How Do Digital Cameras Work?
By: Nj Photo
Tags: Photography, Digital Camera, Photography Tips, Photographer, Photos

Digital cameras have snapped up a large share of the photography market in the last decade, and film cameras have taken a back seat. While they both capture photos, according to Abes of Maine specialists, the average digital camera is a very different device from a conventional film camera. In its most basic form, a digital camera works by using light sensors to save an image into bits and bytes, a language that computers can read. Photographers can then send, share, and digitally manipulate an image with ease.

How Digital Cameras Capture Images

The basic function of any camera, whether conventional or digital, is to capture an image. Digital cameras work because they use a series of lenses and filters that transfer light onto an electronic sensor. The sensor then records the image as digital data measured in pixels, which affects the resolution (picture quality) of an image.

Digital Camera Sensors

From Abes of Maine point out that in the world of digital cameras, there are two main types of sensors, the charge coupled device (CCD) and the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The easiest way to understand how these sensors work is to picture them covered with thousands or millions of solar cells. Each cell receives a particle of light, records its color, and saves it as a pixel.

CCD vs. CMOS

There are several differences between the two main sensors. A CCD sensor has a reputation for producing a high quality picture with a low amount of noise. In the photography world, “noise” is the small variation of light particles in an image that cause it to appear blurry or grainy according to Abes of Maine experts. CMOS sensors, on the other hand, allow for a greater amount of noise in digital images than CCD. However, CMOS sensors use a small amount of power while CCD sensors use 100 times more power. A CCD sensor can quickly drain a camera’s battery.

Sensor Size

The size of the sensor affects a camera’s resolution. Remember that each sensor contains millions of tiny cells that act as individual pixels. Therefore, a small sensor, such as those used in many compact digital cameras, cannot reproduce the high-resolution levels seen in larger digital SLR cameras because the smaller sensor cannot match the number of pixels found on the larger sensor.

Digital Camera Resolution

From Abes of Maine explain that the type of sensor, whether CCD or CMOS, does not affect the final picture quality nearly as much as resolution. A very low-end or outdated digital camera may have a resolution of 256x256, which adds up to 65,000 pixels. By modern digital camera standards, this is unacceptable. Most modern cameras measure resolution in megapixels, where one megapixel equals 1 million pixels. The higher the megapixel count, the better the camera’s resolution.

The average digital camera has at least 5 megapixels. It is difficult to find new cell phones with cameras that still offer 1, 2, or 3 megapixels according to Abes of Maine specized staff. It is difficult to tell the difference between a 5-megapixel and an 8-megapixel 4x6 photo print. If the photos are enlarged to 16x20 poster size, then the resolution difference matters. Those looking for a camera with true high quality resolution should search for one with at least 10 megapixels.

Professional digital cameras typically contain 16 or 20 megapixels. At this point, digital cameras become equal in photo quality to professional film cameras. A study revealed that a 35 mm film camera produces an image that is the equivalent of 20 megapixels. It is important to judge the quality of a camera by its hardware, not by its name brand, although companies like Canon and Nikon have built reputations for producing quality cameras.

Conclusion

The digital camera is a modern invention that converts captured light into digital photographs. This allows computers to read the image, and it opens the gateway to sharing the pictures online. When it comes to digital cameras, sensor size and resolution are crucial for determining the picture quality of the device. From Abes of Main explain that, this is because the sensor and the resolution play such a big part in how a digital camera works.