Digital Photography FAQ

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Digital Library

Volume 4

F

Q

A

FREQUENTLY

ASKED QUESTIONSon

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY


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1

Frequently

Asked QuestionsonDigital Photography

Digital Library Vol. 4

Disclaimer: While every endeavour has beenmade to provide accurate information, noliability will be assumed for typographicalerrors and omissions or technical inaccuracies.

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3.13 Blackboard/Whiteboa

3.14 Movie mode

3.15 Sound recording

3.16 General tips and hints

4. Printing digital image

4.1 Traditional photos vs.

4.2 Home printing

4.3 Printing services for d

4.4 Enlarging digital prints

5. Archiving digital pho

5.1 Software solutions

5.2 Recommended hardw

5.3 Downloading images

5.4 Connecting a digital c

5.5 Important image file fo

5.6 Copying images to a C

6. Compressing image

6.1 Storage requirements

6.2 The important compre

6.3 Selecting the right co

6.4 PKZIP/WinZIP and St

6.5 Pixel number in comp

6.6 Saving images in diffe

7. Editing digital image

7.1 Image editing program

7.2 Sending image files b

7.3 Transfer ring d ig ital da

7.4 Digital images for the

7.5 Viewing digital picture

8. The A to Z of digital

2

Contents

1. The fascinating world of digital photography 4

2. Digital camera technology 8

2.1 How does a digital camera work? 8

2.2 The CCD chip 9

2.3 What to look for when buying a digital camera 13

2.4 Factors affecting image quality 16

2.5 The importance of a good lens system 18

2.6 Long-term storage of digital images 20

2.7 Servicing digital cameras 21

2.8 Power sources 22

3. Taking digital pictures 24

3.1 Metering systems 24

3.1.1 Exposure metering systems 24

3.1.2 Focus systems 27

3.1.3 White balance 28

3.1.4 Sensitivity 31

3.2 The camera flash 32

3.3 Image optimisation systems 34

3.3.1 TruePic 34

3.3.2 Noise reduction 35

3.3.3 Pixel mapping 36

3.4 Scene programs 36

3.5 Manual control 37

3.5.1 Aperture 37

3.5.2 Shutter 38

3.6 Histogram 39

3.7 Zoom 39

3.8 Macro shooting 40

3.9 Sequence shooting 42

3.10 Self-timer 43

3.11 Panorama 43

3.12 B & W and sepia 45

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4

1. The fascinating world

of digital photography

A picture says more than a thousand words.This is certainly one explanation for why photo-graphy has lost none of its power to fascinate

and enthral in its almost 200 year history.

Even though the cameras were still expensive,heavy, cumbersome and complicated well intothe 20th century, these failings proved to havelittle influence on the technologys success.The reason: for the first time it was possible tocapture moments in time and illustrate feelings,moods, desires at more or less the press of abutton. Photography was here to stay.

Whether digital or analogue, in the studio orout in the open, photography is always muchmore than just capturing reality. It is also theinterpretation of what the photographer seesand the transformation of this into a new, two-dimensional reality so that the moment comes

back to life when the image is viewed.

Its a pity then, that with conventional analoguephotography the results cannot be seen immedi-ately, checked or edited until the film has beenexposed and developed.

While the instant photo technology introducedby Polaroid went some way to changing this, itwas digital imaging that really revolutionised thephotographic experience.

Initially, this new technology was prohibitivelyexpensive and really only attractive to technologi-cally adventurous pro users. However, as a resultof the internet and email boom, demand for easy-

to-produce and affordable digital images roseto unforeseen levels. This, together with the ever

lower cost of compochips, etc.), led to thcameras appearing othe mid 90s.

Similar to the develodigital photography increase in performa

whereas the first contion of only around are models with fivenot only meet the nephers but also fit the

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So, its hardly surprimarket has been enjgrowth rate. While t

sold in 1996 reachewhich only 100,000number had risen to2001.

However, since a lacamera users are nenot always familiar and because of the rfield, new questionsones go unansweredtherefore tried to preanswers to frequentlthis brochure will noaspects of this compthough be delightedget more enjoymentand even obtain bet

6

1. The fascinating world

of digital photography

The growth in the number of manually adjustableshooting parameters is equally impressive. Whilethe earliest models featured as good as no

individually adjustable settings, modern digitalcameras are on a par with their analogue counter-parts when it comes to manual control.

The reasons for the appeal of this imaging tech-nology are manifold. These are just ten examples:

1. No need to buy film ever again.

2. Storage media is reusable.

3. Images can be checked and enjoyedimmediately after capture.

4. The cameras optical systems are of thehighest quality and have a superior lensresolution compared to those in analoguemodels.

