I've written this article to help you understand
the
things that really matter
when you're buying
a digital camera
and to help you with your choice
continued from previous page
Example 1
Features:
(Digital Camera + Movie Recorder + Voice Recorder + Web-Cam) Digital camera, can also produce movies, can connect to your computer for web cam use and can record voice memos
3.1 Mega Pixels (2048 x 1536 Image Resolution) 2048x1536=3,145,728 pixels, which indicates that this is a genuine 3.1MP camera - however this is misleading, the true pixel count is only 1.92 Mega Pixels - see Still Image Res below
Built-in 8MB Memory with External SD/MMC Card Support Has built in memory of 8 Mb, can also be connected to an external memory card
1.5" TFT LCD Display Has a standard LCD viewfinder display
4x Digital Zoom This is not a true zoom, the pixels are enlarged digitally, resulting in low quality
Movie Recording Function (Video with Audio) Can be used to produce short video clips
Built-in TV Out Function Camera can be connected to a TV, which then becomes a giant viewfinder
Built-in Microphone for Audio Recording and Movie Recording
PC Camera Mode for Video Conferencing Can be connected to a computer and used as a webcam
Specifications:
Image Sensor: 1/2" Color 2.1M CMOS Has a tiny sensor measuring just 3mm x 4mm
Lens Module: Genius 5 Glass (5G)
Built-in View Finder: 3 Elements Has a basic optical viewfinder
Aperture Range: F2.8 Lens only operates at f2.8, because of the tiny sensor size. The aperture cannot be adjusted
Focus: Auto Focus (1 m to infinity), Macro Focus: 20 cm Lens will focus automatically from 1 metre, can also be used for close-ups
DSC Video Image Res: 352 x 288 with Audio Recording up to 15 FPS
Built-in Flash with Auto Exposure and Auto White Balance
10 sec Self-Timer Mode
Still Image Res: 800 x 600, 1600 x 1200, 2048 x 1536(interpolated) The magic word 'interpolated' gives the game away - the true resolution is only 1600x1200
Internal Memory: 8MB NAND Gate Flash Memory
External Memory: SD/MMC Card Support
Built-in Microphone for Audio Recording and Video Recording
Sound Feedback: Speaker
Power Source: 4 x AAA Alkaline Batteries Does not indicate that it can take rechargeable batteries - the size AAA alkaline batteries are tiny and will last only a short time
Dimension: 97(W) x 28(D) x 63(H)mm
USB Interface: Mini Type (4 pin connector - 2 metres) Connects to computer via a normal USB connection
Image out: Video on PC via USB-TV-out
System Requirements:
Pentium-II 500 or faster processor
One free USB Port
32MB RAM
50MB Hard Disk Drive Space Available
CD-ROM (For Driver Installation)
Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
Example 2
Function Type Digital Still Camera / Web Cam / Digital Video Camera / TV Out
Sensor Type Panasonic 3.3 Mega CCD Sensor This is the true sensor size
Image Resolution 5.0 Mega Pixels (2496 x 2016) by software interpolation See above - true sensor size is 3.3MP
Lens Focus range: Normal:0.6m ~ infinity / Macro: 0.08m ~ 0.6m Can be used for close ups
Focal Length: 39~117 mm (35mm camera equivalent) / 6.2 ~ 18.6 mm (actual) You can work out the approximate sensor size from these figures - divide the actual focal length of the lens (6.2mm) into the '35mm equivalent (39mm) 6.2/39=6.29.
F/no: F2.8/F8 / View angle: 53° This lens can be adjusted from f2.8 to f8, which is a good range of adjustment
Optical ZOOM 3x Ricoh Optical Zoom Lens 'Optical' means that this is a true zoom lens
Digital ZOOM 2x ADZTM for Video Clip capture / 4x ADZTM for Still Image capture It also has digital zoom, which is of very little value (but makes the specification look better)
8x ADZTM for Captured Picture displaying on LCD
Viewfinder Optical type: reverse Galileo image Simple optical viewfinder
Still Image Capture 5.0M , 2496 x 2016 (Interpolation) , Normal / 3.0M , 2048 x 1472 , Fine / 3.0M , 2048 x 1472, Normal / 2.8M , 2048 x 1376 ( 6 : 4 ) , Fine /
2.8M , 2048 x 1376 ( 6 : 4 ) , Normal / 0.7M , 1024 x 736, Normal
Video Clip Movie mode 320x240: 15 fps, AVI format, Max. 60 seconds per file Can record movies for up to 60 seconds, picture size is slightly smaller than the above example
PC camera mode 160x120: 30 fps / 320x240: 15 fps
Color LCD resolution 280 X 220, 61K pixel Also has a LCD screen viewfinder
ISO speed 100 / 200 This is the equivalent of film speed
Auto-exposure Compensation: ±2EV in 1/3 increment
White-balance Auto / Daylight / Shade / Tungsten / Fluorescence The white balance can be adjusted for different types of light
Flash mode Auto/Fill-in/Red-eye reduction/OFF Various flash modes for different situations. Can be used outdoors in bright sunlight if required, to reduce shadows.
Shutter speed 1 ~ 1/1000 sec. (Mechanical) & 1/30 ~ 1/4000 sec. (Electrical) This camera has a very good range of shutter speeds
Self-timer / Auto power off 10 seconds / 3 minutes
File format JPEG compression / EXIF 2.1, DCF 1.0, PDOF 1.1 file format
PC Interface / TV Output USB 1.1 / NTSC & PAL, user selectable
Software Driver MSD, TWAIN, WDM for Microsoft Windows 98/98se/ME/2000/XP compatibleWIA for Microsoft Windows ME/XP compatible,
MSD for MAC OS 9.0 and above
Power source Two AA, Alkaline, Ni-MH re-chargeable or one CR-V3 / DC in: 3.3V,2.5A Can be used with rechargeable batteries
Storage interface Internal 16 Mbytes Flash memory & SD/MMC card socket support Has built in memory, can also be used with a memory card
Included Accessories Digital Camera / User's Manual / Quick Reference Guide / USB Cable / Two AA Alkaline / Installation CD-ROM / Video cable
Soft Carrying Case / SD Memory Card* / Multi Media Card*
This article was written by Garry Edwards. Garry has written a number of informative guides to photography. They are available from www.photolearn.co.uk.
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