light from a small flash falls off dramatically the further away you are. In fact, it falls off with the square of the distance. That means if you moved your subject twice as far away, you would need four times as much light, 3 times further away requires 9 times the amount of light.
But you don't need to know that because your camera will do all that for you automatically. If you did move your subject 3 times further away the flash duration would simply be 9 times longer. This would still be an extremely short time and you probably wouldn't notice the difference. What you might notice is that the flash would take longer to recharge because it had used up so much power.
The very first flashguns were entirely manual and photographers had to do long calculations to determine the correct exposure when using flash. Studio flash units still work this way but most photographers now use flash meters to avoid having to do all this calculating.
So your flashgun will automatically compensate for the distance of your subject and give you a perfectly exposed picture every time - what could possibly go wrong?
Out of range
Although your flash will compensate for the subject's distance, it has its limits. It only has a certain amount of power and this translates into a maximum distance for your subject. If you try to take a flash picture from any further away, it will just be too dark or underexposed. Your camera's manual should tell you what the maximum subject distance is for flash photography is. In small cameras it is typically 12-15 feet.
It is often expressed as a range of distances rather than a single absolute figure because the conditions under which you are taking the photograph will have an effect on this maximum distance. For example, When you take a picture indoors the light from the flash not only goes directly to the subject but also lights up the whole room. The light that hits the walls and ceiling then bounces off them and adds to the light landing on your subject. Compare that situation with taking a flash picture outdoors at night. The light that doesn't reach your subject directly has nothing to bounce off, so overall, less light will land on your subject. Whilst your camera's flash might be able to compensate perfectly well for this, it will reduce the maximum distance for flash photography compared with taking pictures indoors.
Of course, indoors can mean a tiny room or an enormous one. So, if you are taking your photograph in a baronial banqueting hall with very dark walls and a high ceiling, you could be approaching the same situation as you have outdoors and the maximum distance for flash would be reduced.
What this means in practical terms is that if you have just taken a flash picture and it looks too dark, just get closer and try again. That will usually solve the problem.
Don't get too close
There is also a minimum distance for which you can successfully use flash. As your subject gets closer and closer, the flash duration gets shorter and shorter. Eventually, you will reach the limit of how quick the flash can be. In practical terms, this translates into a minimum distance for flash photography with your camera.
I'm sure all of you will have seen pictures of people taken with flash where their faces were bleached out and they look like ghosts. That's what happens if you get too close with a flash gun. Again, your camera's manual should give you the minimum flash distance for your particular camera.
If you can't find the information about maximum and minimum flash distances you could always do a few test shots and measure it for yourself. As a general guideline, if your subject is between 6 and 12 feet away, you should be all right.
Any digital camera has an array of functions and uses that enable the handler to take excellent pictures. However, many of the functions are not fully understood and the pictures are not of the best possible quality. Understanding these features enable the user to have complete control over their machine, and therefore get the best possible images.
Firstly the quality of the image that can be produced relies upon the resolution of the digital camera. This is made up of mega pixels. The number of mega pixels determines the level of detail in the picture. The pixels are the tiny dots of colour that make up image. These look fine on the computer or screen. However, once transferred to the computer and enlarged, images containing a lower number of pixels show these dots and so the image is flawed. Therefore, for good quality images the best digital camera to choose is one that has a high number of mega pixels.
The quality of the digital camera lens will also affect your picture quality. The lens should have a zoom feature, which enables you to zoom both in and out to create the perfect composition for your image. Each device will differ, but the concept is the same. The lens should be labeled with two zoom numbers; the smallest states the shortest possible zoom distance and the biggest number shows the longest possible distance. Consider the type of photographs that you are going to take when choosing your digital camera. If the pictures will mainly be indoors, then a lower number is required to be able to zoom out in enclosed areas.
The average digital camera will have an inbuilt auto focus function which will serve most amateur photographer`s needs. However, for more effects or for advanced photography, select a camera that has a manual focus option also. The auto focus can be turned off in some devices, which is an exceptional feature as the photographer can choose which option is best for the photograph being taken.
Another consideration is the shutter delay on the digital camera. The shutter delay affects the quality of focus and composition. The delay means that the picture is actually taken some time after the button is pressed on the camera. This means that the subject of the composition may have moved, clouds may shadow the expected lighting effects, or that your hand may shake and so the image is distorted and blurred. A good way to combat this is to only half press the button when you are composing the picture. This activates the auto focus and prepares the device for the shot. When the button is pressed, the photograph will be taken much more quickly, and will help combat any distortions.
Memory space is important if you want to take good photographs with your digital camera. Not only does this enable lots of storage, it also gives you the opportunity to take several photographs, in search of that one perfect shot.
Any digital camera will have inbuilt storage but this is minimal, averaging around 16 megabytes in total. The memory space can be added to with the use of a memory card or stick. The type chosen will depend upon what is compatible with your camera. Any memory card or stick is good, and they go up to 2GB in size. It is important that the type chosen is compatible with your home computer so that the images can be transferred and stored, giving you access to more photographic opportunities.
http://www.digital-camera-advice-tips.info/article.cfm/id/196002
It has to do this because the light from a small flash falls off dramatically the further away you are. In fact, it falls off with the square of the distance. That means if you moved your subject twice as far away, you would need four times as much light, 3 times further away requires 9 times the amount of light.
But you don't need to know that because your camera will do all that for you automatically. If you did move your subject 3 times further away the flash duration would simply be 9 times longer. This would still be an extremely short time and you probably wouldn't notice the difference. What you might notice is that the flash would take longer to recharge because it had used up so much power.
The very first flashguns were entirely manual and photographers had to do long calculations to determine the correct exposure when using flash. Studio flash units still work this way but most photographers now use flash meters to avoid having to do all this calculating.
So your flashgun will automatically compensate for the distance of your subject and give you a perfectly exposed picture every time - what could possibly go wrong?
Out of range
Although your flash will compensate for the subject's distance, it has its limits. It only has a certain amount of power and this translates into a maximum distance for your subject. If you try to take a flash picture from any further away, it will just be too dark or underexposed. Your camera's manual should tell you what the maximum subject distance is for flash photography is. In small cameras it is typically 12-15 feet.
It is often expressed as a range of distances rather than a single absolute figure because the conditions under which you are taking the photograph will have an effect on this maximum distance. For example, When you take a picture indoors the light from the flash not only goes directly to the subject but also lights up the whole room. The light that hits the walls and ceiling then bounces off them and adds to the light landing on your subject. Compare that situation with taking a flash picture outdoors at night. The light that doesn't reach your subject directly has nothing to bounce off, so overall, less light will land on your subject. Whilst your camera's flash might be able to compensate perfectly well for this, it will reduce the maximum distance for flash photography compared with taking pictures indoors.
Of course, indoors can mean a tiny room or an enormous one. So, if you are taking your photograph in a baronial banqueting hall with very dark walls and a high ceiling, you could be approaching the same situation as you have outdoors and the maximum distance for flash would be reduced.
What this means in practical terms is that if you have just taken a flash picture and it looks too dark, just get closer and try again. That will usually solve the problem.
Don't get too close
There is also a minimum distance for which you can successfully use flash. As your subject gets closer and closer, the flash duration gets shorter and shorter. Eventually, you will reach the limit of how quick the flash can be. In practical terms, this translates into a minimum distance for flash photography with your camera.
I'm sure all of you will have seen pictures of people taken with flash where their faces were bleached out and they look like ghosts. That's what happens if you get too close with a flash gun. Again, your camera's manual should give you the minimum flash distance for your particular camera.
If you can't find the information about maximum and minimum flash distances you could always do a few test shots and measure it for yourself. As a general guideline, if your subject is between 6 and 12 feet away, you should be all right.
Any digital camera has an array of functions and uses that enable the handler to take excellent pictures. However, many of the functions are not fully understood and the pictures are not of the best possible quality. Understanding these features enable the user to have complete control over their machine, and therefore get the best possible images.
Firstly the quality of the image that can be produced relies upon the resolution of the digital camera. This is made up of mega pixels. The number of mega pixels determines the level of detail in the picture. The pixels are the tiny dots of colour that make up image. These look fine on the computer or screen. However, once transferred to the computer and enlarged, images containing a lower number of pixels show these dots and so the image is flawed. Therefore, for good quality images the best digital camera to choose is one that has a high number of mega pixels.
The quality of the digital camera lens will also affect your picture quality. The lens should have a zoom feature, which enables you to zoom both in and out to create the perfect composition for your image. Each device will differ, but the concept is the same. The lens should be labeled with two zoom numbers; the smallest states the shortest possible zoom distance and the biggest number shows the longest possible distance. Consider the type of photographs that you are going to take when choosing your digital camera. If the pictures will mainly be indoors, then a lower number is required to be able to zoom out in enclosed areas.
The average digital camera will have an inbuilt auto focus function which will serve most amateur photographer`s needs. However, for more effects or for advanced photography, select a camera that has a manual focus option also. The auto focus can be turned off in some devices, which is an exceptional feature as the photographer can choose which option is best for the photograph being taken.