5. Silent operation for discrete shooting.

6. Creative effects possible even at therecording stage.

7. Presentation of the images on a TV(slide show).

8. No loss of quality when copying andtransferring data.

9. Editing images later is easy.

10. Prints can be produced and photos sent via

email immediately.



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8

2.1 How does a digital camera work?

Digital cameras cannot be so readily compared

to analogue cameras, which use slide or negativefilm. Seen from a technological point of view,they are more similar to video cameras that takeone image at a time.

First, lets look at how ananalogue camera works.

Simply put, it consists of alens system, anaperture and ashutter. The lenssystem ensuresthe capturedimage is in focus

while the aperture andshutter control the amount of light reaching the

film. As soon as the shutter is released, light is letinto the camera through the lens system andaperture to land on the photosensitive film. Theresulting chemical reaction records the image onthe film surface. This image is then set in the

developing process.

Although digital camerasmay often look like theiranalogue counterparts andshare many components,

such as aperture, shut-ter and a lens system,their methods forrecording images differradically. Instead of

light-sensitive film, theyuse a combination ofCCD chip, imagingprocessing engine and storage media to capturethe image.

The heart of the digithe aperture. The CCchip is a light-sensit

made up of many sithe individual photogenerate an electricathe camera.

Theanalogue-digitthe analogue impulsdigital values for brigare then calculated bcessing engine, comsoftware, to make beoptimising gamma cduction). The reconstransferred into the c

2.2 What is a CCD chip?

The CCD chip is aband has millions of

arranged in columnmuch like the dots, monitor.

Pixel:Abbreviation for

picture element.It is the smallest

element of araster display or

digital picture,containing infor-

mation aboutbrightness and

colour. Generally,in a monitor or

ink-jet printer, apixel can consistof up to 256 dots

per colour.Exception:Dye

Sublimation.

2. Digital camera technology

The analoguecamera

The digitalcamera

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1, 3, 5 etc. To allowdigital camera uses prevent more light eDue to their high peconstruction and lowCCDs are found in m

Another type of CCDCCD, or simply prognumber of completethe image is capturethat is row after rowcal shutter is superflbe controlled electrohigh shutter speeds. progressive CCDs aphotography.

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If each of the sensors on a CCDchip were to react to incominglight in the same way, a digital

camera could only take blackand white pictures. However, toensure that all colours can becaptured, the sensors are covered

with different colour filters either RGB (Red,Green, Blue) or CMY (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow)with additional green filters for more true-to-liferesults.

Besides colour, brightness data is also requiredfor correct image reproduction. The light for eachof the three colours is divided up into 256 levelsof intensity. This combination of 256 x 256 x 256yields 16.7 million possible colours for truecolour reproduction.

The captured data is transformed into digital sig-nals so that all relevant image information can bestored by the digital camera.

Basically, there are two different kinds ofCCD chips which can be used in digitalcameras. The first was originally devel-oped for television and video and hassince been optimised for still cameras.Called the video, or interlaced CCD, ithas the advantage of high light sensitiv-

ity and features either RGB or CMY and greencolour filters.

Although this CCD captures the information inone shot, the data is read in two sequences:first, rows 2, 4, 6 etc. of the CCD, and then rows

Video CCD

Progressive CCD

Data readin

one pass.



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2.3 What should I take into account wfor a digital camera?

Before buying adigital camera youshould think aboutwhat you intendto use it for. If youare looking for amodel for takingsnap shots atfamily gatheringsor on holiday, forexample, you wouldautomatic compact that takes care of all

For users who want a compact, easy-to-able to add their owto time, there are a priced user-friendly adjustable settings, sture and white balanlike sepia recordin

To meet the qrequirements rapher, the caa very high lens with exteIt also shouldaccessories, sand external fvia an x-conA variety of m

SLRs, meet th

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A progressive CCD is coated withRGB (Red, Green, Blue) colour fil-ters. Since each pixel in the picture

corresponds to one of the three typesof CCD pixels, only one colour isrecorded for each dot. An imaging

processing engine is used to calculate andcomplete the missing colour data. The betterthe imaging processing engine program, thebetter the resulting picture will be.

An additional improvement in picture quality isachieved by a relatively simple trick. By modify-ing the CCD chips proportion of green-filteredpixels to contain two green filters for every redand blue filter, the subject can be reproducedeven more precisely.

The reason for this: not only is the human eyemore sensitive to green but the colour green alsosignificantly influences our perception of bright-ness.

An alternative to the CCD chip is the CMOSchip, which also employs light-sensitive diodesfor capturing images. While these chips havecertain advantages over the CCD, not least inbeing relatively cheap to produce and havingcomparatively low energy requirements, manymanufacturers still prefer to use CCDs in theircameras because the CMOS chips usually pro-duce far too much noise, significantly affectingimage quality.



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sufficieor too dsubject

of the aor of an10x lenalso feathese prpower, reductiomeans

Fast shuand ovetaking pjects, suother h

camera that offers vyou intend to take pnight, for example.

