In the old days the sensitivity of film was a fixed value. Digicams offer a broad range of settings to suit many light conditions.

At the heart of your digicam is a chip that collects light on millions of elements. Each element delivers one pixel of every image you make. But they are not perfect: they produce light information, but also a bit of what we call noise - that’s the specke effect on some pictures. If you use the lowest sensitivity (ISO 50 or 80) there is not much noise, but increasing the ISO value gives more and more noise until some pictures are too speckled to use…

So why would you raise the ISO? Well, to catch more light! If it is a bit too dark, there is a risk of pictures getting shaken. So yes, you have to find the optimal setting for best results!

Many camera’s don’t offer the choice on ISO when set to “auto”. On a “manual” or “program” setting the camera offers you a choice. In bright conditions, always use a low value, but in the evening or inside, consider raising it a bit. Or a lot: never hesitate to experiment with your digicam and simply try all those settings until you find the best one.

Some cameras also offer ranges like “low ISO” or “high values” in which you order the magnitude and the camera has some freedom to choose.

Talking about values: the larger the CCD chip, the lower it’s noise. That’s why DSLR’s can go to ISO values of 1600 or even 3200!

Compact cameras with their small chips don’t go that far. 400 is common, 800 can be seen frequently on new models.

And, there’s that nice Fujifilm Finepix F30 with a very clever design. The elements, put in a honeycomb structure give low noise and you can go to ISO 3200! Do not expect perfect pictures at 3200, but at parties you may be the only one without blurred memories!

Casio is developing what it describes as ultra-high speed burst shooting techniques to capture 60 still images per second, together with high speed movie recording, at 300 fps, catching motion faster than the human eye.

The press release says :

“LONDON UK, August 31st, 2007 – Casio Computer Co., Ltd., announced today that it is developing an entirely new digital camera with unseen high speed performance and image capture functions that make the most of its cutting-edge digital technologies. This revolutionary camera of the future will be able to take still images at an astonishing shooting speed, to catch fast-moving subjects at the crucial moment. It will also take movies that capture movement so fast that it cannot even be seen by the human eye.”

The first prototype was on display at the IFA, a consumer electronics trade show, in Berlin, Germany, which opened on August 31, 2007.

Canon has just announced a top-of-the-range addition to its G-series of digital cameras, the PowerShot G9.

The press release gives us a lot of informtion :

“LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., August 20, 2007 – Canon U.S.A., Inc. announced today that its acclaimed G-series has a new top-of-the line model - the PowerShot G9 digital camera. The PowerShot G9 digital camera offers serious shooters and value-minded professionals a feature-packed camera with many of the advanced photographic capabilities of a high-end Digital SLR camera, in a lightweight, compact package at an affordable price. …

“The PowerShot G9 digital camera features class-leading 12.1-megapixel resolution for stunning, deeply detailed images that allow enlargements up to poster size with cropping. A 6x optical zoom lens brings the photographer right into the action, and by incorporating Canon’s Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS), excellent-quality images are assured in situations prone to camera shake and image blurring. So, whether you are shooting outdoors at dusk or inside without a flash, camera shake is detected and effectively canceled. …”

It will be interesting to read independent reviews of this camera when they arrive.

Which type of camera is best for your purpose, a DSLR or a compact? Both are specialist cameras in their way, and it’s not always easy to choose. What then are the main factors in choosing between them?

Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras are excellent at producing clearer, sharper and more colourful images than most point and shoot digital cameras available. With prices falling rapidly, they are now more affordable then ever. With the price gap between an entry model digital SLR camera and the most expensive compact digital camera narrowing; the question is… do I spend the extra money and get a Digital SLR camera? or save a few hundred dollars and purchase the best digital compact camera.

Well, it really depends on your budget; however if you do spend the extra money, here’s what you get:

In addition to the price falls in the Digital SLR models, the performance on these cameras has increased year on year with the latest Digital SLR cameras being quicker and faster than ever before. They have improved to such an extent that power up or start-up time is near instantaneous with virtually no lag time. “Lag time is the time between you pressing the shutter release button and the camera actually taking the shot”. This delay can vary quite a bit between different camera models and it is one of the biggest drawbacks compared to a compact digital camera. The latest digital SLR cameras have virtually no lag times and react in the same way as conventional film cameras, even in burst mode. Compact digital cameras are catching up; however the difference is still significant. A lag time of ~0.5 seconds can result in you missing the heartbeat of the moment and hence that potential great picture.

Digital SLR camera also has a larger sensor versus a smaller sensor in a compact digital camera. This equates to higher sensitivity and less noise and results in the camera taking clearer pictures in low light. (They also have better autofocus speed in low light as well). A measure of sensitivity in a digital camera is ISO and a typical ISO range for a Digital SLR camera varies from ISO 100 – 1600 with the latter being more sensitive. The ISO range for a compact digital camera varies from ISO 50 – 400. In summary, the higher the ISO rating, the greater the sensitivity and the better the photo can be taken in low light.

The Digital SLR cameras have a much longer battery life due to the limited use of the LCD screen. Please note, that as the LCD screen is only used for viewing the image, the battery life of a digital SLR can allow up to 2000 shots per charge in some cameras compared to 500 for a good point and shoot digital camera.

Digital SLR cameras also allow you to interchange lens such as adding a zoom or macro lens when required.

On the negative side of a Digital SLR camera; They are usually larger and heavier than compact digital cameras, the image cannot be previewed on the LCD screen prior taking the picture. If you really require the image to be viewed on the LCD prior to taking the picture, there are third party manufacturers that produce LCD screens that attaches to the viewfinder and allow the scene to be view just like a compact digital camera. The other drawback is the inability to take videos and finally, lenses are expensive with the majority costing more than the camera itself.

Although compact digital cameras cannot compete on features with a Digital SLR camera, they are great value, have the ability to take videos and are portable. If you have decided to purchase a Digital SLR camera I recommend you visit infodigitalcamera.com to find additional information on Digital SLR camera. If you are still undecided, purchase both.

Thanks for the information to Virginia Wong who is an IT consultant with a passion for digital photography.