Digital photography is still very young. Just think, from idea to the public dissemination of digital cameras, as a mass commodity, barely more than 15 years. In the mid-eighties Sony Corporation took up the project Mavica, then seemed quite fantastic. But today digital cameras are traded on markets. On electronic markets, of course ... It is sad to admit it, soon the good old film camera will go into retirement, adding to the collection of the greats, but sunk into oblivion technologies. Whatever else is said today by professional photographers, and the days of traditional photography are numbered. This can be seen, looking more closely to themselves photographers and reporters, most of them pulls out her wardrobe trunks followed the usual film-SLR digital camera. We, the humble amateur, technological battle in the pictures cause of practical interest. We want to know - when? When a decent digital "Soap Dish" will be equal in value to the "soap box" film? Technical parameters and quality of the images they are already very close. In the meantime, we, if we decided to try digital photography, in fact, must either settle for cheap "digital cameras" entry-level, or save money for a good camera. Again - that stash, if you do not know, like it? Suddenly this expensive toy, a digital camera does not lie in the soul? Do not catch the fancy, will not cause the desire to roam with it on cities and villages, as we walk around today with the correct film camera? Let's take a closer look to the capabilities and features of the cheapest digital cameras. And, given the specificity of the CCP, to embedded in PDAs and cellphones cameras. You may not believe, but between frivolous digital "soap box" for $ 50 and an integrated photo module PC Sony PEG-NR70V for 649 dollars total more than between foster brothers. The same is true of the latest mobile multimedia phones. Cameras built into these curious devices - the same elementary simple soap dish.
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| Sony NR-70V: "eye" camera at the junction of the two parts of the body ... |
Now compare the cost of kits KPC plus digital cameras and cell-phone plus camera "with the value of the combined devices. And get absolutely incredible difference.
Very cheap digital camera: a brief digression
Let's start with the actual entry-level digital cameras. It is from those that are sold for 50-70 dollars. To know a bit about their device, it will be easier to deal with the combined apparatus. And easier to assess the advantages and disadvantages thereof. Cheap digital camera is very often a sweet bait to unsuspecting buyers. Shops spread of digital technology that small things on the most prominent, accompanying her gaudy price tags. A small price indeed several ogoroshivaet. Is normal "digital camera" may be cheaper budget film "Soap"? Normal - no. And the easiest - yes. However, consider a camera of this class as a real digital camera is not worth it. This is not the camera, and web-camera with an optional opportunity to receive photos. That's it.
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Own web-camera - a device for digitizing three-dimensional objects and the subsequent broadcast video feed via the Internet - are classified in two groups. The first group includes cheap device, equipped with plastic optics with an aperture of low luminosity and light-sensitive sensor, built on technology of CMOS. This sensor differs a low cost (due to the adaptability of production) and, unfortunately, low settings.For him, for example, is characterized by a high color noise, low speed and light sensitivity (ISO 50-100 units is high, but usually much less - manufacturers simply do not indicate the parameters of sensitivity, so as not to alienate a potential buyer). The second group is expensive (from $ 100 and above) web-camera with glass optics, light-sensitive sensor, built on technology of CCD, with integrated microphone and Shutter, allowing to use the camera as steady-state (tied to a PC) camera (and, by Incidentally, the projection scanner). The high cost of devices of this type is due to the complexity of the production of CCD matrices. Actually, it's also affects the cost of normal digital cameras, which use only the sensors CCD (except the expensive semi-professional cameras Canon - it uses sensors CMOS, but the product of advanced technology). Go into the details of technologies CMOS and CCD is hardly worth (too long story). We only note that the advantage of CMOS, in addition to cheap, even in the life of the sensor, and the advantage of CCD - a stable photographic parameters. In other words, web-camera with a CMOS sensor will last a long time, but eventually lose its sensitivity. A camera with a sensor CCD, most likely will work for less, but the sensitivity matrix at the same time decrease slightly. By the way, a solid cost CCD sensors due to the extremely low yield of products in the manufacturing process. Percentage of defects at the most advanced, most new plants reach 98 percent. Two percent of suitable sensors! .. Web-camera, as though she may be perfect, realizes only half embedded in its capabilities. To supply the light-sensitive sensor and focal plane, as well as to preserve the digital images of the camera is connected to a PC via a serial interface. Once it has been a slow COM-port, today - Bus USB. And what if a web-camera to add the electronic memory and built-in power battery power? Get a digital camera ... And not only a camera but a video camera. So the producers and they have done - they took the normal budgetary web-camera and use it to make a simple camera. More precisely - the multifunction device, functions as a web-camera at the camera like no one takes away. Cameras Entry-level based on the CMOS sensor produces a lot of Asian electronics companies. Usually these are small firms, which stars from the sky is not enough, but boldly explores new markets. As a result, there are absolutely previously unknown branch - like the industry of the same unpretentious camera. Today, entry-level cameras are available even hundreds of thousands - millions of copies. And it can be understood by the camera for $ 50 is available to people with any income level, introduce them to modern technology. Can not keep and call a couple of active players on the market of cheap digital cameras. This German company Agfa and Taiwanese Aiptek. Why them? Solely for personal reasons - a cheap camera Agfa became the first digital camera I've tried in the action. A baby Aiptek I use during the last year and should be recognized, very pleased with this erundovinkoy ... Although the camera from Jenoptik Rekam or no worse. And all the rest, I think, too ... How is the entry-level digital camera? Oddly - very similar. Sometimes there is even a suspicion that the e-filling chamber produces one or two companies, and all others involved in a production of constructs and the final assembly of cameras.
