1	"Digital Imaging:" Digital Imaging: An overview of still and video cameras
2	"“When cheese gets its..." “When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?” - George Carlin
3	What we’ll be covering today… A VERY brief overview of digital imaging (Susan) Demonstrations - in depth: digital still camera (Wayne, John, Suzanne) Overview of digital video (Derek) Demonstrations - in depth: digital video/camcorders (Amy, John,)
4	A quick poll… How many of you have a digital still or video camera? How many of you are thinking of purchasing one? (or second one?)
5	To begin… Quick overview of types of cameras and some basic features
6	What’s a “digital” camera? (and how is it different from a “film” camera)
7	What’s a “digital” camera… Uses an Imaging Sensor replaces film translates light into digital data types of sensors: CCD and CMOS Digital data is recorded on to digital media memory cards, smart cards, compact flash cards, etc.
8	Imaging Sensors: not all sensors are equal Digital SLRs sensors are typically 40% to 100% of the surface of 35mm film. Digital compact cameras have substantially smaller sensors offering a similar number of pixels. As a consequence, the pixels are much smaller, which is a key reason for the image quality difference, especially in terms of noise and dynamic range.
9	Digital still vs. video cameras* Some still cameras have video options and some video cameras take still pictures Both have an Imaging Sensor Digital video designed to take many frames (lower resolution images) in a short time frame Digital still cameras take higher resolution images –one at a time *Derek will be talking about this later
10	There are MANY Types of Digital Still Cameras “Point and shoot”/Compact Fully automatic Fixed lens $100- $500 Prosumer More features for creative control Sometimes interchangeable lens $500 - $1000 Professional /SLR Interchangeable lenses More controls (auto/manual) but bulkier, more expensive $1000 and to many thousands of $$
11	What to look for when shopping for a camera… Resolution (megapixels) How big do your images need to be? Also, consider quality of imaging sensor Optics Quality, Zoom lens, can you add filters? Flash Flash range, red eye reduction Special effects Does it do audio, video, panoramics? Platform compatibility Will it work on your old Windows 95 PC?
12	Megapixels (what are they and how many do you need?) Megapixels= “millions of pixels” the amount of data (number of pixels) that comprises the image More megapixels = more image resolution and higher image quality (usually) More megapixels = bigger prints Also give you more flexibility because you can crop image But higher megapixel cameras cost more
13	How many megapixels do you need? Megapixels Resolution to common print size Sub-megapixel = onscreen only (Web, email) 1 megapixel = 3x5 inch prints 2 megapixel = 5x7 inch prints 3 megapixel = 8x10 inch prints 6 megapixel = 13x19 inch prints
14	Another feature: optical vs digital zoom Get optical zoom series of lens elements which move to alter the focal length (like using a magnifying glass) offers flexibility – like having several lenses in one can produce very crisp images Don’t get Digital zoom (or don’t use if you have it) “pure marketing hype” is the equivalent of cropping the image in the computer and then resizing up produces soft and pixelate images
15	Also consider… Price Ease of use Does it fit well in your hand? Is it compact enough to carry? Are the buttons easy to use? You DON’T need the most expensive tool with all of the bells and whistles if you are never going to use these bells and whistles.
16	Some photo tips… Use a tripod in low light Carry memory cards in protective case Carry extra batteries Practice, practice, practice using your camera especially before going on a once in a lifetime vacation or taking photos of an important event. Consider buying a used camera or last year’s model
17	Something to think about… “Even digital memories can fade” Today's formats may become obsolete and may not be recognized by future software For example, many cameras have a proprietary “raw” format, which can only be read by certain software Solution: development of a universal “raw” file format: DNG (Digital Negative) The problem of digital archiving challenges even the experts…” *From NYTimes, Nov 9/2004
18	“Even digital memories can fade” - cont’d Back-up methods are not failsafe Magnetic tape, CD's, DVD’s and hard drives can fail Use the “triplicate” rule: back-up on three different kinds of medium Use archival CD’s, DVD’s
19	"A famous photographer showed his..." A famous photographer showed his album to a famous author. The author was impressed and said spontaneously: “What good photos you take! You must have a very good camera!” The photographer replied: “Thank you! I have read many of your books, you must have a very good typewriter! “
20	List of resources and links handout Online at: http://library.med.utah.edu/or/lift/lift.php How to choose a camera Glossary of terms/description of features Reviews Printing, image editing
21	Now for the really cool stuff…