There was a time when taking pictures meant bringing out the camera, making sure it had film and then making sure everything was just right. After processing and printing, if the shot wasn’t perfect there was simply no getting the memory back.
Everything changed in 1990 when digital cameras started emerging for everyday users. Digital cameras started as big clunky boxes; weighing upwards of eight pounds and quickly became more manageable. Currently, digital cameras are found everywhere and can weigh ounces.
Just about everyone who owns a cell phone has a digital camera. Cell phone cameras are fantastic for snapping pictures to record a quick memory or for sending to a friend or family. However, camera phones don’t necessarily offer the best quality. Even though many current phones suggest their quality is that of a true camera, they’re typically not.
Cameras, no matter if they’re film or digital, rely on a few different variables for quality. Aperture is the opening size between the lens and sensor. The bigger the aperture, the more light can enter the camera. Sensor size also plays a huge part in overall picture quality. The larger the area to catch the image means increased image quality.
In the old days a photographer had several choices of camera to use depending on the image quality they were targeting. 35mm was the size most press, sport and paparazzi photographers used because the cameras were light and agile. Medium format cameras, which cover a broad range of sizes, were most commonly used in studio photography. Finally, large format cameras offer the best quality and are used extensively in still photography.
Digital photography uses many of the same terms and technology as its film counterpart; however, the image quality is much more reliant on the quality of the media. Camera phones are fantastic for snapping a quick picture to e-mail or text to a friend. The lens in a camera phone is very small and commonly the quality of the electronics is not that of a dedicated camera.
Point and shoot cameras are the next step up from a camera phone. Point and shoot cameras generally have a larger lens than phones and the sensor is much better quality. Point and shoot cameras are almost always self focusing and have an internal computer to make calculations for the picture. All of the point and shoot cameras I’ve used have a screen on the back for previewing and reviewing the pictures. Most people who purchase digital cameras are going to prefer point and shoot.
Digital SLR’s are the most expensive and best quality of typical consumer grade equipment. Digital SLR’s are equipped with a screen on the back for reviewing the images, but may not allow for previewing. SLR cameras have interchangeable lenses and different options for attaching flash units or external studio lights. Photo enthusiasts and professional photographers are most likely to gravitate towards this type.
I was recently talking with a customer who is purchasing a new digital camera for personal snap shots. She was showing me several choices she had picked out and was asking for my opinion. After making my argument for the best camera in the selection, she pointed out that her phone was a 10 megapixel and was just as good as the point and shoot I had chosen.
After talking to her about the technical reasons her camera phone may not be as good as the point and shoot, she chose the point and shoot. Three days later she brought be in 4″ X 6″ prints of similar shots taken with both cameras and thanked me for helping guide her decision. The quality of the true camera pictures was significantly better and less grainy than the phone.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him at (978) 413-2840 or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)