Digital Camera Basics

The digital camera is one of ­the most remarkable instances of technological breakthrough because it is so truly different from its predecessor. Conventional cameras depend entirely on chemical and mechanical processes - you don't even need electricity to operate them. On the other h­and, all digital cameras have a built-in computer, and all of them record images electronically.
At its most basic level, this is all there is to a digital camera. Just like a conventional camera, it has a series of lenses that focus light to create an image of a scene. But instead of focusing this light onto a piece of film, it focuses it onto a semiconductor device that records light electronically. A computer then breaks this electronic information down into digital data. All the fun and interesting features of digital cameras come as a direct result of this process.