Digital Camera Introduction
Kodak first began to experiment with
creating digital cameras in the mid-1970s, developing a crude engineering
sample capable of capturing 100 x 100 pixel monochrome images that took 16
seconds to record onto a standard data audiocassette.
The first
commercial electronic still camera was the original Sony Mavica, called
the Pro Mavica, introduced in 1981, an analog electronic still camera that
used a proprietary two-inch floppy disc to store images. (Mavica stands for
MAgnetic VIdeo CAmera)
In mid-1987, Sony unveiled a consumer version of
its Mavica, the MVC-C1 Hi Band VF Mavica, an analog still camera , not
digital, that stored images on two-inch square discs. In September 1988,
Fuji unveiled the DS-1P, the first electronic still camera that recorded
images digitally on a 16MB internal memory card developed with Toshiba.
In 1991, Kodak packed a
1.3 megapixel CCD onto a Nikon film camera body. The resulting Kodak DCS
(Digital Camera System) 100 is often cited as the first true
commercially-available digital camera.
Kodak saw the consumer
commercial possibilities of a filmless digital camera connected to a
computer and began working with Apple on a consumer version. The Apple QuickTake 100 went on sale in the
U.S. in May 1994 (for Macintosh only; the Windows version arrived a month
later) for less than $1000, making it the first true consumer digital
camera. Kodak followed with its own version, the DC-40.
Advances in digital still cameras came fast and furious. In July
1995, Casio's QV-10 was the first digital camera equipped with an LCD
screen along with a viewfinder. Kodak's DC-25 was the first digital camera
to use removable Compact Flash in 1996. The first million (or mega) pixel
models arrived in 1997, and each succeeding year has seen nearly a million
pixel increase in resolution, along with USB connectivity and a variety of
removable media options.
Today, the digital camera you see in the electronics store is
already outdated. Each month it seems another, more powerful model
appears.
Many people are confused about megapixels, since the
cameras seem to be defined by this characteristic. How many is
enough?
Most people just want a camera to take the 4X6 photos we're
familiar with and do this with crisp imaging, at or better than a
comparable film camera. Any digital camera with at least 1 megapixel
will do the job. A 3 megapixel camera is almost overkill unless
you're looking to print 8X10 photos.
The capability and versatility
of digital cameras do however tend to go up together with the price. Five megapixel cameras tend to have more features,
functions and ease of use along with the ability to get larger
prints than lower megapixel cameras. A 2 or 3 megapixel camera for
example may have a view screen which is too small. The 4 or 5
megapixel camera most likely will have a bigger, easier on the eyes,
screen. This functionality follows throughout the multitude of
features found on today's digital cameras.
As far as what digital camera model to buy, that is a personal choice and it depends
on how you're going to use the camera.
Currently there are 3 or 4 product lines from Canon,
Sony, Fuji and Olympus which seem to dominate the market and are the most popular.
They are the Canon PowerShot models, the Sony Cyber-shot models,
the Fuji FinePix and the Olympus Camedia. Kodak, Hewlett-Packard,
Casio, Minolta, Nikon,
and Pentax also offer digital cameras.
It would seem that these cameras are a good choice for
modest, everyday use and you could hardly go wrong buying one of these particularly as a
first time use camera. Later, you could purchase a more sophisticated model if the need arises.
More...
Digital vs. Film
What camera should I buy?
Digital Camera Manufacturers
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Consumer Guide to digital cameras
How to choose a digital camera
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Digital vs. Film
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