Another consideration is the shutter delay on the digital camera. The shutter delay affects the quality of focus and composition. The delay means that the picture is actually taken some time after the button is pressed on the camera. This means that the subject of the composition may have moved, clouds may shadow the expected lighting effects, or that your hand may shake and so the image is distorted and blurred. A good way to combat this is to only half press the button when you are composing the picture. This activates the auto focus and prepares the device for the shot. When the button is pressed, the photograph will be taken much more quickly, and will help combat any distortions.
Memory space is important if you want to take good photographs with your digital camera. Not only does this enable lots of storage, it also gives you the opportunity to take several photographs, in search of that one perfect shot.
Any digital camera will have inbuilt storage but this is minimal, averaging around 16 megabytes in total. The memory space can be added to with the use of a memory card or stick. The type chosen will depend upon what is compatible with your camera. Any memory card or stick is good, and they go up to 2GB in size. It is important that the type chosen is compatible with your home computer so that the images can be transferred and stored, giving you access to more photographic opportunities.
http://www.digital-camera-advice-tips.info/article.cfm/id/196002
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Digital SLR Buyer's Guide
As a result of the recent rush to 10 megapixel digital SLR cameras, everything that has been held sacred in the camera business is now upside down. At the price of yesterday's 6 megapixel cameras you can now buy almost twice the resolution - and you can definitely see the difference in pictures taken at 6 and 10 megapixels. The $1700 Nikon D200 is now mostly the same feature set and virtually the same 10 megapixel sensor as the new $999 Nikon D80, and the $800 Canon Rebel XTi has almost the same processing engine as the $1500 Canon 30D and a 10 megapixel resolution compared to the 8 megapixel of the 30D. Since so much has progressed so fast in the last few months, it is time for a hard look at what is available in the hottest digital camera segment - digital SLRs.
The new "entry" level digital SLR market, generally defined as digital SLR cameras that sell for $1000 or less, has certainly expanded at both the bottom and the top. Today you can actually buy a digital SLR camera in the $400 to $500 price range, which was unheard of as recently as last year's Holiday buying season. This lower entry price has practically made the popular fixed lens SLR and "quality" pocket digital cameras all but obsolete. Why pay $800 for a fixed lens digital when you can get more features and flexibility with an interchangeable lens digital SLR at a lower price? This "prosumer" category of the past is rapidly disappearing, but it is worth pointing out that there is always room for a high-quality, pocketable fixed-lens digital camera.
he $1000 and under segment, which used to be entry level SLR cameras, now includes10 megapixel models at the top, and the feature sets for this new generation include enhancements previously available only on much more expensive cameras. All of the 10 megapixel SLRs are faster than their predecessors - borrowing processing engines from higher priced models (Nikon and Canon) or pioneering new high-speed processing circuits (Pentax and Sony).
The "entry" market is now segmented into true entry level SLR cameras in the $400 to $600 price range, the new 10 megapixel mid-range SLRs at $700 to $1000, and a couple of mid-range 8 megapixel SLRs that straddle the middle in the $600 to $700 range. In practical terms it is very difficult to tell any difference between 6 and 8 megapixel images, or between 8 megapixel and 10. However, there is a discernable improvement in moving from 6 to 10 megapixels.
This SLR Buyer's Guide will take a closer look at the top of this range, comparing the new 10 megapixel models. We will also compare models in the true entry level $400 to $600 range. The 8 megapixel models will be considered at both ends of the spectrum for features and value. Prices quoted in this guide are based on the best prices we could find at major online retailers like Newegg or Amazon. These are also typical prices in our own price engine. The prices quoted should be available to any online shopper, but you may find even better prices if you are willing to do more searching. Conversely, local photo specialty retailers normally provide better customer support and return options than etailers, and their prices for the same item will generally be higher.
If you are shopping for a digital camera but you're not really a photo hobbyist, you might want to start with our overview of digital photography in Digital Photography from 20,000 Feet. In that introduction we cover the terms and concepts used in this Buyer's Guide. If you're a photo hobbyist then dive in. Our advice is not jaded, and many will be surprised that Nikon and Canon were not our first choices in every category. 2006 was definitely the year of the Digital SLR camera, and the names that are new or that resurfaced this year are definitely making shopping for a new Digital SLR more fun than it has been in a very long time.
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2896
Monday, October 15, 2007
Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera introduction
Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera introduction : Fresh for the summer season, the new Kodak EasyShare V550 V-series digital camera has been unveiled today in cities around the globe. The Kodak V550, smaller than a deck of playing cards, is designed for trendsetters who seek high-style, compact personal electronics that combine phenomenal quality, performance and simplicity. The Kodak EasyShare V550 zoom digital camera breaks new ground in blending video and still photography. For the first time, videos can be automatically turned into stop-action still pictures perfect for printing and sharing. Record longer, up to 80 minutes, TV-quality videos with sound, while using less memory storage.
Kodak EasyShare V550 -Video
Avoid on-screen shaking with built-in image stabilization technology, and zoom in on video subjects in real time using the professional-caliber Scheinder-Kreuznach lens. Then watch the videos with friends on the cameras' big, bright, crisp LCD screens, viewable from nearly any angle. In addition, EasyShare Software version 5.0, which will be available as a free download next month from Kodak's website, makes combining, rotating, and adding music to video clips a breeze.
Kodak V550 - EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2
Crafted to capture every pose, the EasyShare V530 camera is equipped with 5-megapixel (MP) resolution for breathtaking prints up to 20 x 30 inches. The included Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2, which provides one-touch picture transfer to a connected computer while keeping the cameras' high-capacity battery charged and ready to go, can play video and photo 'slideshows' on the cameras' high-resolution LCD screens, providing an additional degree of elevated design and innovation to EasyShare V-Series camera owners.
Kodak V550 digital camera - Designed for women
"With women buying more than half of the electronic items sold in the United States, Kodak is designing new products that particularly appeal not only to women's sense of style, but also a desire to simplify their lives," said Mary-Irene Marek, worldwide marketing manager at Kodak. "The new Kodak EasyShare V550 camera makes it incredibly simple to take and share videos and pictures, while being chic, fashionable and small enough to slip into the newest designer handbag."
Kodak EasyShare V550 camera - Perfect for every social occasion
Like the little black dress or classic button-down shirt, the Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera is perfect for nearly every social occasion. In addition to its high-end video performance, the Kodak V550 model captures all moments with 5MP resolution and its pro-caliber, Scheinder-Kreuznach C-Variogon 3X optical zoom lens. Nineteen scene modes such as beach, snow, sunset and party help you get the best possible shot with the least possible effort.
Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera - Beautifull bodie
The black and silver metal camera bodies, paired with luminescent blue indicator lights, beg to be shown off. A brilliant 2.5-inch, very high-resolution LCD screen (230,000 pixels) is viewable from almost any angle (170 degrees) and can be used to preview a shot - as can the optical viewfinder - before instantly sharing the snapped picture with friends. The Kodak EasyShare V550 camera will be available worldwide beginning this June for US$399 (MSRP).
Kodak V550 digital camera - EasyShare Software
Kodak V-series cameras, like the EasyShare V550, include Kodak EasyShare software for Windows and Macintosh systems, providing effortless digital picture organization, editing, sharing and printing - and even CD and DVD burning. The exclusive One Touch to Better Pictures feature takes advantage of proprietary color technologies developed by Kodak to help users get vibrant, true-to-life prints from inkjet printers. Version 5.0 will be available as a free download from the website of Kodak beginning this summer, and will feature new video editing tools that allow people to quickly and simply trim, splice, rotate and add music to videos. Kodak EasyShare Software is now among the most widely used picture software titles in the world, with more than 22 million consumers enjoying its features.
Kodak V550 camera - Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3
Kodak makes it easy to accessorize the new V-serie camera, with a range of products that help show off your pictures. For instance, the popular Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3 (US$149 MSRP) makes it one-touch simple to print real Kodak pictures at home in just seconds - with or without a computer.
http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/news/articles/story_3285.html
Kodak EasyShare V550 -Video
Avoid on-screen shaking with built-in image stabilization technology, and zoom in on video subjects in real time using the professional-caliber Scheinder-Kreuznach lens. Then watch the videos with friends on the cameras' big, bright, crisp LCD screens, viewable from nearly any angle. In addition, EasyShare Software version 5.0, which will be available as a free download next month from Kodak's website, makes combining, rotating, and adding music to video clips a breeze.
Kodak V550 - EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2
Crafted to capture every pose, the EasyShare V530 camera is equipped with 5-megapixel (MP) resolution for breathtaking prints up to 20 x 30 inches. The included Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame Dock 2, which provides one-touch picture transfer to a connected computer while keeping the cameras' high-capacity battery charged and ready to go, can play video and photo 'slideshows' on the cameras' high-resolution LCD screens, providing an additional degree of elevated design and innovation to EasyShare V-Series camera owners.
