Digital Cameras: Advantages, Disadvantages

A digital camera, often referred to as a 'digicam', is a camera that uses electronic image sensor to take still photographs or record videos. Image capturing in digital cameras is done in three methods, single-shot method, multi-shot method and scanning method. Today, we find digital cameras being integrated into various devices ranging from camera cellphones to astronomical devices. The images in these cameras are stored in electronic storage devices such as a memory card, only to be printed later. Digital camera scores over film camera in more than one aspects, including storage area, video recording and deleting pictures, but it also has some disadvantages, the most prominent one being its high cost.

Digital Camera Advantages
In a digital camera, images are clicked using image sensor and stored on electronic storage devices, and printed after downloading them on a computer, or directly by attaching the camera to the printer. You don't waste time buying films or developing them. In film cameras you can only take 36 pictures from one role, while in digicams you can take hundreds of pictures, and even more, depending on the storage capacity of your memory card or the in-built memory of the camera itself. A LCD screen on the camera allows you to take a look at the pictures you take as soon as you click them. So, if you are not satisfied with the picture you can just delete it from the camera and take a new one. You also get the freedom to take a couple of pictures in one go and then choose the best picture for printing. The pictures taken on digital cameras can be either printed using inexpensive ink-jet printer, or a specially designed photo printer, the later being an ideal option. If you have a printer of your own, then that can slash the cost incurred to develop the images. One of the biggest advantage of the digital camera is the editing part. Advanced digital cameras give you the facility to make desired changes, such as red eye reduction, in the image. Digital cameras give you an added advantage of recording videos, owing to which you can even record the pleasant moments of your life.

Digital Camera Disadvantages
You can't ignore the fact that technology comes at a high cost, and that's the biggest disadvantage of a digital camera. You may require to shell out huge amounts to own a technologically advanced digicam. In digital photography, the initial costs incurred on buying the camera and related software are high. Though inexpensive cameras are available in the market, they feature problems such as time delay, wherein the time between shutter pressing and actual picture being taken has noticeable difference. Digital cameras also require high battery consumption. Limited knowledge about computers and software, such as Photoshop, can limit your chances of being an overall good photographer. The images taken from these camera can be altered using photo editing software such as Photoshop. Due to these authenticity issues, not many organizations are comfortable with digicam images.

The disadvantages of digital cameras are slowly being over-shadowed by immense technological advancement in the field of electronics. The prices of digicams have become relatively cheaper than what they were a few years ago. Going by this fact, there is a little doubt that, very soon advanced digital cameras will shed all their disadvantages and become affordable to everyone, thus adding to the already revolutionized world of photography.