Tag: Learning Center

True, you can learn things about digital cameras and photography everywhere—your local newspaper, newsmagazines, prestigious financial papers and much more. Digital photography has become so popular that everyone is getting into the act. Yet the quality and accuracy of that information isn’t always what it could be. I’ve I’ve read articles about equipment or technology PCPhoto has covered and scratch my head. Are they talking about the same things we are?

Photographers who have used 35mm film SLRs will mostly feel right at home with a digital SLR. The basic ergonomics, body design and control placement of most digital SLRs is quite similar to their film-based siblings. The buttons and dials used for attaching a lens, changing shutter speeds and apertures, checking depth of field and setting focus and exposure metering on D-SLRs remain basically unchanged from familiar 35mm camera body designs.

To master the art of digital photography, there are some essential terms and concepts you need to know. Here you'll find explanations of the key technologies and photography terminology to help you get the most from your camera and equipment.

The two primary shooting formats for digital cameras are JPEG and RAW. JPEG is a file compression format that offers superb image quality when used correctly, while RAW is an excellent format for photographers who either need it or like working with it, but it isn’t for everyone.

Sophisticated technology goes into the design and manufacture of your digital camera. Understanding some of that technology can help you to predict how the camera will fare when you’re shooting in a variety of situations. For our annual How-To issue, we’re including this article on the anatomy of an image sensor.

Modern digital cameras do an impressive job in getting an acceptable exposure for most images. There’s a difference between an acceptable exposure and an exceptional exposure, however. The best exposures make maximum use of the capabilities of the camera sensor and internal camera processing while causing only a few problems when printing or working on images in the computer.

Who needs all these modes?

You might ask yourself this question when you pick up a digital camera loaded with custom exposure settings.