Kodak V550 digital camera - Designed for women
"With women buying more than half of the electronic items sold in the United States, Kodak is designing new products that particularly appeal not only to women's sense of style, but also a desire to simplify their lives," said Mary-Irene Marek, worldwide marketing manager at Kodak. "The new Kodak EasyShare V550 camera makes it incredibly simple to take and share videos and pictures, while being chic, fashionable and small enough to slip into the newest designer handbag."
Kodak EasyShare V550 camera - Perfect for every social occasion
Like the little black dress or classic button-down shirt, the Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera is perfect for nearly every social occasion. In addition to its high-end video performance, the Kodak V550 model captures all moments with 5MP resolution and its pro-caliber, Scheinder-Kreuznach C-Variogon 3X optical zoom lens. Nineteen scene modes such as beach, snow, sunset and party help you get the best possible shot with the least possible effort.
Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera - Beautifull bodie
The black and silver metal camera bodies, paired with luminescent blue indicator lights, beg to be shown off. A brilliant 2.5-inch, very high-resolution LCD screen (230,000 pixels) is viewable from almost any angle (170 degrees) and can be used to preview a shot - as can the optical viewfinder - before instantly sharing the snapped picture with friends. The Kodak EasyShare V550 camera will be available worldwide beginning this June for US$399 (MSRP).
Kodak V550 digital camera - EasyShare Software
Kodak V-series cameras, like the EasyShare V550, include Kodak EasyShare software for Windows and Macintosh systems, providing effortless digital picture organization, editing, sharing and printing - and even CD and DVD burning. The exclusive One Touch to Better Pictures feature takes advantage of proprietary color technologies developed by Kodak to help users get vibrant, true-to-life prints from inkjet printers. Version 5.0 will be available as a free download from the website of Kodak beginning this summer, and will feature new video editing tools that allow people to quickly and simply trim, splice, rotate and add music to videos. Kodak EasyShare Software is now among the most widely used picture software titles in the world, with more than 22 million consumers enjoying its features.
Kodak V550 camera - Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3
Kodak makes it easy to accessorize the new V-serie camera, with a range of products that help show off your pictures. For instance, the popular Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3 (US$149 MSRP) makes it one-touch simple to print real Kodak pictures at home in just seconds - with or without a computer.
http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/news/articles/story_3285.html
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Video Production Equipment: The Director’s Cut
New technologies in video production equipment combined with the emergence of video—particularly digital video—as an acceptable medium for film has made it possible for almost anyone to become a film director virtually overnight. While the cost of film and film equipment is financially prohibitive, video production equipment is relatively inexpensive and can be mastered quite quickly. While there is a great deal more to the art of film that just having the right equipment, the accessibility of video equipment has encouraged many amateur filmmakers to give it their best shot. Understanding the basics of video production equipment is the first step to becoming the next Steven Spielberg.
Filming Video Production Gear
As you prepare to make a video film, it’s a good idea to take stock of your video production equipment required for filming to make sure you have everything that you need. Some common video production products needed for creating a professional looking film include:
* Professional video cameras – From ENG cameras that are slightly larger than your average camcorder to Studio cameras that are connected via cable to dock recorders that do that actual taping, there are many levels of professional grade digital video cameras.
* Stabilization Equipment – Including simple tripods, shoulder mounts, camera dollies and high tech camera cranes, stabilization equipment ensures that the video production is smooth and not shaky. Additionally, stabilization video production equipment can help determine the type of camera shot that is available for a production.
* Film Quality Lighting – Beyond just lights, film quality lighting banks include grip lighting, reflectors, crate grids for lighting effects and scrims to control different aspects of light diffusion.
* Microphone/Audio System – While many video cameras contain a microphone to capture sounds, creating a professional quality video requires separate audio equipment including shotgun mics, audio mixers and pole audio devices.
Editing Video Production Equipment
Once you have your film on video, additional video production gear is required for editing and finalizing a video into a complete entity. Using professional quality editing equipment can give your video the polished quality that separates it from home video or amateur productions. Typical video editing tools include:
* Video Editing Software – Unlike film, which much be edited manually, video can be edited right on your computer. Using professional video editing software, you can add transitions, trim scenes and put the whole project together seamlessly. Selecting the right video production equipment for editing is critical to the final quality of your video.
* Sound Mixing Equipment – A professional video will use sound mixing equipment to balance volume levels, add ambient noise and include a soundtrack to the video. Additionally, sound mixing can transform the standard video mono-audio into a heightened stereo experience.
* Video Duplication Equipment – Once you film is complete, video duplication equipment will be required for copying and distributing your film. Professional video production gear will enable copies that maintain the sound and video quality of your master video.
About the Author:
Paolo Parodi is an expert author who writes for Video Production Equipment
Filming Video Production Gear
As you prepare to make a video film, it’s a good idea to take stock of your video production equipment required for filming to make sure you have everything that you need. Some common video production products needed for creating a professional looking film include:
* Professional video cameras – From ENG cameras that are slightly larger than your average camcorder to Studio cameras that are connected via cable to dock recorders that do that actual taping, there are many levels of professional grade digital video cameras.
* Stabilization Equipment – Including simple tripods, shoulder mounts, camera dollies and high tech camera cranes, stabilization equipment ensures that the video production is smooth and not shaky. Additionally, stabilization video production equipment can help determine the type of camera shot that is available for a production.
* Film Quality Lighting – Beyond just lights, film quality lighting banks include grip lighting, reflectors, crate grids for lighting effects and scrims to control different aspects of light diffusion.
* Microphone/Audio System – While many video cameras contain a microphone to capture sounds, creating a professional quality video requires separate audio equipment including shotgun mics, audio mixers and pole audio devices.
Editing Video Production Equipment
Once you have your film on video, additional video production gear is required for editing and finalizing a video into a complete entity. Using professional quality editing equipment can give your video the polished quality that separates it from home video or amateur productions. Typical video editing tools include:
* Video Editing Software – Unlike film, which much be edited manually, video can be edited right on your computer. Using professional video editing software, you can add transitions, trim scenes and put the whole project together seamlessly. Selecting the right video production equipment for editing is critical to the final quality of your video.
* Sound Mixing Equipment – A professional video will use sound mixing equipment to balance volume levels, add ambient noise and include a soundtrack to the video. Additionally, sound mixing can transform the standard video mono-audio into a heightened stereo experience.
* Video Duplication Equipment – Once you film is complete, video duplication equipment will be required for copying and distributing your film. Professional video production gear will enable copies that maintain the sound and video quality of your master video.
About the Author:
Paolo Parodi is an expert author who writes for Video Production Equipment
HDMI, DVI , Component Video Cables And Interconnects Explained
Background:
As the HDTV market continues to heat up, consumers are in need of being educated on the latest technology in order to make intelligent purchasing decisions. There are a plethora of articles explaining the technical pros and cons of the 3 dominant HDTV display technologies namely: LCD, Plasma, and DLP. However, one all- important, but overlooked feature in selecting a HDTV set is the type of HD video connection. The video connections available for HDTV are: component video, DVI (digital video interface) and HDMI (high definition multi-media interface). We will discuss briefly the pros and cons of each.
Component video cable commonly referred to as R, G, B (Red, Green, Blue) actually consists of 3 separate cables because it distributes the 3 primary color components to the display. All colors can be generated from weighted distribution of each Red, Green and Blue color components. Of the 3 HD connection technologies available today, analog component video is the most mature technology.
-Advantage: Analog component video cable is mature and cost effective.
-Disadvantage: component video cables are analog! All HDTV sets are inherently digital therefore extra digital to analog and analog to digital conversion is necessary in order to process the video. This extra conversion can introduce video artifacts. Since all HDTV's are digital, it only makes sense to use an all- digital connection such as DVI or HDMI.
DVI (digital video interface) as the name suggests is an all-digital video connection. Unlike analog component cables the DVI interface transports the original digitized R,G, B video signals from the HD source to the HD display. Since it is all digital, no artifacts or degradation will be incurred. You will get EXACTLY the picture that the video source supplies with no degradation. DVI connection is often found on HDTV as well as PC video cards.
-Advantage : DVI is ALL-digital, so there is no picture degradation from source to display.
-Disadvantage : Digitizing R, G, B requires extremely high bandwidth. The aggregate data rate of the digital R, G, B signals is 1.65 Gbps! The high bandwidth means that cable quality is important and also the link distance is limited. Typical link budget for a DVI is ~ 15 ft.
HDMI (high definition multi-media interface) is the latest state of art audio and video connection. Technically, HDMI is identical to DVI with 3 notable differences. 1) HDMI is a much smaller connector (it looks like an U.S.B. connector), 2) HDMI utilizes copy protection called HDCP (high definition copy protection) and 3) HDMI carries multi channel digital audio. HDMI, like DVI, is ALL-digital therefore picture quality is “perfect” from source to display.
-Advantage: HDMI is a single digital video and Audio connection. Only 1 single cable is needed to transport both audio and video! This significantly reduces cable clutter behind your theater setup. HDMI is all-digital therefore there is no picture degradation from source to display.
