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faq
by Emily RaymondSeeing as we’re a freshly established site, I really haven’t frequently been asked certain (ok, many) questions from readers. These are questions I hear from family members and friends. Feel free to ask me questions (frequently if you must) at eraymond@digitalcamerainfo.com.
1. What is the difference between film and digital?
To put it simply, film cameras use light-sensitive film. Digital cameras use light-sensitive imaging sensors with processors to transform data into your pictures.
2. What are the advantages of digital photography?
Perhaps the biggest advantage is cost. A 24-frame roll of film costs about two and a half bucks, can only be used once, and costs another five or six bucks for processing and printing. A memory card (varies in price depending on the brand and size) can be reused over and over. If the card is big enough, you can fit hundreds of pictures, so you are at liberty to snap pretty much as many pictures as you want without having to worry about running out of film. Another on-camera plus: you can delete pictures instantly if you want. Another major advantage is the ability to manipulate photographs easily. Software editing programs make it easy to digitally enhance photos. With film, you would have to scan the photo first. With digital, you simply upload straight from the camera. Other advantages are the ease at which you can share images online and the many options you have to print your photos.
3. What is the difference between a CCD and CMOS?
These are different types of image sensors in digital cameras. A CCD is a charge coupled device. A CMOS is a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor. Most digital cameras use a CCD chip, but more and more are beginning to use CMOS. Here are the differences. The CMOS chip uses less power and costs less to manufacture. The CCD is more sensitive and has traditionally produced less noise; however, CMOS technology is changing that. Now several DSLRs include large CMOS sensors.
4. Can film lenses attach to digital camera bodies?
Some do, some don’t. You have to check the manufacturer and model and see what kind of lens mount the digital camera has (you can do this on the manufacturer’s web site in the technical specs section of the model). Many times, film camera lenses will fit onto digital camera bodies, but will lose a bit of functionality. For example, Nikon film lenses cannot perform the matrix metering function on digital cameras – but they work just fine to zoom and take great pictures. Digital and film lenses are built differently. Digital-specific lenses are built to bend light onto a flat plane of pixels. Film lenses simply let light through to the 3-dimensional crystals on the film. So while your film lenses will function on digital cameras many times, you run the risk of sacrificing image quality and functionality in the conversion.
5. How can I make my digital prints look smooth?
You can start by using an adequate amount of resolution from your digital camera. Use at least 2 megapixels when printing 4 x 6-inch prints, 4 megapixels for 8 x 10s, and 6 for 11 x 17-inch prints. These are conservative figures, so 6 megapixels should be more than enough for a smooth 11 x 17-inch print. If you are using high resolution already, check out your printer resolution and make sure it’s at least 300 dpi (dots per inch). Keep in mind that all these figures are for uncropped images. When you crop a picture, there are less pixels to work with. If you crop one face out of a crowd in an 8 megapixel image, that face may still only be made up of a hundred pixels. The picture of the face would look awful – even though it started out as an 8 megapixel image.