How do Digital Cameras Work?

Contributed by: C@tz

Digital cameras are really more computer than optical device. Although it’s easy to learn the basics of digital cameras, even experienced photographers need to study and master new skills to enjoy and exploit the digital camera’s full capability. Simply put, a digital camera uses semiconductor chips, usually a single Charged Coupled Device (CCD) instead of conventional film. When the shutter opens and light strikes the CCD, temporary electronic changes to the CCD are converted into computer language and recorded on either internal or removable memory. Those images can be viewed on a small screen on the rear of the camera; later, they can be downloaded to a computer where they can be edited, printed, sent to friends as email, or posted in our forums to be shared with other Internet growers. A digital camera may look like a conventional camera, but the process is radically different, and so is the operation.