| What is the difference between optical and digital | | | | pixels. To get the total pixel count, you multiply the |
| zoom?-Optical zoom on a digital camera works the | | | | horizontal pixels by the vertical pixels. For example, |
| same way a regular 35mm camera's zoom works, | | | | 2590 x 1920 = 5 Megapixels. The more mega pixels |
| the lens physically moves in and out using the optics | | | | your digital camera has, the more information and |
| (lens) to bring the subject closer without sacrificing | | | | detail you capture on each picture. Say for example, |
| quality. These moving lenses allows a range in optical | | | | you a take a picture, once with a 2 megapixel digital |
| magnification that runs anywhere from 2.0x to 10.0x. | | | | camera and once again with a 4 megapixel digital |
| The higher the optical zoom on a camera, the farther | | | | camera. The 2 megapixel digital camera will give you |
| away you can be to take a photograph and still get a | | | | 2 million pieces of information (pixels) and the 4 |
| clear, close image. | | | | megapixel digital camera gives you 4 million pieces of |
| Digital zoom is a software simulation of optical zoom | | | | information (pixels). If you print both the pictures |
| using no moving parts. Simply put, the camera crops | | | | 4x6, you probably would not be able to tell the |
| the picture and enlarges it, filling in the extra pixels by | | | | difference between the two. Now say you were to |
| guessing what the picture may look like in a process | | | | crop the pictures or enlarge those pictures to 8x10, |
| called interpolation. This results in a loss of quality, and | | | | you would see a big difference in the two photos. |
| is no different than cropping and enlarging an image | | | | The picture taken by the 4 megapixel digital camera |
| with editing software. Instead of using the digital | | | | would be a clearer, truer image replication because |
| zoom on your digital camera you can use editing | | | | the picture contains more information than the 2 |
| software on your computer and have more control | | | | megapixel digital camera. |
| over cropping and enlarging the picture. | | | | How many megapixels does my digital camera |
| Many new models of digital cameras are advertising | | | | need?-It mostly depends on what you plan on doing |
| having both optical and digital zoom capabilities. Most | | | | with the pictures and images. If you do not often |
| of these cameras have a feature that automatically | | | | crop your photos and only print 4x6/5x7 size photos, |
| uses digital zoom when you have exceeded the | | | | a 2-3 megapixel digital camera will do the trick. If you |
| optical zoom limitations. You may choose to disable or | | | | ever plan to make 8x10 or larger prints at least 4 |
| shut this feature off so that you know exactly what | | | | megapixels would be suggested. Of course most |
| kind of quality picture you are taking. | | | | would tell you to buy the highest megapixel digital |
| How much zoom does your digital camera | | | | camera you could afford, but the smart ones would |
| need?-Optical zoom ranges between 2x and 10x but | | | | also remind you there are a lot of other of other |
| most average users find 3x to 6x optical zoom about | | | | features besides megapixel you want to look at |
| what they need. Most experts will tell you to buy as | | | | when making your digital camera purchase. |
| much optical zoom as you can afford being careful | | | | What is the difference between a Nickel-Metal |
| not to overlook the other features. | | | | Hydride battery and a nickel-cadmium battery?-A |
| What is megapixel?-Ok, first let's define pixel. Digital | | | | Nickel-Metal Hydride battery (or NiMH) is a |
| images like our computer screens and digital camera | | | | rechargeable battery similar in design with a |
| pictures are both made up of grids of dots. The | | | | Nickel-Cadmium battery (or Ni-Cd) but instead of |
| word "pixel" is actually short for "picture element", | | | | using cadmium, which is an environmental hazard, it |
| which is computer geek talk for one of those millions | | | | uses a hydrogen absorbing alloy for anode. A |
| of dots on your computer screen or digital image. | | | | Nickel-Metal Hydride battery can have 2 to 3 times |
| Now, every one of those pixels holds one color and | | | | the capacity of an equivalent size NiCd , the memory |
| combined with the other millions of single colored | | | | effect is not as significant and it is less detrimental to |
| dots, forms the picture. Megapixel means a million | | | | the environment compared to a Nickel-Cadmium |
| pixels, so a 3 megapixel digital camera has 3 million | | | | battery. |