Digital cameras

SLR or Single Lens Reflector cameras are the preferred choice of professionals the world over as they enable the photographer to see the exact picture before shooting it. They are available in both traditional film based cameras (SLRF) as well as in digital cameras (SLD). A film based camera relies on the coating of silver halide which is sensitive to light. When light falls on the film, there is a photochemical reaction on the surface of the film which enables an impression of the image to be captured on it. It is then developed into a negative and then to a positive through suitable processing.

In digital photography, the capture and processing of information is quite different from the analogue or film based photography. The image is essentially broken into small bits called pixels (short form for picture elements) and digitally stored in memory or hard disk. These pixels are so small that when a group of them is displayed as an image it appears to be a continuous picture. A typical digital picture consists of millions of pixels.

Digital cameras can be broadly divided into 3 ranges; the lowest range is the point and shoot variety which typically has 2 to 3 million pixels per image. The middle range of digital cameras typically have image resolution of 4 to 6 million pixels while the higher end variety has image size in excess of 8 million pixels. Higher the no. of pixels better is the quality of image. 

Digital cameras have undergone a sea change in the last decade or so. Not only has the picture quality improved tremendously but the price has also dropped considerably. They are also lighter in weight compared to film based cameras. The point and shoot variety are compact and weigh only a few hundred grams. The market for mid range digital cameras is growing very fast. One can take large prints with them and there is considerable control for the photographer to exhibit creativity while shooting pictures. 

The higher end cameras are closest to traditional SLR based film cameras in terms of picture quality. The lens mount size are also being standardized to a ratio of 4:3 which means the lenses are interchangeable. One can choose lens from a no. of different manufacturers for his/her digital camera which is a great convenience. It would also result in broadening of the market leading to lower prices.

Since the choice of digital cameras available in the market is huge, one needs to do some of research on the internet to select the one that is right for his/her budget. Fortunately a large amount of information is available about the various digital camera models on the net. The quality of prints taken from digital camera is not limited to the quality of printer that the photographer has any more as there are a no. of printing shops that accept pictures over email and print high resolution pictures and send it back through courier.