-Disadvantage: Like DVI, the link distance is limited and a high quality cable is required because of the inherently high bandwidth required to transport digital R, G, B. video.
http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/hdmi-dvi.html
As the HDTV market continues to heat up, consumers are in need of being educated on the latest technology in order to make intelligent purchasing decisions. There are a plethora of articles explaining the technical pros and cons of the 3 dominant HDTV display technologies namely: LCD, Plasma, and DLP. However, one all- important, but overlooked feature in selecting a HDTV set is the type of HD video connection. The video connections available for HDTV are: component video, DVI (digital video interface) and HDMI (high definition multi-media interface). We will discuss briefly the pros and cons of each.
Component video cable commonly referred to as R, G, B (Red, Green, Blue) actually consists of 3 separate cables because it distributes the 3 primary color components to the display. All colors can be generated from weighted distribution of each Red, Green and Blue color components. Of the 3 HD connection technologies available today, analog component video is the most mature technology.
-Advantage: Analog component video cable is mature and cost effective.
-Disadvantage: component video cables are analog! All HDTV sets are inherently digital therefore extra digital to analog and analog to digital conversion is necessary in order to process the video. This extra conversion can introduce video artifacts. Since all HDTV's are digital, it only makes sense to use an all- digital connection such as DVI or HDMI.
DVI (digital video interface) as the name suggests is an all-digital video connection. Unlike analog component cables the DVI interface transports the original digitized R,G, B video signals from the HD source to the HD display. Since it is all digital, no artifacts or degradation will be incurred. You will get EXACTLY the picture that the video source supplies with no degradation. DVI connection is often found on HDTV as well as PC video cards.
-Advantage : DVI is ALL-digital, so there is no picture degradation from source to display.
-Disadvantage : Digitizing R, G, B requires extremely high bandwidth. The aggregate data rate of the digital R, G, B signals is 1.65 Gbps! The high bandwidth means that cable quality is important and also the link distance is limited. Typical link budget for a DVI is ~ 15 ft.
HDMI (high definition multi-media interface) is the latest state of art audio and video connection. Technically, HDMI is identical to DVI with 3 notable differences. 1) HDMI is a much smaller connector (it looks like an U.S.B. connector), 2) HDMI utilizes copy protection called HDCP (high definition copy protection) and 3) HDMI carries multi channel digital audio. HDMI, like DVI, is ALL-digital therefore picture quality is “perfect” from source to display.
-Advantage: HDMI is a single digital video and Audio connection. Only 1 single cable is needed to transport both audio and video! This significantly reduces cable clutter behind your theater setup. HDMI is all-digital therefore there is no picture degradation from source to display.
-Disadvantage: Like DVI, the link distance is limited and a high quality cable is required because of the inherently high bandwidth required to transport digital R, G, B. video.
http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/hdmi-dvi.html
The Types Of Camcorders
If you are planning on purchasing a camcorder, you should be familiar with the types of camcorders and how they can benefit your specific needs. The formats of video cameras include, VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Mini Digital Video (Mini DV), DVD and Digital 8. Each format has its pros and cons
VHS
The VHS format is the oldest type of camcorder. This type of video camcorder is fast becoming outdated, because you can only play back the video on a VHS VCR system. VHS camcorders are not nearly as clear as digital video camcorders that offer clear video with 540 lines of resolution, VHS video cameras only offer 240 lines of resolution. They also weigh more and are much more bulky, that dv camcorders. You can only find these video camera used because their technology is now outdated.
VHS-C
The VHS-C format offer 240 lines of resolution, just like VHS. These analog camcorders come in a smaller size that the VHS camcorder models, but use the same technology. The video tapes used in VHS-C camcorders are much smaller in size than VHS, just in a smaller camcorder design. VHS-C is considered old technology and not used today in newer models.
8mm
If you are looking to record more than 1 hour, then 8mm camcorders are perfect. These video cameras can record up to 5 hours of footage and they offer better video quality that VHS cameras. In order to view video from your 8mm video camcorder, you need to connect the camcorder to input jacks on your TV or your VCR system.
MiniDV
MiniDV, short for mini Digital Video off the clearest and most vivid colors out of all the types of camcorders on the market, and they're small in size only 4 inches in width and height. Mini dv camcorders can fit in the palm of your hand, making them very easy to handle and transport. And if you like editing your video footage you can connect dv camcorders to your computer system. Transferring the video is a snap with the FireWire connection. Once the footage is in your computers hard drive you can burn it to dvd, add it to your web site or email small clips to friends and family.
Digital8
Digital8 camcorders offer the best of both worlds, Hi8 and DV. You can use 8mm and hi8 video tapes combined with the best image quality found in digital camcorder formats. Digital8 camcorders are larger and heavier than Mini DV camcorders, but they are also cheaper in price. The Digital8 system offers 540 lines of crystal clear resolution.
DVD Camcorders
The newest form of digital video cameras are DVD camcorders. These camcorders are small in size, just like Digital8 and Mini DV camcorders. The big difference compared to other camcorder systems is that DVD camcorders use recordable DVD discs such as DVD-R or DVD-RW. The big benefit to dvd video cameras is that they can be played on your home DVD player, and of course the quality is the best you can find.
Price comparisons
If you want to buy the cheapest priced camcorder go for a VHS analog camcorder, you don't get the same quality as digital camcorders however if you plan on filming family vacations this should be sufficient for your needs. Then there are DVD camcorders, they are the most expensive of digital video cameras, but at the same time, they are the newest technology offering the best image and sound quality. Lastly is the mini dv format, this is probably the best camcorder for the price and quality. Small in size and reasonably priced. Review top manufacturers such as Panasonic, Sharp, Canon and Sony which offer the very popular Sony Handycam.
About the Author:
Chris Vorelli offers info on digital video camcorders, camcorder reviews, Sony camcorders , Canon camcorders, & Samsung camcorders and more. Reprint permission will all hyper links intact. © http://www.digital-camcorders-reviews.net/
VHS
The VHS format is the oldest type of camcorder. This type of video camcorder is fast becoming outdated, because you can only play back the video on a VHS VCR system. VHS camcorders are not nearly as clear as digital video camcorders that offer clear video with 540 lines of resolution, VHS video cameras only offer 240 lines of resolution. They also weigh more and are much more bulky, that dv camcorders. You can only find these video camera used because their technology is now outdated.
VHS-C
The VHS-C format offer 240 lines of resolution, just like VHS. These analog camcorders come in a smaller size that the VHS camcorder models, but use the same technology. The video tapes used in VHS-C camcorders are much smaller in size than VHS, just in a smaller camcorder design. VHS-C is considered old technology and not used today in newer models.
8mm
If you are looking to record more than 1 hour, then 8mm camcorders are perfect. These video cameras can record up to 5 hours of footage and they offer better video quality that VHS cameras. In order to view video from your 8mm video camcorder, you need to connect the camcorder to input jacks on your TV or your VCR system.
MiniDV
MiniDV, short for mini Digital Video off the clearest and most vivid colors out of all the types of camcorders on the market, and they're small in size only 4 inches in width and height. Mini dv camcorders can fit in the palm of your hand, making them very easy to handle and transport. And if you like editing your video footage you can connect dv camcorders to your computer system. Transferring the video is a snap with the FireWire connection. Once the footage is in your computers hard drive you can burn it to dvd, add it to your web site or email small clips to friends and family.
Digital8
Digital8 camcorders offer the best of both worlds, Hi8 and DV. You can use 8mm and hi8 video tapes combined with the best image quality found in digital camcorder formats. Digital8 camcorders are larger and heavier than Mini DV camcorders, but they are also cheaper in price. The Digital8 system offers 540 lines of crystal clear resolution.
DVD Camcorders
The newest form of digital video cameras are DVD camcorders. These camcorders are small in size, just like Digital8 and Mini DV camcorders. The big difference compared to other camcorder systems is that DVD camcorders use recordable DVD discs such as DVD-R or DVD-RW. The big benefit to dvd video cameras is that they can be played on your home DVD player, and of course the quality is the best you can find.
Price comparisons
If you want to buy the cheapest priced camcorder go for a VHS analog camcorder, you don't get the same quality as digital camcorders however if you plan on filming family vacations this should be sufficient for your needs. Then there are DVD camcorders, they are the most expensive of digital video cameras, but at the same time, they are the newest technology offering the best image and sound quality. Lastly is the mini dv format, this is probably the best camcorder for the price and quality. Small in size and reasonably priced. Review top manufacturers such as Panasonic, Sharp, Canon and Sony which offer the very popular Sony Handycam.
About the Author:
Chris Vorelli offers info on digital video camcorders, camcorder reviews, Sony camcorders , Canon camcorders, & Samsung camcorders and more. Reprint permission will all hyper links intact. © http://www.digital-camcorders-reviews.net/
Camcorder - Features To Look For
If you're on the look out for a new digital camcorder then you need to know what type of features to look for. It's easy to get confused and hard to make sense of all the specifications. Looking for the right features is the key in finding the best camera for your needs. While you compare digital camera recorder reviews and ratings, there are some items to consider.