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This assumption has some justification. Judge for yourself, the characteristics of sensors, the vast majority of camera models cost the same - to allow 350 thousand pixels (ie VGA - 640x480), the sensitivity level of 50 units ISA (sometimes interpolated to 100 units), a high level of color noise (also virtually the same on different models ).All cameras are equipped with lastikovymi lenses with simple odnolinzovuyu (lens can be glued from two or three component) design. Mechanism of aperture and focal plane there. Lens aperture, and so low (about 4,5-5,6 units, although this option is specified by the manufacturer is extremely rare) to reduce its aperture. And instead of the gate in the cells of this type used the mechanism of reading the state of the sensor. At the moment the shutter actuation circuitry, the camera captures the brightness level of illumination of light sensitive elements that make up the sensor. A simple, but cheap. Thus, the sensor is always exposed to light flux (which is obviously not conducive to longevity), and when you connect the camera to your computer immediately start working as a web-camera. And yet, some rudiments of exposure automation in budget cameras have. These include the compensation scheme chamber (the level of image brightness varies by electronic means), and built-in flash, which is not in all chambers (built-in flash increases the cost of the camera for at least 5-10 dollars). God knows what, but - working closely ... Suspicion confirmed the origin of the cheap cameras and implement control systems. In these cells have no home "goodies" Digital camera - color LCD screen. There is only symbolic panel that displays the current camera mode. That is, a set of two numbers or letters are constructed from the segments. When you turn on the camera panel displays the number of remaining shots, by pressing the control button - the current mode (resolution, voice recorder function, memory clear, and so on). And the control buttons are only two (if the camera no flash) - the button on the camera she's mode dial, shutter button and ... as a viewfinder with optical prism - as in any film, "soapbox". A mechanism for focusing simply not available, the lens set at hyperfocal distance at which all objects are placed on 40 cm (the value depends on the optics) will come in the picture sharp. It remains to add that cost cameras installed conventional (non flash) E-SDRAM memory, the volume of which (8-16 MB) is enough to save 26 shots resolution of 640x480 pixels or 106 image resolution of 320x240 pixels. Memory card slot is missing, so immediately after the shooting will have to rush to the computer in order to save captured frames. If you do not, two fresh element AAA, which is powered from the camera, keep shots within a couple of days. Then blame yourself.
Can I remove them?
I have to say - you can shoot. Despite the primitiveness of the device, a full-fledged digital camera, albeit with very low performance. For maturing the new foundation pictures teen fit perfectly. And everyone else - if you do not expect from the future of artistic shots of heights (and photographic prints on paper, the entry-level cameras are only designed to receive images for screen display). As an example, talk about their fotoigrushke - the camera Aiptek VoiceCam VGA. This model sells well in Russia, is inexpensive (around $ 55) and their money is completely justified. Anyway, this is not a pity fotoapparatik scratch, break or lose it (not to mention the "present"). So he "lives" in my pocket for a year, accompanying me everywhere. As with most digital cameras, entry-level, constructive VoiceCam has an unusual appearance. Outwardly, this tiny (ochen!) plastic box, elongated. The size of this camera is identical with digital recorders, and looks very similar.
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Functionality of the camera are quite diverse. Firstly, a web-camera with a resolution of VGA. Secondly, proper camera with two work permits (maximum - VGA).Third, when you install a 320x240 pixel resolution VoiceCam can serve as a digital camcorder, allowing you to capture a sequence of 106 frames with a frequency of 9 frames per second (on the screen looks very even nothing). Fourth, it is also a voice recorder (can not remember exactly, it seems to 13 minutes playing time, if your camera is not pictures) - the camera is and microphone, and speaker. True, the sound sequences the camera can not record, but mixed up the pictures and voice notes are easily remembers. Unfortunately, the voice notes are written on a personal computer can not ... But what do you want for $ 55? In fairness I will note - a year of intensive use (hundreds of pictures) I've never been able to get a photo of satisfactory quality. All images must be processed in Photoshop, leveling differences of brightness and removing color noise. As for the recorder, the voice recording is possible only in extreme close-mic - camera suffers from a fair deafness. Quality is also not so hot ... but as a cheap digital "pominalnika - amiss. The beauty of this lovely stuff - the amazing versatility, simplicity, cheapness and ease of use. Let the photos are nevazhnetskie, but all I wanted to capture and preserve the memory, I photographed and preserved. After processing in a graphics editor, most pictures takes the form divine. And most importantly - those tiny digital tchotchke is very pleasant to hold in their hands. They are virtually weightless and completely unlike the "older" cameras. Where I could not calm the usual pictures of the camera (in the subway, in a store, for any extraordinary circumstances - when all the angry and the shooting is clearly not located), a small Aiptek `nd I was shooting without any kind of problems. Surrounding simply not recognized in VoiceCam digital camera. Maybe she reminded them player MP3 ... It is time to look at the more expensive "relative" cost camera - built-in cameras to PDAs and cell phones. And along the way to master the basic skills with these toys. Still shooting integrated camera has a number of special features. Method "saw - brought - removed" is not always pass. Like and small science. But without it - one of frustration. The authors, translation:
Nikolai Yakovlev