Origins of Digital Photography

Caroline Douglas

Glossary• ISO speed – rating of a films sensitivity to light, describes the sensitivity of a digital

camera’s image sensory. Higher the ISO, poorer the image quality. Cameras usually have a self-adjust system but can be adjusted manually.

• Megapixel = 1 mill pixels• Pixel – building blocks of digital photo – small dot of light that adds up to make image• Image Stabilizer - system of three+ accelerometers in a camera which adjusts the

cameras lens if you were to shake or move the camera while taking a shot. Prevents blurriness in images.

• DPI – Dots per inch, used to measure the resolution (pixel height)• LCD – Liquid Crystal Display – the display screen on the back of the camera where

you view and review your photos• Resolution – number of pictures in an image, more pixels = better resolution• Noise – the name for the ‘grainy’ appearance in digital photos• Aliasing – jagged-edges on curved or diagonal surfaces in images cause because of

the face that pixels are squares• White Balance – function on camera to compensate for different colors of light being

emitted by different light sources• Memory Card – Device in digital cameras that stores pictures and video files• CMOS – Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, one of the sensors found in

cheaper cameras, does the same thing as a CCD only lesser quality

CCD

• 1969- George Smith and William Boyle created the Charge Coupled Device, which is an image sensor found in almost every digital camera.

• Took them only an hour to sketch out the design.

• A year later they had already built the CCD into a solid-state video camera.

• 1975-CCD video cameras provided sharper images for television broadcasting

CCD Cont

• CCD is hit by light coming through the camera's lens

• The hundreds of thousands to millions of pixels that make up the CCD convert the light into electrons

• The number of electrons is measured, then converted to digital value

• Then goes to the analog-to-digital converter

• Analog-to-Digital converter takes the digital values and converts it into binary

• Next the image goes through a series of electronic filters that adjust the white balance, color, and aliasing of the image.

• Then the information goes through a compression cycle where it makes the image as small as possibly by dumping unnecessary pixels for more efficient storage

• The pixels are stored as a version of your picture in your memory and can be viewed in on your LCD

• Basically that is how you get a picture on a digital camera

Sony Mavica

• 1981-First Digital Camera prototype, the Mavica, was introduced by Sony. It was more of a video camera that took freeze-frames than a true ‘digital camera’. It stored the images on two-inch floppy disk that held 25 pictures.

• 720,000-pixel image

Kodak’s Role

• 1986 – created the first megapixel sensor that was capable of recording 1.4 mill pixels

• 1991 – Released the first professional digital camera system for photojournalists, the Nikon F-3 equipped with the Kodak 1.3 megapixel censor

Evolution• 1988- Cannon introduced the

XapShot, which had a built in flash, self-timer, and rechargeable lead acid battery. Stored images on floppy disk Came with basic software to transfer images to Mac.

• 1990 – Logitech created the Dycam Model 1 black-and-white digital camera. First completely digital consumer camera. Similar to XapShot, except it had a 1MB RAM that it used to compress and digitize images internally. Had to connect to PC to transfer images.

• 1994 – Apple created the first camera (Apple QuickTake 100) which used a serial cable to connect the camera to PC.

• **Bulky design***

Cameras of Today

• Point-and-Shoot Cameras – Relatively small and inexpensive, fixed lens, built in flash, normally have a LCD. Very simple and easy to use. Users have limited control over it, positive and negative. Some have automatic focus, etc.

• Many varieties and colors produced by almost every electronic company.

• What an average person would most likely own.

Cameras of Today

• DSLR – Digital single-lens reflex camera – had optical view finders, removable lenses, external flashes, ability to focus and adjust setting manually. More expensive and complicated then point-and-shoot models.

• Used to be obnoxiously bulky, but are now lighter and less expensive as more come out.

• Cannon PowerShot G7• Released Sept. 2006.• 10.0 megapixel resolution• Optical Image Stabilizer

Other Features

• Face Detection Technology• 2.5 LCD Monitor• ISO 1600• ISO and Mode dials for

customizable shooting• Print/Share button- used for direct

printing and downloading

• Including a DIGIC III Image Processor – responsible for fast performance, better quality, longer batter life, higer def for LCD monitor, etc. Also responsible for Face Detection.

• High-Resolution Movie Mode• Compatible with numerous

shooting accessories: external flashes, waterproof case, etc.

• Shooting Modes: Auto, Shutter-Priority, Manual, Custom, Stitch Assistant, Movie, Aperture-priority

• Special Shooting Modes: Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Sports, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, ISO 3200, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, Color Swap

Digital vs Film

• Digital:• -Produces the same quality as

scanned film photos • - Immediate feedback• - Ability to keep or delete photos

whenever• - ISO• - Ability to edit photography• - Hundreds of modes for whatever

situation built in camera, so you can get a better shot regardless of conditions

• Film:• - Better resolution, depending on film

used• - More problematic i.e. film missing,

exposure, extra cost, • -What a ‘true photographer’ should

prefer and would use• - Need to be an experience

photographer to get higher quality shots

• - Need a high quality scanner to digitalize photos well

• - Don’t know the quality of your shots till you get them developed

Image Editing

Washington D.C. Pictures

When we followed the serious photographer guy