Everything You Need to Know About Digital Cameras

Other Standard Features (Cont’d)

Image Stabilization

• Image stabilization is an important feature that will prevent blurring and produce better pictures.
• It is important in low light situations.
• It is extra important in a camera that has a powerful optical zoom.
• Some cameras even have two different types of image stabilization. In this case, more really is better.

Movie mode

• Many of today’s digital cameras can also take movies, but most SLR cameras do not.
• Quality of the movies is determined by frame-rate and resolution.
• Most can also record sound, but some do not.
• The length of the video clips varies from camera to camera.

In-camera editing

• Some cameras allow you to resize, copy, and make changes to your pictures right in the camera before you download them to the computer.
• Some will take several pictures of the same scene and choose the best one for keeping and/or allow you to choose the best one.

Wireless transfer

• Some cameras now allow you to send images wirelessly to a compatible device or upload them to a photo-sharing service.
• Some SLRs can be fitted with wireless transmitters that you attach to the camera.

Continuous shooting

• Some cameras allow for quick continuous shooting.

Face priority

• Some cameras will detect the face in the picture and will automatically adjust the camera.

Red-eye reduction

• Some cameras are able to remove the red-eye right in the camera.

Smile detection

• Some cameras will detect when the subject is smiling.

GPS Geotagging

• Some digital cameras have a built-in GPS that will tag the photos with the exact location where the photo was taken.

Histogram

• Some cameras can display a dynamic histogram right on the camera screen. A histogram displays a graphical image of the number of areas of over and under exposure your picture will have. The "x" axis in the graphic indicates the brightness (the left side means "dark" and the right side means "bright"), and the "y" axis indicates the number of pixels at that tone in the image. This feature is good for, among other things, checking out if your picture will be too bright or too dark.

PictBridge compatibility

• If you also own a PictBridge compatible printer, you can hook up a PictBridge compatible camera to transfer photos without a computer.