Introduction

Since the early eighteen hundreds, photography has changed human lives forever. There was now a way of instantly capturing a piece of history and immortalizing the image of that moment, event or person forever by means of the camera.

For many years the camera functioned on film technology. A still film camera is made of three basic elements: an optical element (the lens), a chemical element (the film) and a mechanical element (the camera body itself). The twentieth century ushered in an evolution of the camera. With improvements in electronics and digital technology the digital camera was developed and resulted in a revolution in the way we take photographs.

This article will explore the film camera, digital camera operation, the features of the digital camera, the advantages and disadvantages, the recommedations for buyers and then breifly recap the main points by means of a sumary. There is also a glossary of the term used in the article.

It is hoped that this article will impart a basic knowledge of the intricate operations of the digital camera, its advantages and disadvantages and to guide the reader in making an intelligent decision if the choose to invest in a digital camera.