Absolute Beginner's Guide to Digital Photography

This chapter will introduce the relatively new hobby known as digital photography.

Read the next few pages to learn how you can begin taking and printing digital pic-

tures almost immediately without burning through your savings account. The rest of

this book will show you how to take better pictures, import the images, and correct

them before printing.

What Do You Mean by “Digital Photography”?

In digital photography, integrated circuits, which are sensitive to light, record

images as a grid of pixels rather than using the silver and light-sensitive dyes that

film use. These integrated circuits are called CMOS (complementary metal oxide semi-

conductor)sensors or CCDs (charge-coupled devices). These circuits are the backbone of

digital cameras. In other words, everything revolves around these “chips,” which

record light and then translate them into ones and zeros.

When a CCD is charged with electricity, the sensors in the CCD become sensitive to

light. The CCD chip is made up of millions of sensors that can record light similar to

conventional film (see Figure 1.1).

4 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TODIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

FIGURE 1.

From silver to

silicon—digital

photography

relies on grids

of sensors.

Photosensor

Vertical

shift

register

Imaging

area

FIT

Ty p e

CCD

Optical

mask

Storage

area

Output

terminal

Horizontal readout register

Two scientists at Bell Labs invented the CCD in 1969. Bell Labs toyed with it, but

gave up after a few years. The Japanese (specifically Sony) began experimenting

with the technology early and developed an industry around it. Today most