You should have a general idea of what you need the mini dv camera for. Do you need a video camera for home movies? Or are you looking for a professional video camera, for your next feature film? Think about what you are looking for so your camcorder comparison shopping won't take as long.
Zoom
All digital video cameras have a zoom feature. Older analog camerass only had optical zoom, but new digital video cameras have both optical and digital zoom. There is a difference between these two types of zoom. Optical zoom physically lengthens the lens,and will still give your videos high image quality. However digital zoom basically blows up the scene in a digital format. The problem with digital zoom is that when you zoom in on a subject the video becomes pixilated and blocky with little squares giving the video a blurred and distorted look.
If you're wondering which zoom is better and more important, optical zoom. The more distance that your optical zoom can do, the more flexibility that you have when focusing in on a subject. I suggest a minimum of 10x optical zoom for most consumers.
CCD Sensors and Resolution
The video quality in a dv camera is dependant on the CCD, which is an abbreviation for charged-coupled device. The CCD is an image sensor that converts light into pixels to produce images; your digital camera works in the same way. You can find camcorders with one CCD or three CCDs. One CCD cameras are less costly however you will compromise the color quality in the video. 3 CCD cameras on the other hand provide the best color quality. The reason being is that there are 3 CCDs. Digital video cameras models with three CCDs (one each for red, green and blue) give your video the most vivid colors possible, but the price is more than 1 CCD video cameras.
Viewfinders & LCD Screens
It's important to find the best possible viewfinder when comparing camcorders. The viewfinder is the heart of the camcorder without it you can't see what you are filming. Viewfinders cam in black and white, if you buy a cheap video camera you will be stuck with a black and white screen. Personally I like my color screen, you can see the exact color and video quality as it will appear in the video. Sizes for LCD screen range from 2 to 4 inches across.
Digital Video Editing & Still images
Almost all newer digital video camcorders have FireWire (IEEE 1394). This feature enables you to transfer digital video footage from your camera to your computer system in the fastest possible way. The newest models even have the ability to take digital still images and video and transfer them to your computer for emailing to friends and family.
About the Author:
C Vorelli offers info on where to find the best digital camcorders. You can read ratings as well as reviews, on Sony, Canon, & Samsung and more. Reprint permission will all hyper links intact. © http://www.digital-camcorders-reviews.net/
You should have a general idea of what you need the mini dv camera for. Do you need a video camera for home movies? Or are you looking for a professional video camera, for your next feature film? Think about what you are looking for so your camcorder comparison shopping won't take as long.
Zoom
All digital video cameras have a zoom feature. Older analog camerass only had optical zoom, but new digital video cameras have both optical and digital zoom. There is a difference between these two types of zoom. Optical zoom physically lengthens the lens,and will still give your videos high image quality. However digital zoom basically blows up the scene in a digital format. The problem with digital zoom is that when you zoom in on a subject the video becomes pixilated and blocky with little squares giving the video a blurred and distorted look.
If you're wondering which zoom is better and more important, optical zoom. The more distance that your optical zoom can do, the more flexibility that you have when focusing in on a subject. I suggest a minimum of 10x optical zoom for most consumers.
CCD Sensors and Resolution
The video quality in a dv camera is dependant on the CCD, which is an abbreviation for charged-coupled device. The CCD is an image sensor that converts light into pixels to produce images; your digital camera works in the same way. You can find camcorders with one CCD or three CCDs. One CCD cameras are less costly however you will compromise the color quality in the video. 3 CCD cameras on the other hand provide the best color quality. The reason being is that there are 3 CCDs. Digital video cameras models with three CCDs (one each for red, green and blue) give your video the most vivid colors possible, but the price is more than 1 CCD video cameras.
Viewfinders & LCD Screens
It's important to find the best possible viewfinder when comparing camcorders. The viewfinder is the heart of the camcorder without it you can't see what you are filming. Viewfinders cam in black and white, if you buy a cheap video camera you will be stuck with a black and white screen. Personally I like my color screen, you can see the exact color and video quality as it will appear in the video. Sizes for LCD screen range from 2 to 4 inches across.
Digital Video Editing & Still images
Almost all newer digital video camcorders have FireWire (IEEE 1394). This feature enables you to transfer digital video footage from your camera to your computer system in the fastest possible way. The newest models even have the ability to take digital still images and video and transfer them to your computer for emailing to friends and family.
About the Author:
C Vorelli offers info on where to find the best digital camcorders. You can read ratings as well as reviews, on Sony, Canon, & Samsung and more. Reprint permission will all hyper links intact. © http://www.digital-camcorders-reviews.net/
Top 10 digital cameras
There are a large number of top 10 digital cameras lists available on the Internet today. Each one of them is different and they all have different sets of criteria, on the basis of which these lists are compiled.
However, it is not necessary that a top 10 list by a particular site is the top 10 list for you. Since every camera user has his/her own preferences, it is not really correct to assume that one top 10 list works for everyone.
So, the best thing that you can do is to develop a set of top 10 criteria for yourself. Once you do this, then you will be able to develop your own top 10 digital camera list. So, now the question arises that how do you develop your criteria list.
However, it is not necessary that a top 10 list by a particular site is the top 10 list for you. Since every camera user has his/her own preferences, it is not really correct to assume that one top 10 list works for everyone.
So, the best thing that you can do is to develop a set of top 10 criteria for yourself. Once you do this, then you will be able to develop your own top 10 digital camera list. So, now the question arises that how do you develop your criteria list.
The first and foremost thing to do is to determine the reason why you want to buy a digital camera. What are you going to use the camera for? How do you plan to use the photographs? And the most critical question of all, what is your budget?
Let us assume that you answer the above questions in the following manner :
You want a digital camera to take pictures of your family and during holidays.
You plan to use the photographs by printing them out to put into family albums, calendars and to post them on your web site.
Your budget for the camera is $200-300.
The above statements are enough to narrow down your choices quite a bit.
- You specifically need to look at the battery life of the camera - since on vacation you will not be able to charge your digital camera at all times.
- You also need to see the storage space available on the camera as it will not be possible for you to keep on transferring images at all times.
- You need a camera with zoom options but whether you go for an optical zoom or digital zoom will get decided by your budgetary constraints.
- You need flash since family photographs are normally taken indoors.
- Your camera should be user-friendly, since it is likely that other/younger family members will be using the camera as well.
- The camera should be sturdy as well, especially if you are on vacation with young children.
- The camera should be compact and light-weight as it is not possible to carry big, bulky cameras while traveling.
- A digital camera which can shoot good images to be put on a web site and in calendars needs to have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. So this is another factor to be considered.
- If you visit the beach while vacationing, then you might want to consider a water-proof camera. However, to fit this into your budget might be a bit difficult. Hence, there are digital cameras which come with water-proof cases and are cheaper. So, this might be the next best option for you.
- You can also go for a digital camera which supports MPG files, so you can click mini-videos. This is a great option for those people who do not possess digital video cameras.
Digital video camera - using and owning one is now not an option
The age of the digital video camera is here. Out with the VHS or SVHS camera you have stored away in the box. Those things are old school now. It is time to join the new reality. DV has come along and pushed it off the shelf. DV has been on the market for a few years now and has been sticking its toes in the waters of the video world to see if it was ready to make a splash. Well as a digital video producer let me tell you it is time. There are so many cool digital video camera products out on the market now, the technology is booming and pretty soon we are all going to be shooting in this format.
What can you do with DV that you can't with old tape formats? Well let me tell you there is so much to that question. Let's start with size. Everything is smaller and more compact which is a good thing. Then you have better quality, the ability to transfer the video into your computer for editing via high speed Firewire connections (also called IEEE ), and the quality stays with the video throughout the entire editing process unlike tape. Wow if your video is gorgeous going in it is gorgeous coming out and that is a wonderful thing.
I have taken the Sony PD 150 digital video camera on a variety of shoots that you would never take a larger more cumbersome camera. However that does not mean that I compromised the video in any fashion.
Take for instance the story I shot on a a female skier from Lebanon who was in Salt Lake City for the Olympics a few years back. We wanted to go on the mountain and interview her, see her being coached, and then see her training on the slalom runs. The PD 150 was small enough to take along in my backpack (padded of course in case of a fall) and yet powerful enough to take some wonderful video. I raced alongside of her as she zoomed through the slalom course, then ran the course myself with the camera down at snow level to give the ultimate feeling of speed. You could almost feel the chatter of the snow as my skis carved the hill. I had full control over my audio, exposure, and color balance so that the video came out looking terrific.
That story ended up having a great sense of the mountain, of the energy of the skier we were profiling, and all becasue the DV cam allowed us to go where we wanted without limitations.
http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/digital-video-camera.html
What can you do with DV that you can't with old tape formats? Well let me tell you there is so much to that question. Let's start with size. Everything is smaller and more compact which is a good thing. Then you have better quality, the ability to transfer the video into your computer for editing via high speed Firewire connections (also called IEEE ), and the quality stays with the video throughout the entire editing process unlike tape. Wow if your video is gorgeous going in it is gorgeous coming out and that is a wonderful thing.
