Compact Digital Cameras Explained

Cameras, especially compact digital cameras, are more than just a few pieces of plastic stuck together. Each little piece has a purpose. Each piece has a distinct job to ensure that you receive the best image quality found in products such as the Fujifilm FinePix F300EXR, Panasonic Lumix FX75 and the Panasonic Lumix ZS7. Understanding the most important features and functions of a compact digitial camera will help you discover how to take a little more creative control of your images.

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Camera Lens

Each camera must contain a lens. A lens is a piece of glass or plastic and is the most important part of a camera. It is the job of the lens to redirect beams of light so they combine and form an image. This small component in compact digital cameras directly affects many other features (focal length, zoom, etc.) and is ultimately plays the vital role in creating a high-quality image. .

Focal Length

Focal length is the distance from the center of the lens to the focal point on the camera. The focal length is important in compact digital cameras because it determines the how much a subject will be enlarged. The type of lens also influences the focal length. For example, a wide angle lens has a small focal length while telephoto lenses have larger focal lengths. Also, camera shake is seen more frequently in telephoto lenses because the hand movements become magnified in the image.

The desired exposure time for your lens can become tricky with certain focal lengths. A simple rule for determining what exposure time you need for focal length is to remember the one-over rule. This rule says you place a one over your focal length. For example, if you have a 200mm focal length, the exposure time desired would be 1/200 seconds.

Zoom Lens

Zoom lenses are a vital feature for any thin digital camera. A good zoom lens gives the photographer the ability to easily adjust the focal point of an image to easily create perspectives with interesting focus variations. The lens is often described as 4x or 5x, which also is referring to the zoom ratio. This just allows the photographer to zoom in four or five times closer to the subject.

Digital zoom is entirely different than optical zoom. Digital zoom is not made with the lens but by software inside the compact digital camera. This software magnifies the image, giving the appearance of zooming in.

ISO

The ISO on a compact digital camera determines how sensitive the image is to light. The most common of these ISO settings are 100, 200, 400 and 800. You can adjust these settings on the camera. The lower the speed, the better image quality you will receive. Many ISO speeds on compact digital cameras will exceed 1600. These settings are ideal in low light or in dark settings. During the day, the higher the ISO used, the more grainy your image will appear. If you use the automatic modes, you don’t need to worry about the ISO of your compact digital camera – the device figures it out for you.

Shutter Speeds

The shutter speed used on your compact digital camera is another feature that your device can figure out for you if you use the automatic mode. Shutter speed is the time the shutter remains open when capturing a photograph. Short shutter speeds are ideal for fast-moving subjects and should be used for settings such as sporting events. Long shutter speeds are used for slow or non-moving objects.