Digital Cameras

Glossary of Terms

This page is provided to help you understand the basic terminology related to digital cameras and accessories. Try and learn some of the terms and meanings before you go out shopping for your camera. There's nothing worse than having to sit back and listen to some shop assistant prattling on about macro mode and firewire ports when you havent got a clue what he's talking about. Take a little time and clue yourself in now.

Camera Glossary

• Jpeg : A jpeg or (jpg) is the most commonly used type of digital image format. JPEG images are compressed so that they can save faster and use less space. Because JPEG format actually alters an image, a certain amount of data is lost every time a JPEG is edited, saved, and compressed.



• Zoom : Special attention is required here as most digital cameras provide two different types of zoom: optical and digital. Without going into it too much, you should only concern yourself with the Optical zoom rating, this is a genuine zoom level whereas digital zoom is achieved through manipulating the actual image itself resulting in a progressively degraded image.



• Macro: Macro allows a digital camera to take close-up pictures of small objects like fingernail art, flowers, stamps, insects, etc. Macro is an absolute must have for shooting close up images. Ask the shop assistant to demonstrate if possible.



• Megapixel: One of those terms that are constantly bandied about. This is simply a measure of resolution that reflects the ability of a digital camera to record detail. All you need to know is that, as a general rule, the more megapixels a camera has, the better.



• Megabytes : A simple explanation here is that a megabyte is just a unit of data. It is most often used to show the storage capacity of a camera itself, or the memory sticks or cards that the camera uses to store images. Again, the more megabytes, the better.



• Point and Shoot : If you've not very familiar with cameras, this is something that should be of interest to you. Point and shoot is a term that signifies a camera's ease of use. You just pick it up and then 'point and shoot'. It should be noted that this type of camera is simple in operation and may not be ideal for the more advanced user.



• USB : USB – Universal Serial Bus: PC users will more than likely be familiar with this term. It is simply a method for moving data from one digital device to another. Many digital cameras and memory card readers connect to the USB port on a computer. USB connections are quicker to transfer data than cameras or readers that employ a serial port connection, but they are not as quick as those that connect via FireWire.



• FireWire :
A more modern and faster method than USB for transferring data between digital devices. FireWire was originally invented by Apple Computer but is now commonly used on PCs running on the Windows platform. To use this method, make sure you already have a firewire connection on your PC.