Tutorial Two: Digital Camera use and applications

"A new technology is rarely superior to an old one in every feature"

Some of the pluses that digital cameras hold in relation to more traditional film based cameras are that they are multifunctional and have the ability to record sound and video as well as photographs. The digital camera also allows people to see the image straight away, they are much smaller so more portable and can copy the images to other devices with ease. Some of the minuses digital cameras have are around the cost of equipment because it is more than jus the actual camera that needs to be purchased, you also need to buy camera cords, camera cases, memory cards and if you want to print your own photos you also need a printer, ink and photo paper for example.



Digital images can be stored, transferred and manipulated using other communication technology in many different ways, these include putting photos onto computers or laptops then also putting them onto CD's or memory sticks. You can also upload and share photos with friends on social networking sites like facebook, bebo and myspace as well as email them to others via cell phones or normal email accounts. Photos can also be used in editing programmes such as photoshop.



Ethical issues that may arise from the use of image capturing devices will most likely revolve around informed consent, it is very easy for photos to be taken of someone when they are unaware or not thinking about where the image could end up so if someone puts that photo on a social networking site without their permision issues will arise here. The photo could also be mistreated by using the likes of photoshop where the image can get dramatically edited without the viewer knowing its been changed so this too would form issues surrounding informed consent if the photo was publisied without the persons awareness.



Digital images could be used in occuaptional therapy for housing modifications or where a client might need some sort of adaptive equipment. It would also help if you wanted to get a second opinion about something you could dicuss the image with other collegues.



"Flicker is a popular photosharing website that allows members to upload their own photos into customizable albums that can then be labeled, organized, tagged, and publicly posted."

(Hudson Horizons, (2010). Flikr. Retreived June 3, 2010, from http://www.hudsonhorizons.com/Our-Company/Internet-Glossary/Flickr.htm)

Another photo storage website that offers a simaliar service to Flickr.com is photobucket.com.



The difference between a digital and an optical zoom:

Optical zoom uses the optics (lens) of the camera to bring the subject closer. Digital zoom is an invention of digital video cameras. It is not uncommon to see digital videocams with 300x digital zoom.

Digital zoom is not really zoom, in the strictest definition of the term. What digital zoom does is enlarge a portion of the image, thus ’simulating’ optical zoom. In other words, the camera crops a portion of the image and then enlarges it back to size.

(Photoxels, (2002-2010). Optical Vs Digital Zoom. Retrieved June 3, 2010, from http://www.photoxels.com/digital-photography-tutorials/optical-digital-zoom/)



A megapixel (MP) is 1 million pixels, and is a term used not only for the number of pixels in an image, but also to express the number of image sensor elements of digital cameras or the number of display elements of digital displays.