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Digital Photography: A New Type Of Picture Technology
By Andrew Kelly

Photography is the process of making pictures by means of the action of light. Light patterns reflected or emitted from objects are recorded onto a sensitive medium or storage chip through a timed exposure. The process is done through mechanical, chemical or digital devices known as cameras. Traditionally the product of photography has been called a photograph. The term photo is an abbreviation; many people also call them pictures. In digital photography, the term image has begun to replace photograph.

Digital photography, as opposed to film photography, uses electronic devices to record the image as binary data. This facilitates storage and editing of the images on personal computers, and also the ability to show and delete unsuccessful images immediately on the camera itself. Digital cameras now out sell film cameras and include features not found in film cameras such as the ability to shoot video and record audio. Some other devices, such as mobile phones, now include digital photography features.

Traditional photography was a considerable burden for photographers working at remote locations without access to processing facilities. With increased competition from television there was pressure to deliver their images to newspapers with greater speed. Photo journalists at remote locations would carry a miniature photo lab with them and some means of transmitting their images down the telephone line. In the year nineteen eighty-one Sony unveiled the first consumer camera to use a CCD for imaging, and which required no film, the Sony Mavica. While the Mavica did save images to disk, the images themselves were displayed on television, and therefore the camera could not be considered fully digital. In the year nineteen ninety, Kodak unveiled the DCS one hundred, the first commercially available digital camera. Its cost precluded any use other than photojournalism and professional applications, but commercial digital photography was born.

The quality of a digital image is the sum of various factors, many of which are similar to film cameras. Pixel count, typically listed in mega pixels, millions of pixels, is only one of the major factors, though it is the most heavily marketed. Pixel count metrics were created by the marketing organizations of digital camera manufacturers because consumers can use it to easily compare camera capabilities. It is not, however, the major factor in evaluating a digital camera. The processing system inside the camera that turns the raw data into a color balanced and pleasing photograph is the most critical, which is why some four plus mega pixel cameras perform better than higher end cameras.

Author Details:
Andrew Kelly, copywriter for various websites including, Photo Gallery and The A to Z of Photography with his main interests being photography and travel.

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