I have taken the Sony PD 150 digital video camera on a variety of shoots that you would never take a larger more cumbersome camera. However that does not mean that I compromised the video in any fashion.
Take for instance the story I shot on a a female skier from Lebanon who was in Salt Lake City for the Olympics a few years back. We wanted to go on the mountain and interview her, see her being coached, and then see her training on the slalom runs. The PD 150 was small enough to take along in my backpack (padded of course in case of a fall) and yet powerful enough to take some wonderful video. I raced alongside of her as she zoomed through the slalom course, then ran the course myself with the camera down at snow level to give the ultimate feeling of speed. You could almost feel the chatter of the snow as my skis carved the hill. I had full control over my audio, exposure, and color balance so that the video came out looking terrific.
That story ended up having a great sense of the mountain, of the energy of the skier we were profiling, and all becasue the DV cam allowed us to go where we wanted without limitations.
http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/digital-video-camera.html
Friday, October 12, 2007
Buying a Digital Camera with Video Capture Capability
If you want to create movies with your camera, one important feature to consider is video quality. This is made up of resolution and frames-per-second. It is important to note that the video resolution of a digital camera will usually be much lower than its image quality for normal photographs.
A move with high resolution and plenty of frames-per-second will look a lot nicer and more detailed on a computer screen, but will also use a lot more memory.
Another important feature to consider in the area of video capture, is whether your camera of choice supports sound. Some devices will feature a built-in microphone specifically to enhance this feature, but in many cases, you will need to attach some sort of external microphone if you want to record sound.
Other important components to look for in a digital camera are video length (how long a move can it record?), video format (a standard and easy-to-edit format like MPEG is ideal)Article Submission, and zoom (can you zoom in on things while recording a video?).
It is a good idea to ask about all of these features before buying a new camera for its video capture capabilities.
A move with high resolution and plenty of frames-per-second will look a lot nicer and more detailed on a computer screen, but will also use a lot more memory.
Another important feature to consider in the area of video capture, is whether your camera of choice supports sound. Some devices will feature a built-in microphone specifically to enhance this feature, but in many cases, you will need to attach some sort of external microphone if you want to record sound.
Other important components to look for in a digital camera are video length (how long a move can it record?), video format (a standard and easy-to-edit format like MPEG is ideal)Article Submission, and zoom (can you zoom in on things while recording a video?).
It is a good idea to ask about all of these features before buying a new camera for its video capture capabilities.
BOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeremy Maddock is an experienced webmaster and technology enthusiast who owns and operates Camera Reviews.ca.
Buying A Digital Camera: A Beginner’s Guide
For any beginner photographer or a first time buyer of digital camera, choosing and buying a digital camera can become a task. There is so much that goes in to buying a digital camera for the first time. But you need not worry about that. For I provide you a step-by-step camera buying guide here:
Research: Talk to people
As a beginner you should keep certain things in your mind. First of all you should ask yourself, what are the features you need, what type of photos you are going to click with your new digital camera. There are a lot of features in a digital camera such as modes, zooms, lenses, flash, focus, viewfinder, resolution and timer. Decide which features you want in your camera. You can talk to your family and friends and other digital camera features to know their opinions on various camera features. This will help you jot down the basic expectations you owe from your new camera.
Price factor
Set a realistic budget for your first camera and look for cameras in that price range only. Prices of digital cameras have fallen greatly over the years. Still, a digital camera purchase is considered expensive to its 35mm counterparts purchase.
Next, gain a good knowledge about the models of cameras you are considering buying. Dont be a fool by going all by your friends choice. Be a proud owner of a digital camera that suits your needs rather than someone else's.
Satisfy your needs
As a beginner you should look for models that are easy to use and operate. Do not go for flashy models. They may not satisfy your needs.
Now decide on your printing needs. If most of your photos will be uploaded to a website or emailed, you will not need a lot of mega pixels in your camera. But if you are planning to make a lot of larger prints, you need a camera with a lot of mega pixels.
By narrowing down your options as per the needed camera features, you can decide which camera is best suited to you. Visit the stores and handle the devices personally. You should shop around for the best price. Pick up additional warranty if any. Take some great pictures.
Below are some of the great cameras for you:
1.Nikon coolpix 4100: It is a one easy to use camera. The camera is imaging wonder with 4.2 mega pixels and 3x optical zoom features to it.
2.Kodak Easyshare cx7330: This is a decent point and shoot camera that comes with 3.1 mega pixels and a combined 10x zoom features. The camera does not have much fancy features. But for a beginnerScience Articles, the camera is perhaps the best pick.
3.Canon Powershoot S410: This power shot camera from Canon is a four mega pixel camera. The camera is very stylish to operate and indeed offer all the basic functions of an average camera.
I am sure buying a digital camera is no longer a task for you.
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/entertainment/buying-a-digital-camera-a-beginners-guide.html
Research: Talk to people
As a beginner you should keep certain things in your mind. First of all you should ask yourself, what are the features you need, what type of photos you are going to click with your new digital camera. There are a lot of features in a digital camera such as modes, zooms, lenses, flash, focus, viewfinder, resolution and timer. Decide which features you want in your camera. You can talk to your family and friends and other digital camera features to know their opinions on various camera features. This will help you jot down the basic expectations you owe from your new camera.
Price factor
Set a realistic budget for your first camera and look for cameras in that price range only. Prices of digital cameras have fallen greatly over the years. Still, a digital camera purchase is considered expensive to its 35mm counterparts purchase.
Next, gain a good knowledge about the models of cameras you are considering buying. Dont be a fool by going all by your friends choice. Be a proud owner of a digital camera that suits your needs rather than someone else's.
Satisfy your needs
As a beginner you should look for models that are easy to use and operate. Do not go for flashy models. They may not satisfy your needs.
Now decide on your printing needs. If most of your photos will be uploaded to a website or emailed, you will not need a lot of mega pixels in your camera. But if you are planning to make a lot of larger prints, you need a camera with a lot of mega pixels.
By narrowing down your options as per the needed camera features, you can decide which camera is best suited to you. Visit the stores and handle the devices personally. You should shop around for the best price. Pick up additional warranty if any. Take some great pictures.
Below are some of the great cameras for you:
1.Nikon coolpix 4100: It is a one easy to use camera. The camera is imaging wonder with 4.2 mega pixels and 3x optical zoom features to it.
2.Kodak Easyshare cx7330: This is a decent point and shoot camera that comes with 3.1 mega pixels and a combined 10x zoom features. The camera does not have much fancy features. But for a beginnerScience Articles, the camera is perhaps the best pick.
3.Canon Powershoot S410: This power shot camera from Canon is a four mega pixel camera. The camera is very stylish to operate and indeed offer all the basic functions of an average camera.
I am sure buying a digital camera is no longer a task for you.
