A digital camera[1] is a device that captures photographs electronically, instead of using film like traditional cameras. It works by using an image sensor, such as a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) or a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS), to record light information when a photo is taken. The data is then processed and stored in digital memory, allowing for instant viewing and editing. Digital cameras come in many forms, from compact and action cameras to sophisticated devices used in science and military applications. They offer features for professional photography, including high-definition image quality and different methods of image capture. With the advent of smartphones, digital cameras have also become a standard feature, enabling everyone to capture and share their moments.
This article may be too technical for most readers to understand.(December 2019) |
A digital camera, also called a digicam, is a camera that captures photographs in digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film. Digital cameras are now widely incorporated into mobile devices like smartphones with the same or more capabilities and features of dedicated cameras (which are still available). High-end, high-definition dedicated cameras are still commonly used by professionals and those who desire to take higher-quality photographs.
Digital and digital movie cameras share an optical system, typically using a lens with a variable diaphragm to focus light onto an image pickup device. The diaphragm and shutter admit a controlled amount of light to the image, just as with film, but the image pickup device is electronic rather than chemical. However, unlike film cameras, digital cameras can display images on a screen immediately after being recorded, and store and delete images from memory. Many digital cameras can also record moving videos with sound. Some digital cameras can crop and stitch pictures and perform other kinds of image editing.