Besides comparing gshould also examinestorage capacity. Sinspite of image comlarge amounts of methat the camera in qquickly replaceablemodules. These allowithin seconds so yFurthermore, it is beare small, manageabsufficient storage ca

As a rule of thumb, camera you want to

would look for in a you can hardly go w

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So, what features should you look for in a digitalcamera? Digital photography is all too oftendescribed as digital technology plus some photo

technology. However, it is actually photo technol-ogy that uses digital technology. Therefore highresolution lenses, efficient flash systems, and,if desired manually adjustable parameters areimportant in a digital camera.

Zoom lenses let you get closer to the subject.Generally, the larger, more powerful the zoomlens, the more expensive and heavier the camera(though digital camera zoom lenses are far morecompact and lighter that those on analoguemodels.) For everyday use, a 3x lens is usually

Zoom versatility



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2.7 Do digital cameras have to be se

Digital cameras do

ing. You should, of ctal camera just as yoor any other electrofalls, bumps, water abarrier when not shofrom the camera if ntime is also recommcamera in a dry envplied with your camful tips on how to ca

To ensure you can ais recommended to (e.g. once a month).the help of the battenent in every good d

If your digital camertor, you need not wotion after changing teras contain an eneagainst memory dela backup battery, tosurprises, this shouldaccording to the ma(note: this should bemain battery).

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2.6 Can I leave the pictures on the memory card? What hap-pens to the digital images if the camera is not used for along time?

Nothing really. The pictures remain on thememory card. Even if battery power weakens,no picture loss is to be feared with most oftodays cameras. In particular the flash memo-

ry storage technique (FlashROM) used by e.g. xD-

Picture Card, Smart-Media, CompactFlash, SD or MemoryStick to name a few,provides a relatively

safe form of storage, asdoes, but to a lesser degree,

magnetic disk technology (e.g.Microdrive.) However, you should

also ensure your irreplaceable imagesare saved on your computers hard drive.

Better still, transfer your photos to a mediumthat offers the most secure storage solution, forexample a CD or DVD (see chapter 5).

Whether on a hard drive, CD or DVD, multi-media PC software like Olympus

CAMEDIA Master is particular-ly handy as it lets you

organise, browse, printand archive your

images.



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Some of the more pSLR models allow thpack. This rechargea

for marathon shootisuited for professionon location.

If you find yourself sto save energy, theredown your camerasthe flash, LCD monithe life of your batteuse. Battery drain causing these features

Last but not least, anshooting at home oris close at hand. Thisupply, without you batteries.

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2.8 Rechargeable batteries, non-rechargeable batteries orAC adapters: what is the best power supply for me?

The more photos youtake, the faster batterypower is used up.Therefore if you loveto take photos often,

you should considerbuying a battery charger

and rechargeable batteriessuch as Olympus NiMH(Nickel-Metal Hydride)

rechargeable batteries.These environmentally-friendly, cadmium-freebatteries have a long life

and are ideal for the busyphotographer. When it comes

to selecting the charger, it pays

to choose one with a battery pro-tection system to help extend the

batteries life span. It is also a goodidea to buy an extra set of batteries so

you can carry on shooting while chargingup the first set.

A compact and clever solution for less activedigital photographers is the non-rechargeableCR-V3 lithium battery. This is a very powerfulnon-rechargeable battery for digital cameras andprovides hours of shooting.

While rechargeable NiCd, regular alkaline andlithium batteries may be used in most digitalcameras, they do not have the power or

endurance of NiMH or CR-V3 lithium batteries.



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3.1.2 How does the cameras autofoc

There are basically t

the one, by e.g. emibeam or sonar signareturning signal, thedistance to the subjelens accordingly. Thcus system. While itworks even in the din that it cannot be away.

With thethe camthe imagto shootalters thecontrast,result. Ucontrast on far awrequire awell as scould hawhite sufor examlem, soman autofthe subje

focus. There are othesystems for all-round

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3. Taking digital pictures

Some models mayalso feature multi-spot metering.

Here, you candetermine a num-ber of points wherethe camera is totake readings, suchas first the brightestsection followed bythe darkest sectionof the main sub-ject. Several pointsmay be selectedand the camera

determines the average exposure from all thelight values recorded.

In very difficult lighting situations, it pays to useauto bracketing. This takes a few shots in quicksuccession, but slightly alters the exposure foreach so that you can select the best image laterand discard the others. Alternatively, you may useexposure correction, increasing or decreasing theexposure level from the initial setting by specificsteps.



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With analogue cameoptimal picture resuspecifically for eitheIf photos are taken wfor that particular ligmay come out with cast. Because there in a digital camera, to adjust the CCD adeviations with digit

When digital imaginvideo cameras were

be manually adjusteof the immediate su

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3.1.3 What is white balance?

