A Stroll Down Memory Lane From The Box Camera to Digital Cameras

A brief reflection on the changes to cameras in recent times. From the humble box camera to the latest in digital cameras.

DIGITAL CAMERAS

Can I start this article by asking you a question, do you remember the box camera?

An extremely basic camera, with a fixed aperture. The length of exposure only determined by the length of time you kept your finger on the shutter release button. Oh happy days, so simple yet so efficient. Much of the worlds recent history has been recorded on such or very similar cameras. No zoom, no auto focus, no shutter speeds no aperture settings.

How things change

Now in this the Digital Camera age you can if you so wish get a camera that will do just about everything for you, apart from selecting what you want to photograph. Although I miss the simplicity of the earlier cameras I also love the different features available with todays cameras.

The ability to override the Auto settings to set ones own preferred aperture and speed settings, or just to select the preferred aperture while the camera works out the best speed to match the aperture selected or, adversely to select the shutter speed whilst the camera works out the best compatible aperture.

No more fiddling with light meters to get the necessary readings to decide on the required settings. No just point the camera in the right direction and it is all worked out automatically for you.

The Digital Camera has many other advantages over its forerunner, the ability to zoom in on a subject, anti shake features, built in flash, excellent quality lenses which now have an extensive megapixel range.

One of the greatest advantages to myself though is the ability to immediately view the latest picture to decide whether to retain it or discard it, this coupled with the amount of memory now available up to 32GB on some cameras via the use of memory cards is a blessing.

No more time spent in the darkroom with trays of developer, rinse, and fixer to see the end results. All in all I like the changes made to the cameras of my earlier days.

There are of course many different makes of Digital Camera that cater for virtually every kind of Photographer, from the Novice and the enthusiastic Amateur to the Professional. I myself would probably fall into the enthusiastic amateur class. I am certainly no professional.

I have deliberately refrained from referring to different makes of camera by name, I would recommend that anyone wanting to buy a Digital Camera make a list of what they would like it to do for them and then compare what is available. If you would like more technical detail there are many far better qualified than I to provide you with that information in their articles.

If you just want to see a variety of Digital Cameras that are available then just click on the link.

Happy snapping may all your photographs be masterpieces.

Article by Roy Booth

Canon EOS 60D - One of the Best SLR Digital Cameras

Canon EOS 60D

Canon secures a safe place much ahead of its competitors and occupies an indomitable position in optical technology. Canon's trademark Digital SLR camera definitely brushes off other products in the market. One such example is EOS 60D Kit III EF S18-200mm digital camera. Let's see the characteristic features of the product:

Design

Weighing about 675 g, the camera has a geeky look appreciated by the professional photographers. Amazingly, the pitch black color accentuates the camera's performance. The camera's design is somewhat rounded, yet it offers a good holding grip. But due to the camera's bulkiness, it takes quite an effort to balance the camera. The display screen size is 3.0'' vari-angle LCD with an anti-smudge coating. The multi control dial on the rear side is simple to operate (even for a novice) and the functions can be switched easily.

Image quality

The image quality is, as expected, Canon's authentic picture clarity. Many concepts are mixed together to deliver such an exceptional clarity. The 18.0 mega pixel coupled with the APS -C size CMOS sensor gives crystal clarity. The nine ambience settings alter the picture performance. We like the four creative filters - namely Grainy B&W / Soft focus / Toy camera effect / Miniature that can be customized as per our requirements. The 4 levels of noise reduction effectively work even at higher ISO's viz, 100- 6400 (extended to 12800).

Performance Speed

The inbuilt Digic 4 Image processor 14 bit A/ D provides speedy processing rates without comprising the picture detail and color accuracy. The amazing 5.3 frames per second provide an ultra speed nonstop shooting fun!

Other Features

The Raw image processing (excluding sRAW & mRAW) is dealt and saved as JPEG image. The supporting functions such as, brightness adjustment, white balance, picture style, auto lighting reduction, distortion correction adds to the beauty!Most common occurrence is hands shaking at higher ISO and quick shutter speed. This is somewhat less pronounced in this modelThe 18-200mm lens is fantastic to work with at different angles.The iFCL metering, along with a 63 Zone dual layer offers a good exposure as the focus point location and color data are simultaneously evaluatedMultiple aspect ratio parameters (4:3, 1:1 3:2 and 16:9 )Registration limit of 40 lenses isHD movie recording

Canon as always delights the customer and this digital camera is sure to go beyond delighting!

DSLR Cameras and Nature Photography

By Mark Etinger Mark Etinger
Level: Platinum

Ajax Union is a boutique internet marketing firm focused on enhancing the online presence of your business in myriad ways. We are a team of ...

As warm weather approaches, nature photographers will be spending much more time outside capturing the vivid landscape and the surreal wildlife. With DSLR cameras in hand and a few pieces of photography equipment, you can take breathtaking photographers as spring bursts into bloom.

Before you invest in photography equipment to enhance your pictures, there are a few items that don't have to do with photography that you'll need. The weather doesn't always cooperate and sometimes you need to get a bit dirty in order to get that perfect shot. Invest in rain boots and always carry a plastic bag or something to keep your camera dry for those rainy summer days. Since you'll be spending so much time outdoors, don't forget the bug spray and you might want a compass if you're hiking into unknown territory.

If you want to capture the beauty of wildlife, you need to get on their level - literally. Eye-to-eye shots will do the animal justice and convey their emotions. You'll need a lot of patience to achieve this and a bit of knowledge about the species, but it will pay off in the end. Always move slowly and smoothly because an animal will flee when it feels threatened. Remember that less is always more. Bad photographs are ones that are cluttered with too many elements. Focus on one particular element and go for it. Use longer interchangeable lenses so you can narrow in on the object. Macro lenses are especially good for close-up shots.

When it comes to landscape shots, you will definitely need a tripod. This will keep your camera steady and even. Image stabilizers will also keep the camera from shaking. In terms of interchangeable lenses, you should consider using graduated neutral density filters. Neutral density filters reduce the amount of light that enters the lens and lowers the exposure time. The most important aspect of the graduated neutral density filter is that it will control the contrast of the landscape. The brightness between the sky and land is often too great and one ends up being overexposed.

With so many landscape shots, it's easy to forget that sometimes the shot would be better if the camera was vertical. If an object is taller than it is wide, always shoot vertically. Even if the rule doesn't apply, don't be afraid to see how that shot looks vertically. Try to split up your shots. Many higher quality telephoto lenses have rotating collars which will allow you to rotate both the lens and the camera while it is attached to the tripod. You can also invest in a ball head which will also allow you to rotate your DSLR cameras in the tripod.

Nature is simply gorgeous this time of year so take full advantage of it. Whether you have professional cameras or just simple compact cameras, get outside and capture the moments.

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Article Submitted On: March 26, 2011