Digital Cameras & Digital Photography

Richard Runion asked:


My friend needed a good digicam and asked me to help him buy one. So, first, I went about listing all the factors that I consider important before deciding which camera to buy. And finally settled on a Canon G7, as the ideal buy.

While build and design make a first impression, and are important considerations, I also look at how portable a camera is, as you don’t want to have to lug around a heavy package wherever you go. The camera weighs just 320 grams — truly pocket-sized. Yet, it’s not a fragile device, and has good heft, which makes it comfortable to handle, and use.

The solid-metal and plastic build make the G7 a stylish camera.

A camera buyer is concerned about the quality of pictures it takes. The G7 has a sharp lens and good focal range, with noise reduction effective up to ISO 400. This insures excellent photos.

The G7 has good auto-focus speed, so an amateur photographer (like me) never has to worry about the sharpness of the pictures. The aperture speed is good, too.

And because there’s good noise reduction, you can hold the G7 at waist height and hope to take good pictures. You don’t need to worry about insufficient light, either.

The other features of the G7 make impressive reading: an optical viewfinder, a large zoom with a good range, audio recording, image stabilization, optional lens adapters, a wide range of parameters for image color and sharpness, a good built-in flash, continuous shooting mode, movie mode, etc.

An optical zoom is very important as it helps you improve the camera’s focus, just by manipulating the lens. Also, you can magnify a photo using digital zoom. The 6X optical zoom of the Canon G7 makes for crisper, clearer close-ups, without too much effort. The lens is equipped with SR coating, Canon’s new technology. This helps eliminate ghosting.

Don’t you like photos which you can make enlarged prints of? The 10 mega pixel sensor of the G7 enables you to do this.

The G7 has a 2.5 inch LCD screen and widescreen viewing. This allows you to see how good your photo is before you leave the scene.

You can do all this with any LCD, but the LCD should be bright enough to see, even in bright sunlight. You should be able to reduce brightness to minimum, in the night. You can do all of this with a G7.

The G7 has a DIGIC III Image Processor, along with Face Detection Technology; this guarantees better pixel count and clearer images. Processing and saving speed are also enhanced by it. Best of all, it doesn’t use too much battery power.

My only complaint about this digicam is that it doesn’t have raw mode. The camera processes the pictures in 8-bit JPG format.

This camera cost my friend more than most digicams. But this is more than a digicam; it’s almost a substitute for a DSLR. That means it’s great value for money.

Mark Etinger asked:


Buying a camcorder without knowing the proper terminology is like going into your wedding with having your vows memorized – you’ll get through it, but it probably isn’t going to end well.

With that in mind, we present the following indispensable guide to the lexicon of the camcorder.  This information will help demystify the many features available, thus helping you make a more informed purchase decision.

8MM – Smaller than most video formats, 8MM tape offers better quality than VHS recording, but not as good as digital formats.

Auto Focus - A feature that allows you to point at an object and have the camera automatically adjust to provide the clearest image of that target.

Backlight Control – A setting that increases aperture when there is a strong light source behind the subject – thus insuring that they will not be underexposed.

Compact VHS – Smaller than standard VHS, this format is not used much these days.  The resolution of a Compact VHS tape is the same as a standard VHS.

Digital 8 – A higher resolution format that uses digital technology.  Features resolution 20% higher than high-8 or VHS-C formats.

DVD Camcorder – This unique technology allows the user to shoot digital moving images which can then be burned on to a DVD that is already in the camera.  The resulting DVD can be taken directly to a PC for editing or DVD player for viewing.

LUX Scale – Measures the amount of illumination in a specific area.  An outdoor shot on a sunny day will be around 10,000 LUX, while an indoor shot will be between 1,000 and 2,000 LUX depending upon the amount of white light in the room.

MiniDV -  This digital format offers outstanding audio and video quality.  Tapes are small and can be played back using the camcorder and simple AV cables.

Night Shot – A new technology new to consumer camcorders that allows the individual to shoot images without any available light source.  The image generated will have a green, “military” tint to it when viewed.

Photo Mode – Many digital camcorders allow you to use the device as a still camera.  Photo Mode is the selection on the camcorder that switches over to this feature.

Picture Noise – Low image quality or grainy footage as a result of poor lighting.

Refurbished – Some camcorders purchased online are refurbished. This refers to the process of reselling a used camcorder with replacement parts inside.  Most refurbished electronics work like new, but may not be covered under manufacturer’s warranty.

VHS – The oldest camcorder type currently in use.  Large VHS tapes were once the industry standard and can be taken directly from the camcorder and played in a standard VHS video tape player.

Wipe – A transition in which one image is moved off of the screen and replaced by another.  Used in editing to create a more professional look for the finished movie.

Zoom – The ability of the camcorder to create the illusion of bringing the subject closer or further away from the camera.  More advanced camcorders have more powerful zoom capability.