| Being familiar with the terminology used in any | | | | seems to be given a lot more attention than it |
| subject of interest in is always useful, and digital | | | | deserves. Unlike optical zoom, which uses the |
| cameras are no exception. Although most digital | | | | physical lenses inside the camera to enlarge a |
| cameras available on the market allow you to | | | | scene, digital zoom electronically enlarges the |
| simply point your camera and quickly snap a | | | | pixels in the center area of a photo, meaning that |
| picture with the touch of a button, there is often | | | | any time you use the digital zoom function on |
| a lot more going on behind the scenes than you | | | | your camera you are actually sacrificing the |
| may have realized. | | | | quality of your photos. It is a good idea to disable |
| Put simply, understanding the most important | | | | the digital zoom function all together to stop this |
| terms about digital cameras will allow you to | | | | from happening. |
| make a better-informed purchase of a new digital | | | | 4. ISO |
| camera, let you have more control over your | | | | The term ISO stands for the International |
| digital camera's features, and help you to take the | | | | Standards Organization, but what does this have |
| best quality photos possible. | | | | to do with your digital camera? The organization |
| 1. Megapixel | | | | sets standards for photography, and the ISO |
| When we use the term megapixel, we are | | | | range of a camera refers to how sensitive the |
| referring to the maximum resolution at which a | | | | camera is to light. |
| digital camera can take photos in millions of pixels. | | | | For instance, a low ISO number (100 or under) is |
| This means that a camera with a range of 4 | | | | not very sensitive to light, and is best for shots in |
| megapixels can take photos which each contain a | | | | good lighting conditions. A higher ISO range means |
| maximum of 4 million pixels. | | | | that the camera will be suitable for photography in |
| But what does this mean to the consumer? One | | | | darker conditions, so it is best to look for a |
| word: quality. A higher megapixel count means | | | | camera that has an adjustable range; ISO 100 to |
| better quality photos, and considering the price of | | | | 400 should be adequate for most people's needs. |
| digital camera getting lower all the time; you | | | | 5. Shutter Lag |
| should try to stick with a digital camera that has a | | | | Shutter lag refers to the time between pressing |
| 3 megapixel range or above, especially if you | | | | the button to take a photograph and the time |
| intend of making prints of your photos. | | | | when the picture actually gets taken. This may |
| 2. Focal Length | | | | not seem a very important factor when buying a |
| Focal length is a term overlooked far too often in | | | | camera, but think of it this way: if you have to |
| amateur photography, and refers to how much | | | | wait a second or longer for a photo to be taken, |
| the lens of a camera can magnify a shot. Focal | | | | like with many older and inexpensive digital |
| lengths are generally split into two categories, | | | | cameras, then chances are that you won't end up |
| these being wide-angle and telephoto, which are | | | | with the photo you desired. Many camera |
| better for spacious and narrow fields of view | | | | manufacturers do not list the shutter lag time for |
| respectively. | | | | their cameras, so the best way to find this out is |
| Due to the ease of manufacturing telephoto | | | | by testing a camera before you buy. |
| lenses, digital camera manufacturers seem to | | | | Conclusion |
| provide wide-angle lenses in a lot less cameras, | | | | Hopefully this article has helped you to better |
| even though these lenses are better suited | | | | understand some of the most important terms |
| towards the type of photos that most people | | | | used when referring to digital cameras, and in turn |
| commonly take, including groups of friends and | | | | will help you to choose the digital camera that |
| wide landscapes. To sum up, a wide-angle focal | | | | best suits your needs. I think that testing a digital |
| length is the better choice in most cases, with the | | | | camera before you make a purchase can help |
| 20mm and 35mm varieties catering to most | | | | greatly when it comes to making a final decision, |
| people's needs. | | | | and it makes sense to do so; you may be using |
| 3. Digital Zoom | | | | the camera you choose to capture your |
| Unlike the focal length, digital zoom is a term that | | | | memories for years to come! |