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/entertainment/buying-a-digital-camera-a-beginners-guide.html
Nikon Digital SLRs
Nikon is a camera brand, best known for producing SLR camera. As with the boom of digital cameras all over the world, Nikon joined the bandwagon by producing what they make best, thus the new era of the Nikon digital camera was born - digital SLR
One of the best in DSLR, the Nikon digital camera called Nikon D70 is 6-mega pixel Nikon digital camera. Coated with polycarbonate over its stainless steel chassis, this Nikon digital camera is furnished with a 50mm AF Nikkor lens that can combine with an 18-70mm kit lens and still be portable enough to be carried around. It has a 200-1600 ISO effective speed range, great for taking pictures both in the shade and under the sun. and why won't it be?! With its three frames per second continuous shooting rate and its 1/8000 second shutter speed, taking pictures is as easy as clicking away and having fun. this Nikon digital camera is supported with a Flash card.Another SLR from Nikon is the Nikon Coolpix 8800. An 8-mega pixel Nikon digital camera, the Coolpix 8800 has a compact body. Furnished with a 1.8 inch flip-out and swivel LCD, this baby is surely first rate SLR. This Nikon digital camera features an image stabilizer system to reduce camera shakes particularly on long shots since this gadget can zoom up to 10x (optical zoom) and can focus to up to 3cm in macro mode with its 35-350mm lens. Key controls are very user-friendly, with modes such as sensitivity, image size/quality and white balance - found directly with the mode dial. The image output quality is the middle name of this Nikon digital camera, with great detail rendition, color fidelity and saturation. a rather exceptional feature of the 8800 is the continuous shooting modes, where users can choose 1.2 or 2.3 frames per second. A bit bulky to carry around, the 8800 is perfect for shooting action and sports shots. The 8800 works with a Compact Flash card for storing up your images. Another digital SLR from Nikon is the Nikon D50. A 6.1 mega pixel Nikon digital camera, this gadget has 7 varied modes to shoot from using its AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 18-55mm lens. These modes are Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close Up, Sports, Night Portrait and Child. To see the images that you took, this Nikon digital camera is furnished with a 2.0 inch LCD screen. How fast can this camera shoot? It has 2.5 frames per second and with uninterrupted shooting of up to 137 frames per second. This Nikon digital camera is not too bad, especially for novice photographers. This package also includes a software for touching up, editing and sharing your pictures. The software even enables you to burn your images to VCD or DVD format. One of the first point and shoot Nikon digital cameras is the Nikon Coolpix 4800. A four mega pixel Nikon digital camera, the old school designed 4800 is equipped with a 1.8 inch LCD screen for viewing your pictures. The 4800 is an 8.3x zoom Nikon digital camera with 6-50mm Nikkor Ed lens that zooms quickly and has continuous auto focusing (a feature where your lens is always trying to keep your pictures sharp). It also allows users to shoot, record and playback short movie clips with its assist and excellent scene modes - meaning that includes providing outlines for portraits (for tweaking purposes), exposure and sensitivity settings. These features are very helpful especially for novice photographers that want to try their hands at photography. Along with thatArticle Search, it comes with a 13.5MB SD card and the Li-on battery pack. Remember to check out Nikon's website at nikon.com or nikonusa.com to see the latest Nikon digital cameras.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
We provide free articles and information. Check us out at Free Articles
One of the best in DSLR, the Nikon digital camera called Nikon D70 is 6-mega pixel Nikon digital camera. Coated with polycarbonate over its stainless steel chassis, this Nikon digital camera is furnished with a 50mm AF Nikkor lens that can combine with an 18-70mm kit lens and still be portable enough to be carried around. It has a 200-1600 ISO effective speed range, great for taking pictures both in the shade and under the sun. and why won't it be?! With its three frames per second continuous shooting rate and its 1/8000 second shutter speed, taking pictures is as easy as clicking away and having fun. this Nikon digital camera is supported with a Flash card.Another SLR from Nikon is the Nikon Coolpix 8800. An 8-mega pixel Nikon digital camera, the Coolpix 8800 has a compact body. Furnished with a 1.8 inch flip-out and swivel LCD, this baby is surely first rate SLR. This Nikon digital camera features an image stabilizer system to reduce camera shakes particularly on long shots since this gadget can zoom up to 10x (optical zoom) and can focus to up to 3cm in macro mode with its 35-350mm lens. Key controls are very user-friendly, with modes such as sensitivity, image size/quality and white balance - found directly with the mode dial. The image output quality is the middle name of this Nikon digital camera, with great detail rendition, color fidelity and saturation. a rather exceptional feature of the 8800 is the continuous shooting modes, where users can choose 1.2 or 2.3 frames per second. A bit bulky to carry around, the 8800 is perfect for shooting action and sports shots. The 8800 works with a Compact Flash card for storing up your images. Another digital SLR from Nikon is the Nikon D50. A 6.1 mega pixel Nikon digital camera, this gadget has 7 varied modes to shoot from using its AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 18-55mm lens. These modes are Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close Up, Sports, Night Portrait and Child. To see the images that you took, this Nikon digital camera is furnished with a 2.0 inch LCD screen. How fast can this camera shoot? It has 2.5 frames per second and with uninterrupted shooting of up to 137 frames per second. This Nikon digital camera is not too bad, especially for novice photographers. This package also includes a software for touching up, editing and sharing your pictures. The software even enables you to burn your images to VCD or DVD format. One of the first point and shoot Nikon digital cameras is the Nikon Coolpix 4800. A four mega pixel Nikon digital camera, the old school designed 4800 is equipped with a 1.8 inch LCD screen for viewing your pictures. The 4800 is an 8.3x zoom Nikon digital camera with 6-50mm Nikkor Ed lens that zooms quickly and has continuous auto focusing (a feature where your lens is always trying to keep your pictures sharp). It also allows users to shoot, record and playback short movie clips with its assist and excellent scene modes - meaning that includes providing outlines for portraits (for tweaking purposes), exposure and sensitivity settings. These features are very helpful especially for novice photographers that want to try their hands at photography. Along with thatArticle Search, it comes with a 13.5MB SD card and the Li-on battery pack. Remember to check out Nikon's website at nikon.com or nikonusa.com to see the latest Nikon digital cameras.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
We provide free articles and information. Check us out at Free Articles
Kodak Easyshare CX7430 Digital Camera Review
The Kodak EasyShare CX7430 is an excellent point-and-shoot digital camera that is currently selling very well. Just consider its features: 4 megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom, 16MB of memory, as well as a movie mode. Given it’s low price (around $190), it’s an amazing deal. This camera is most suitable for beginners – it has all of the basic functions you need in a simple digital camera. Let’s have a look at its various features:
Design and Construction
Like all point-and-shoot digital cameras, the Kodak EasyShare CX7430 is designed to be compact enough to fit in your pocket. It’s silvery finish will certainly attract lots of attention too. Its dimensions are 4.0 inches by 2.6 inches by 1.25 inches (weight-height-depth), and it weighs only 6.3 ounces. There is a little 1.6 inch LCD screen behind the camera for viewing images. Initially, I found the LCD screen a tad on the small side, but I got used to it after snapping a couple of photos.
Optics and Resolution
The Kodak EasyShare CX7430 is equipped with a Kodak Retinar lens and offers with a 4 megapixel resolution. There’s also a 3x optical zoom for taking subjects faraway. What is interesting about this camera is its wide range of scene modes. Most point-and-shoot cameras have a handful (maybe 5) scene modes for photography under different conditions: macro, landscape, night photography, etc. The Kodak EasyShare CX7430 has 9 scene modes to choose from, which is much more than the competition.
I didn’t expect much in terms of manual control in the camera’s optics. If you’re looking to play around with shutter speed, aperture, white balance and other photography options, then this camera is not for you. Sure, there are some basic exposure controls but they are nowhere near the fine settings allowed in advanced digital SLR cameras.
That being said, the quality of photos taken by the Kodak EasyShare CX7430 were nothing short of outstanding. The photos, when printed out, were of extremely high quality. So if you’re the type you just whips out a camera and takes quick shots, with a minimum of fuss, then this camera will be great for you.
User Controls
The user controls in the Kodak CX7430 are located on both sides of the LCD and also on mode dial at the top surface of the camera. Those more accustomed to Canon or Sony models will find that the controls take a little getting used to. However, I did not have any problems reaching commonly used functions like flash control or image viewing.
Movie Mode
If you like to shoot some spontaneous movies with your digital camera, then you’ll be glad to know that the CX7430 comes with a movie mode. You can capture video at 13 frames per second (fps) at VGA size 640 x 480. The movie mode is continuous, meaning that the camera allows you to record movies up to the memory limit of your memory card.
Storage and Transfer
In terms of storage, the Kodak CX7430 comes with internal memory of 16MB. You’ll certainly want to purchase a SD or MMC memory card to add on to the amount of memory available. In terms of image transfer, the camera supports USB 1.1 ports. This is enough for fast image transfers between the camera and your computer.
Battery Life
The Kodak CX7430 uses AA batteries. The ones that come in the box are alkaline batteries – I’d recommend that you get some NiMH rechargables. They will pay for themselves very quickly. The support for AA batteries is a great bonus because AA batteries are easily found in any convenience store, even when you’re overseas.
Shortcomings
The bad points about the Kodak EasyShare CX7430? Well, here’s a few shortcomings I’d point out – Kodak would sell many more units if they were corrected:
* Videos taken by the camera are at very low frame rate
* The door covering the memory card slot doesn’t latch strongly
* The bundled software isn’t very impressive
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site at www.basic-digital-photography.com. Read his tips on digital photography and learn to shoot better photos with your digicam.
Design and Construction
Like all point-and-shoot digital cameras, the Kodak EasyShare CX7430 is designed to be compact enough to fit in your pocket. It’s silvery finish will certainly attract lots of attention too. Its dimensions are 4.0 inches by 2.6 inches by 1.25 inches (weight-height-depth), and it weighs only 6.3 ounces. There is a little 1.6 inch LCD screen behind the camera for viewing images. Initially, I found the LCD screen a tad on the small side, but I got used to it after snapping a couple of photos.
Optics and Resolution
The Kodak EasyShare CX7430 is equipped with a Kodak Retinar lens and offers with a 4 megapixel resolution. There’s also a 3x optical zoom for taking subjects faraway. What is interesting about this camera is its wide range of scene modes. Most point-and-shoot cameras have a handful (maybe 5) scene modes for photography under different conditions: macro, landscape, night photography, etc. The Kodak EasyShare CX7430 has 9 scene modes to choose from, which is much more than the competition.
I didn’t expect much in terms of manual control in the camera’s optics. If you’re looking to play around with shutter speed, aperture, white balance and other photography options, then this camera is not for you. Sure, there are some basic exposure controls but they are nowhere near the fine settings allowed in advanced digital SLR cameras.
