Regardless of how digital cameras look, the market for
them is roughly divided into four tiers with blurry lines separating
cameras based mainly by image resolution, features, and of course, price.
At the low end are the fully automatic point and shoot
cameras with resolutions below 1-million pixels and prices below $500.
At the next level are
megapixel cameras, those having over a million pixels in their image
sensors. Costing less than $1000 these cameras also give you some creative
controls.
Near the top are
megapixel cameras costing between $1000 and $2000 that appeal to both
amateur and professional photographers, and are sometimes called prosumer
cameras. In addition to offering higher resolutions, these cameras also
have more features.
At the highest level
are the expensive professional digital cameras based on 35mm and APS SLR
cameras. These cameras have the highest resolution, most features, and
highest prices.
Let’s take a look at these four categories in more
detail.
Point and shoot cameras
For the past few decades, serious photographers have
mainly been using traditional 35mm SLR cameras. But these large and heavy
cameras are inconvenient to say the least, so most serious photographers
have always stuck a point and shoot camera in their shirt pocket. The
photos from these small cameras may not be quite as good (and that is
debatable), but they go anywhere and pictures that would otherwise be
missed are captured. Point and shoot cameras have earned their stripes and
are welcome additions to even the most professional photographer’s camera
collection.
Why this discussion on point and shoot cameras? It’s
because in the new digital photography arena, they are not only very
popular, they are the least expensive digital cameras. These cameras are
fully automatic and usually don’t provide you with a lot of creative
control-that’s why they are called “point and shoot.” Because of the low
resolution of many of these cameras, printed output is limited to about 4
x 6 inches or so. Despite this small size, the images are ideal for Web
pages, e-mail attachments, and small reproduction sizes in newsletters and
other documents.
Multi-megapixel cameras
Positioned just above the point and shoot cameras is a
family of cameras with over 1-million pixels. Generally, the higher
resolution is combined with more advanced features such as
through-the-lens (TTL) focusing and creative controls. This is one of the
fastest growing categories of cameras because these cameras appeal to
serious photographers who like to have creative control of their camera’s
settings and make prints up to about 8 x 10 in size.
Professional cameras
If you have money to burn, you might cast your eye on the
professional 35mm or APS SLR cameras that have been adapted to digital
photography and cost from $3000 to $20,000 and more. These cameras often
use 3 image sensors, one for each color so they capture great color and
resolution. They also have at least 2-million pixels in their image
sensors and usually many more (Canon’s has 2036 x 3060 pixels for a total
of over 6 million pixels). One huge advantage these cameras have is that
most of the features (such as exposure controls) and accessories (such as
lenses) designed for the film versions also work with the digital
versions.
Digital video cameras
Normally we take one picture at a time with a still
camera, or perhaps a few hundred at best with still cameras offering a
video capture mode. However, it’s also possible to select individual
frames off a video tape. Shot at 30 frames per second, video captures 1800
images per minute. The ability to choose from such a vast array of images
is tempting, but keep in mind that video has less resolution than most
digital cameras.
With the latest digital video cameras, you don’t have to
digitize frames because they are captured in a digital format. The lines
here get very blurry because some digital still cameras are capable of
capturing short video sequences and some digital video cameras can also
capture still images. For example, Canon’s Optura camera, with a
resolution of 380,000 pixels can capture more than 500 still pictures on a
single tape as well as recording the sound for your verbal notes or
narration.
Specialty cameras
Digital cameras are so useful, they are being
incorporated into more and more devices ranging from laptop computers to
PDAs.
Novelty Cameras
As the size and price of image sensors fall, cameras can
be incorporated into more and more object from toys to watches.
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| The Types of Digital Cameras
Let’s look at the types, or families, of digital cameras currently available. As we do so, keep in mind that no one yet knows what a digital camera should look like so you’ll find all kinds of strange shapes. 35mm cameras have taken familiar forms because they require room for the film and light path as well as prisms and such. Digital cameras are freed of many of these limitations so they can take new forms. During these early days, some manufacturers make their cameras look like familiar 35mm cameras while others veer off in new directions. |