Microelectronics Writing - Assignment Example

Its main purpose, in fact, does not differ much from the old cameras that actually use films instead of digital file storage media. The said media can either be a digital memory card or an internal storage that is built-in to the camera. Just like the old cameras, it is meant for capturing moments in pictures. One major innovation that is made possible with the use of microelectronics though, is that a digital camera could also take videos. The old analog ones have a functionality that is limited in taking only still pictures.

The first digital camera model that was produced and sold in the market was the Dycam Model 1. It was sold only for a very short period, from 1990 until 1991. (Raskin) In order to retrieve the pictures taken and to print these in black and white, this camera had to be connected to a computer. This was soon followed by a long line of digital camera models from Kodak and Nikon. With the introduction of JPEG and MPEG formats for still pictures and videos respectively, further developments in the digital camera were made.

Nowadays, many digital cameras have more powerful lenses and better picture resolutions. More importantly, these have become much easier to operate. As the features and capabilities began to improve, these devices have also become more in demand. Only very few photographers have, in fact, continued to rely on the analog cameras. When a digital camera takes a picture, light is allowed to strike “a digital sensor array instead of a piece of film” in the case of an analog one. (Digital Darrel) This digital sensor is actually made of pixels, which are arrays of tiny sensor points.

The image taken are then stored as millions of dots of lights or megapixels. The resolution of the picture or its sharpness depends on the amount of megapixels that the digital camera is capable of. The bigger the megapixels, the better the quality of the pictures the camera can produce. This goes the same for the videos made through the digital camera. The images or videos are then recorded in the storage medium. This may be built-in memory chip of the camera or in an external device such as an SD card or an MMC.

If the photographer wants to download the pictures to the computer or to have these printed, he may have to use a cable, which usually comes along with the camera when purchased. However, the latest digital camera models already have Bluetooth capabilities. With Bluetooth, the downloading and printing can be done even without the use of cables as long as the printer or the computer is also Bluetooth-enabled. The reason why many photographers find the digital camera a great choice for a gadget is that everything is automatic.

A photographer can take more pictures in less time with a digital camera because he does not have to wait for one or a couple of seconds for any film to be ready. Aside from this, the latest models of this device actually have features that would make the photographer take better angles. In fact, these would also immediately adjust the distance without any prompting through its automated zooming system. Another important characteristic is that the digital images can be downloaded to a computer and can be subjected to editing with the use of the photo-editing software such as Photoshop and Corel.

As a video recorder, a digital camera is definitely lighter and handier. However, it may have some limitations in taking videos when compared to the digital video