Digital camera basics

By Alexandra Savvides on 23 September 2009

This is a Learning Centre article, a multi-part series to be expanded regularly.

It's all too easy to become bewildered by a series of complex terms when you are first starting to get into photography. From megapixels to memory cards, we'll be taking you step by step through some of the key starting points as you get to know your camera inside out.

First up, we'll be looking at the basic features and functionality of a compact digital camera and then move on to different components of digital SLRs, delve into exposure, and take a look at how to get the best out of your photography, technically and creatively.

Digital camera basics

Topics: digital photos, basics, film, dslr, digital slr, digital camera, image editing, camera, image sensor, lenses, memory card, photography, zoom

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Comments (9)

  • Varvie commented on 06/07/2009 15:20 Report abuse

    I agree with the positive comments that have been posted. What a help this is for me! Thanks so much!

  • Jon commented on 04/07/2009 00:36 Report abuse

    Thanks for the article. It is well written and informative. I've sent my parents the link so they can have a read of it.
    By the way, with a title like "Digital Camera Basics" what does one expect? Why read it if one is not interested in the subject?
    Keep up the good work.

  • Janp commented on 29/06/2009 23:42 Report abuse

    Felipe, if you visit the site daily then you must find something to encourage you back. I'm not a complete novice but I enjoy starting from the basics sometimes because in this fast moving world, sometimes you never have a chance to get a good foundation and you are forever floundering, picking ups bits and pieces as you go. thanks you CNet and Alexandra

  • PP commented on 29/06/2009 21:54 Report abuse

    I'd just like to say that CMOS sensors actually produce less noise the CCD sensor.

    CCD is a bit sharper, although things are changing; CMOS is being used more for its lower noise, and they are becoming better in time.

  • Mike Butler commented on 29/06/2009 17:32 Report abuse

    Apparently the tech-savvy correspondents thus far published believe that everyone is born with a knowledge of the digital universe! I employ about 300 members of the baby-boomer generation as part-time real estate salespeople, and the BIGGEST hassle I have is teaching them about digital photography. Your pompous Gen-Y readers who criticize articles about basic digital photography should get a life! The title to your much appreciated series is "Digital Camera Basics"! If the know-it-alls really had any brains, they wouldn't have wasted their time reading it. Was it Oscar Wilde who said, "Youth is wasted on the young!"

  • Alexandra Savvides commented on 24/06/2009 08:56 Report abuse

    Hi Felipe and Darknight,

    This is a brand new article and is the first part of our Learning Centre series, with a new part each month building upon the basic skills learnt from the first guide. It's meant to be basic so we'll have a foundation to build on in later parts.

    If there is something you're not sure of or unclear about, let me know and I'll clarify it for you.

  • Darknight commented on 23/06/2009 17:44 Report abuse

    How about commenting on the actual artcle? It was supposed to help peeple understand what a digital camera does, but instead it confused me. "Put simply"? I don't thnk so. Prhps cnet need to find out for themselves what a digital camera does...

  • Felipe commented on 23/06/2009 16:31 Report abuse

    PS: this is most suited to wikipedia... "what is a digital camera" hahahaha seriously....

  • Felipe commented on 23/06/2009 16:30 Report abuse

    is CNET running out of articles? Why are you recycling really old articles onto the front page?

    It's Mid-2009, if you're at CNET and have never seen a digital camera then you don't really belong here! Go back under your rock!

    Seriously, I visit the site daily and it's out of sync with the times; I find myself often clicking front-page / section front-page articles only to discover they are very old - or in this case new but not a fit for the site.

    How does the person who has never seen a digital camera until today have a computer and internet and knows to get to CNET? Give us a break!

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