That being said, the quality of photos taken by the Kodak EasyShare CX7430 were nothing short of outstanding. The photos, when printed out, were of extremely high quality. So if you’re the type you just whips out a camera and takes quick shots, with a minimum of fuss, then this camera will be great for you.
User Controls
The user controls in the Kodak CX7430 are located on both sides of the LCD and also on mode dial at the top surface of the camera. Those more accustomed to Canon or Sony models will find that the controls take a little getting used to. However, I did not have any problems reaching commonly used functions like flash control or image viewing.
Movie Mode
If you like to shoot some spontaneous movies with your digital camera, then you’ll be glad to know that the CX7430 comes with a movie mode. You can capture video at 13 frames per second (fps) at VGA size 640 x 480. The movie mode is continuous, meaning that the camera allows you to record movies up to the memory limit of your memory card.
Storage and Transfer
In terms of storage, the Kodak CX7430 comes with internal memory of 16MB. You’ll certainly want to purchase a SD or MMC memory card to add on to the amount of memory available. In terms of image transfer, the camera supports USB 1.1 ports. This is enough for fast image transfers between the camera and your computer.
Battery Life
The Kodak CX7430 uses AA batteries. The ones that come in the box are alkaline batteries – I’d recommend that you get some NiMH rechargables. They will pay for themselves very quickly. The support for AA batteries is a great bonus because AA batteries are easily found in any convenience store, even when you’re overseas.
Shortcomings
The bad points about the Kodak EasyShare CX7430? Well, here’s a few shortcomings I’d point out – Kodak would sell many more units if they were corrected:
* Videos taken by the camera are at very low frame rate
* The door covering the memory card slot doesn’t latch strongly
* The bundled software isn’t very impressive
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site at www.basic-digital-photography.com. Read his tips on digital photography and learn to shoot better photos with your digicam.
Photography Poses – The Missing Ingredient
You've read all the "best digital camera" articles, got the best price on your first digital camera, and even glanced at its owner's manual. Are you itching to take some shots of your family, or what?
Slow down, soldier. Before you take 200 shots that seem great at the time, but then upon review of the final picture are less than what you expected, let's prepare. Prepare?!?! I'll bet you thought charging the battery was the hardest part of taking great photos, didn't you? Sorry to disappoint you, but if you want to improve your photo results 50% in 2 minutes, let's review some basic advice of the pros.
There are two categories of GENERAL ADVICE which applies, regardless of whether you're using a digital camera to take family portrait poses, baby pictures, pet portraits, group pictures, funny photos, or even maternity portraits. The first category is...
"Good Planning" Advice for Photography Poses
1) Prepare For The Event
Prepare for the event by thinking about every photograph you want to take and what kind of photography pose or poses you would like to capture. Consider who, where, how, and the type of environment.
2) Take Multiple Photographs
Take multiple shots of each pose (remember, digital memory is reusable, a.k.a. "free"). Regardless of what you say or do, people will blink. And don't count on spotting small problems on the tiny camera LCD screen (even on full magnification); which leads to...
3) Check LCD Screen
Check the digital camera's LCD screen for general framing of the picture, any movement, visibility of faces, and the histogram. Note that you can think up a fantastic photography pose; arrange everyone perfectly; and, have the photograph "frozen" (no blinking, and no shaking of the camera)...but, when you check it out in the LCD, you see 2 drunks fighting in the background! And, my favorite...
4) Funny Phrases
Have some funny phrases handy to use just before you take the photo. Don't use it when setting up for the shot. And, don't use the same phrase all the time. Throw in funny anecdotes, phrases, names, words that you know your family will find more amusing than "cheese." A natural smile looks four times better than a fake one. The second category is...
"Location" Advice for Photography Poses
Taking indoor family photography, is very different than outdoor family photograph (duh!). For INDOOR pictures...
1) Wide Angle
You will tend to use the wide angle more often than your telephoto setting. Pay particular attention to your "end people" (those farthest to the right and the left in your viewfinder), and verify there is enough space in picture, so that if cropping is required, the end people don't have to lose a limb.
2) The Flash
Flash considerations are critical. Do not be outside your "flash range." For example, if at ISO 100, your flash can properly illuminate 12 feet, don't attempt any photography pose that requires anyone to stand at 14 feet (unless, of course, it's evil cousin Ira who you want to appear in darkness).
3) Plan "B"
If you need to be further away than your flash allows, here are 2 things you can try...First, increase the ISO setting (but not so much as to produce to much noise), or second, move to a significantly brighter location.
4) Watch Your Background
If there are distracting features, change your settings to blur the background (see the Techniques page). The best photography pose in the world won't look right with a distracting background. And finally...
5) Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
If there are mirrors or reflective surfaces in the background and you can't find a different location, only take the picture in such a way that the flash is not perpendicular to the surface, but at an angle (unless you want a nice photo of your flash).
Outdoor family photography has completely different issues. For OUTDOOR photography...
6) The Sun
Avoid photographing in direct sunlight, or in mixed light and shade, especially faces. Optimal lighting results from a slightly overcast sky.
7) Shade
When photographing in shade, use fill-flash (see terms) when necessary. And, really finally...
8) Beauty
If practical, take the picture at one of the beautiful natural settings near you. Imagine the result of a creative photography pose captured in a stunning environment. Can you say: "Over the mantle!"?
To see 5 different categories of poses with tips, scroll to the middle of Photography Pose.
Article courtesy of Best Family Photography Tips.comComputer Technology Articles, where you can see some sample pictures including more photography tips.
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/hobbies/photography-poses-the-missing-ingredient.html
Slow down, soldier. Before you take 200 shots that seem great at the time, but then upon review of the final picture are less than what you expected, let's prepare. Prepare?!?! I'll bet you thought charging the battery was the hardest part of taking great photos, didn't you? Sorry to disappoint you, but if you want to improve your photo results 50% in 2 minutes, let's review some basic advice of the pros.
There are two categories of GENERAL ADVICE which applies, regardless of whether you're using a digital camera to take family portrait poses, baby pictures, pet portraits, group pictures, funny photos, or even maternity portraits. The first category is...
"Good Planning" Advice for Photography Poses
1) Prepare For The Event
Prepare for the event by thinking about every photograph you want to take and what kind of photography pose or poses you would like to capture. Consider who, where, how, and the type of environment.
2) Take Multiple Photographs
Take multiple shots of each pose (remember, digital memory is reusable, a.k.a. "free"). Regardless of what you say or do, people will blink. And don't count on spotting small problems on the tiny camera LCD screen (even on full magnification); which leads to...
3) Check LCD Screen
Check the digital camera's LCD screen for general framing of the picture, any movement, visibility of faces, and the histogram. Note that you can think up a fantastic photography pose; arrange everyone perfectly; and, have the photograph "frozen" (no blinking, and no shaking of the camera)...but, when you check it out in the LCD, you see 2 drunks fighting in the background! And, my favorite...
4) Funny Phrases
Have some funny phrases handy to use just before you take the photo. Don't use it when setting up for the shot. And, don't use the same phrase all the time. Throw in funny anecdotes, phrases, names, words that you know your family will find more amusing than "cheese." A natural smile looks four times better than a fake one. The second category is...
"Location" Advice for Photography Poses
Taking indoor family photography, is very different than outdoor family photograph (duh!). For INDOOR pictures...
1) Wide Angle
You will tend to use the wide angle more often than your telephoto setting. Pay particular attention to your "end people" (those farthest to the right and the left in your viewfinder), and verify there is enough space in picture, so that if cropping is required, the end people don't have to lose a limb.
2) The Flash
Flash considerations are critical. Do not be outside your "flash range." For example, if at ISO 100, your flash can properly illuminate 12 feet, don't attempt any photography pose that requires anyone to stand at 14 feet (unless, of course, it's evil cousin Ira who you want to appear in darkness).
3) Plan "B"
If you need to be further away than your flash allows, here are 2 things you can try...First, increase the ISO setting (but not so much as to produce to much noise), or second, move to a significantly brighter location.
4) Watch Your Background
If there are distracting features, change your settings to blur the background (see the Techniques page). The best photography pose in the world won't look right with a distracting background. And finally...
5) Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
If there are mirrors or reflective surfaces in the background and you can't find a different location, only take the picture in such a way that the flash is not perpendicular to the surface, but at an angle (unless you want a nice photo of your flash).
Outdoor family photography has completely different issues. For OUTDOOR photography...
6) The Sun
Avoid photographing in direct sunlight, or in mixed light and shade, especially faces. Optimal lighting results from a slightly overcast sky.
7) Shade
When photographing in shade, use fill-flash (see terms) when necessary. And, really finally...
8) Beauty
If practical, take the picture at one of the beautiful natural settings near you. Imagine the result of a creative photography pose captured in a stunning environment. Can you say: "Over the mantle!"?
To see 5 different categories of poses with tips, scroll to the middle of Photography Pose.
Article courtesy of Best Family Photography Tips.comComputer Technology Articles, where you can see some sample pictures including more photography tips.
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/hobbies/photography-poses-the-missing-ingredient.html
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