Ultra-Compact/Mini: Ultra-compact or mini cameras are the smallest, most portable digital cameras available, offering the fewest features.

Compact/Small: Compact or small cameras, while not as tiny as ultra-compact cameras, still offer flexibility, portability, and basic features.

Prosumer/Medium: Prosumer or medium digital cameras, while larger than both ultra-compact and compact cameras, offer high quality lenses and advanced features for both automatic and semi-automatic control.

SLR/Large: Single Reflex Lens cameras are the largest digital cameras and offer more manual features, including an interchangeable lens.

Compression Modes

Compression modes refer to the way in which a digital camera changes image resolution and file size for storage. Two forms of compression are lossy and lossless. A JPEG is an example of lossy, while a TIFF is an example of lossless.

Connectors

Connectors are wires that facilitate file transfer between digital cameras and external devices, such as computers and printers.

Types

USB: The Universal Serial Bus connector transfers data at a rate of 12 Mbps, without the addition of an adapter card.

USB 2.0: This high-speed successor to the Universal Serial Bus connector transfers data at a rate of 480 Mbps, without the addition of an adapter card.

FireWire: FireWire is Apple's version of the IEEE 1394 high-speed serial bus. Connect up to 63 devices and transfer data at a rate of 400 Mbps with FireWire.

IEEE 1394: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE 1394) high-speed serial bus standard connector transfers data at a rate of up to 400 Mbps. Two types of IEEE 1394 are Apple's FireWire and Sony's i.LINK.

Parallel: The parallel connector transfers one or more bits simultaneously.

PS/2: The PS/2 connector, sometimes called the mouse port, is round and typically connects the mouse and keyboard to the computer.

IEEE 1284: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE 1284) enhanced parallel port connector is typically used to connect printers and scanners to computers.

Digital Video Format

Digital video format refers to the file type in which a video is stored. Common formats include JPEG, Quicktime, MPEG, and AVI.

Digital Zoom

Digital Zoom is an editing device that crops the outside edges of an image and enlarges the middle portion in order to create a zoom effect.

Erase Mode

Erase mode removes content on the camera's internal or removable memory.

Exposure Settings

Exposure settings regulate how much light is used to create an image and can be controlled by aperture adjustment and shutter speed adjustment.

Flash

A flash is a device that produces an instantaneous burst of light to help illuminate a picture.

Flash Sync Mode

Flash Synchronization mode means that the shutter automatically fires the flash at the correct point.

Focus Type

The focus is an apparatus used to adjust focal length in order to make an image clearer or more distinct.

Types

Manual Focus: Manual focus is a feature that allows photographers the power to control the lens by hand, rather than by automatic focus.

Autofocus/Automatic: Autofocus is a feature that measures light arriving at a sensor, and uses that information to establish the correct focus.

Fixed-Focus/Focus-Free: Fixed-focus means that a camera has no method of focusing the lens, but instead the lens is focused on a fixed point.

Image Sensor

An image sensor converts the brightness and color of a captured image into electronic signals.

Types

CMOS: A Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor is an analog sensor that converts light into digital information.

CCD: A Charged Coupled Device is a digital sensor that converts light into digital information.

Image Sensor Size

The image sensor (CCD or CMOS) size affects the view angle of the attached lens.

Installed Memory

Installed memory, measured in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB), regulates the amount of data a device can store.

ISO Rating

The International Standardization Organization (ISO) Rating describes how sensitive to light a digital camera is. The higher the rating, the more sensitive the camera is to light, and the darker the environment in which the camera can take a photo.

LCD Screen Resolution

The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Screen Resolution refers to the number of pixels that comprise the image displayed onscreen.

LCD Screen Size

LCD Screen size is the measure from bottom corner to opposite top corner of the viewable screen of a device.

Max Aperture

Maximum Aperture is the largest amount of light allowed to enter the camera.

Max Focal Length

Max Focal Length is the distance, measured in millimeters, from the lens to the focal plane.

Max Shutter Speed

Max Shutter Speed is the longest amount of time that a camera�s shutter can remain open.

METERING

Metering is a process that sets the appropriate aperture and shutter speed based on the brightness of a subject at which the lens is pointed.

Types

Centre-weighted: This metering system focuses on the center point at which the lens is pointed.

Average: This metering system takes hundreds of readings within a frame and averages the results to get the best combination of aperture and shutter speed.

Optical Zoom

Optical Zoom is a feature that allows users to alter the view angle of an image by altering the focal length of the lens.

Photo Quality Print

Photo Quality Print refers to the maximum size photo that a camera can reproduce, while still maintaining the integrity of the image.

Playback Magnification

Playback Magnification is a feature that allows for zooming when reviewing images or video.

Playback Mode

Playback Mode refers to the method(s) in which compatible content can be viewed on the LCD screen.

Power Source

The Power Source produces energy on which a device runs.

Types

NiMH: Nickel metal hydride batteries are high-capacity, rechargeable batteries.

NiCd: Nickel cadmium batteries are medium-capacity, rechargeable batteries.

Lithium: Lithium batteries are non-rechargeable and have an average shelf life of up to ten years.

Alkaline: Alkaline batteries are non-rechargeable and have an average shelf life of up to five years.

Rechargeable Alkaline: Rechargeable alkaline batteries can be recharged up to 25 times.

Resolution

Resolution, measured in megapixels, describes the quality of an image. The higher the camera's megapixels, the more detail an image will retain when enlarged.

Still Image Capture Resolution

Still Image Capture Resolution describes the number of horizontal and vertical pixels used to capture an image. The higher the camera's resolution, the higher the detail of the image.

Still Image Capture Speed

Still Image Capture Speed, controlled by aperture, refers to the number of frames per second a camera can capture.

Still Image Format

Still Image Format refers to the types of files in which a camera saves images.

Storage Type

Storage refers to the memory in which a device saves data.

Types

Compact Flash (CF): This storage type is a durable card with a maximum memory of 512MB.

Smart Media (SM): This storage type is a thin card with a maximum memory of 128MB.

x-D Picture Card (xD): This new storage type is the smallest card with a memory range of 16MB to 8GB.

Memory Stick (MS): This storage type is a long stick with a maximum memory of 1GB.

Multimedia Card (MMC): This storage type is a card with a maximum memory of 128MB.

Secure Digital (SD): This storage type is an encrypted card with a maximum memory of 512MB.

Video Capture Resolution

Video Capture Resolution describes the quality of a captured moving picture, measured in megapixels. The higher the camera�s megapixels, the more detail a video will retain.

Video Standard Type

The Video Standard describes the resolution and frame rate of a device.

Types

NTSC: The National Television System Committee Standard has a fixed vertical resolution of 525 lines and a frame rate of 30 frames per second.

PAL: The Phase Alternation by Line Standard has a fixed vertical resolution of 625 lines and a frame rate of 25 frames per second.

SECAM: The Systeme Electronique Couleur Avec Memoire Standard has a fixed vertical resolution of 625 lines and a frame rate of 25 frames per second.

Viewfinder

The viewfinder is the device through which a photographer looks to determine the image to be captured.

Types

Optical: This type of viewfinder allows the photographer to look directly through a small window to determine the image to be captured.

Electronic: This type of viewfinder allows the photographer to look into an electronic reproduction of an image that has been projected onto a miniature display.

TTL Optical: This type of viewfinder, Through The Lens, allows the photographer to view the image relayed from the lens through a prism or mirror, directly to the focus screen.

White Balance

White balance is a color correction system that compensates for different light level conditions to retain an image's true colors.