New definitions, terms and acronyms are made with each advance in technology and when we talk about digital cameras, this is especially true. Its useful to get to know some key facts before shopping for a camera, as it is an expensive piece of kit. You can make sure you get all of the features you need by purchasing a full camera kit with accessories and my consider buying a Nikon d7200 bundle. Apart from anything else, it helps to prevent you from feeling stupid when discussing cameras with sales people. This brief glossary is intended as an introduction to some key camera concepts.

Aperture

The aperture controls how much light is allowed to pass through the lens and is set by the size of the lens opening. Most modern digital cameras allow the user to set the aperture manually. The aperture is measured by “f-stops”. High numbers relate to smaller amounts of light and low numbers correspond to high amounts of light.

Auto Focus

As the name suggests, this feature allows the picture to be automatically focused by pressing a button. The auto focus is activated by pressing gently on the shutter release to that it goes down partially.

CCD

The CCD, or charged couple device is an electronic imaging device that creates the photograph in your camera. Think of it as an electronic equivalent to the traditional photographic film. CCDs with higher pixel counts are able to form more detailed images.

Digital Image Stabilization

This feature reduces the occurrence of blurred images caused by camera movements.

Digital Zoom

This function increases pixel size, which allows an image to be enlarged. However, the compromise is that the final picture can sometimes look a little fuzzy.

DPI

Dots per inch. With reference to picture resolution, as the DPI increases, so too does picture sharpness.

File Format

The format in which digital images are stored. The end of the filename indicates the format, with popular formats being GIF, TIF, JPG and RAW.

Megabyte

A megabyte, or MB, is roughly a million bytes worth of storage capacity.

Gigabyte

A gigabyte, or GB, is roughly a billion bytes worth of storage capacity.

LCD Screen

The liquid crystal display (LCD) screen is used to set and view digital pictures immediately after taking them.

Macro

This feature should be used when you want to take a close-up image of a particular subject.

Megapixel

This measurement of digital pictures is equal to one million pixels. As with single pixels, higher numbers equate to sharper picture resolutions.

Memory Card

This small electronic device stores digital photographs. It has the ability to store still photographs or video files and typical storage capacity ranges from 16MB to 4GB.

Noise

Noise is that grainy effect in photographs that is the result of too little light or problems in the signal during the capture of the photograph.

Optical Zoom

This is the most important type of zoom on digital cameras and enlarges the subject using glass lenses.

Recycling Time

The amount of time taken for a digital camera to be ready to take the next photograph.

Red Eye Removal

Red eye is more likely to occur when the light is low and when the subject’s pupils are wide open. It is caused by light reflecting off the back of the eye and good cameras reduce this.

Scene Modes

These are pre-set programs that provide the camera with specific settings relating to specific picture taking situations.

USB Connectivity

A USB connection is a must for modern cameras. It connects the camera to your computer and allows the download of images.