The Process Manual

THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN A DIGITAL CAMERA: Storage Your camera should be able to support a memory card with a large amount of storage space. These cards work like a disk, allowing you to save images to them and then download the images to your computer. The most popular kinds of cards are Secure Digital (SD) and Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) cards, Compact Flash and Memory Stick (Sony) cards. Zoom There are two types of zoom: optical and digital. Look for a camera with optical zoom, which adjusts to the subject while leaving resolution the same. Digital zoom electronically enlarges an image simulating optical zoom, which leads to resolution loss. Resolution Unless you are using your digital camera for small, posed shots, you should invest in at least a 3-megapixel camera. This will give you reliable shots that can be used at up to 5 x 7 in your yearbook. Cameras with 5 megapixels or higher can easily take shots that can cover an entire yearbook page while staying within resolution limits. Digital SLR vs. point-and-shoot SLR, or single-lens reflex digital cameras, work like the traditional 35mm cameras. Most settings can be adjusted manually, and interchangeable lenses, which you may already have, can be used. Because of their flexibility, and the lack of lag time between depressing the shutter and actually taking the picture, SLR digital cameras are more appropriate for action and low-light photos. They tend to have higher megapixel counts and cost more than point-and-shoot cameras. Point-and-shoot cameras are generally smaller and less expensive than SLR. They are easier to use, as there is no learning curve for multiple features. There is usually a significant lag time between pressing the shutter button and when the picture is taken, making them unsuitable for action shots. Higher-end point-and-shoot cameras with different shooting modes are available. Rechargeable batteries Digital cameras eat batteries. You never know how many pictures you are going to take, and you don’t want to run out of power. Turning off the LCD monitor and using the view finder will help conserve energy.

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It is always a good idea to invest in extra memory cards and carry them with you; you don’t want to be in a situation where you have to delete images just to fit others on the card.

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