Different types of light from different sources,such as the sun in a clear sky, an electric lampor neon tube, have different light temperatures.Depending on the light source, photos can showthe same object in widely differing colours. Forexample, without correction, scenes shot in thelight from a tungsten lamps bulb display a yellow-red tinge. Therefore, besides measuring the lightintensity, the camera or user also needs toknow the colour temperature of the ambient lightto ensure correct colour reproduction. This is true

both for digital and analogue cameras.

Left:Daylight settingunder tungsten

light.

Right:Tungsten whitebalance settingunder tungsten

light.



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red-eye-reduction, fsome cameras offer mode, which allows

results by firing the fthe beginning or theexposure.

To open up further cpossibilities, some cconnection of an exsuch as the Olympua hot shoe. Others pa studio flash systembe connected to acamera using an x

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100 and 400. By increasing the value, you in-crease the number of situations in which you canuse the available shutter speeds and aperture

stops.

Many models also adjust the sensitivity auto-matically. If it is too dark for the camera to workwith its current exposure parameters, it selectsa higher level of sensitivity for the CCD to guar-antee clearer results.

This strategy, however, does have a particulardrawback in that the higher the CCDs sensitivity,the greater the likelihood of noise. For more aboutthis, see section 3.3.2.

3.2 What should I do if the scene is not bright enough?

Normally, the camera will answer this questionfor you and fire the flash. A built-in flash is an

indispensable feature for every photographer andmost cameras offer a range of flash modes fora variety of situations and effects. Besides auto,

Top: with slowsynchronisation

flash

Left page: night

scene withoutslow synchronisa-

tion flash

Hot shoe



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3.3.2 What is noise reduction?

Noise is the visible eCCDs sensors. It apspots in an image with a slow shutter snoise increases withhot conditions.

In noise reduction mshots: the normal shexposure time but wthen able to determimage that are suscesate for this.

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3.3 Why is the cameras internal software so important?

It is not just the way data is captured that is

important, how the data is processed can alsohave a considerable influence on the quality ofthe final result. Examples of important imagingprocessing engines are TruePic, noise reductionand pixel mapping.

3.3.1 What is TruePic?

TruePic is an intelligent imagingprocess developed by Olympus thatemploys the 3-D Cubic Algorithm anda super-fast Risc and Olympus ASICprocessor. By optimising all the imageinformation gathered by the CCD evenfor lower resolution photos and thenmatching that information up to thepicture data with the neighbouringpixels, TruePic produces digital photosthat show amazingsharpness and con-trast as well as truecolour and grada-tion.

Algorithm:A set of process-

ing or workinginstructions

which, becauseof their high pre-

cision, can becarried out inde-

pendently by amechanical or

electronicdevice. Algo-rithms simply

allow the com-puter to solve

particular prob-lems. In image

editing, algo-rithms are usedto alter images,e.g. 3-D Cubic

Algorithm.(TruePic)

By removing a significantamount of noise, the noisereduction feature dramati-

cally enhances the quality ofthe shot, especially for

night-time scenes.

Brightness

ConventionalImage Processing

Brightness

TruePicImage Processing



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These modes can saand, by telling the cyou want to shoot, t

results.

3.5 What are the benefits of manual e

Automatic operationshooting and scene experimentation. Bucontrol, manual adjshutter is a must.

3.5.1 What effect does the aperture h

Simply put, the aperwhich the light passIncreasing the apertaperture number (F-more light into the cexposure, the apertuof field, i.e. the partground and the backlow F-stop (larger ap

depth of field and ththe subject, as the asubject is out of focpicking people out ihigh F-stop (small ap

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3.3.3 What is pixel mapping?

Despite the greatest care being taken, CCDs will

always have a small number of faulty pixels.Since these cannot pass on the image informa-tion, their presence could be noticed in shots asdots of a wrong colour in a large area with anotherwise uniform tone. To avoid this, somecameras use their powerful internal processorsto recognise and record the location of thedead pixels. Then, when photos are taken, thedata from neighbouring pixels is employed tooptimally fill in the gap left by the faulty pixel.

3.4 What are the scene programs?

Known as sport, landscape, portrait, etc., sceneprogram names make their purpose very clear andthey have pre-set shooting parameters to suit theirparticular subject. For example, the sport programautomatically selects a fast shutter speed becauseit knows the photographer would like to capturefast-moving action. The portrait program, on theother hand, instantly selects a large aperture toensure background is out of focus, highlightingthe subject.

The size of theaperture can

influence the sizeof the area in

focus. A smallaperture (high

F-stop) provides alarge depth of

field; a large aper-ture (low f-stop)

produces a shortdepth of field.

Night scene and landscape mode.



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3.6 What is a histogram?

Digital cam

advantageing with aable to chon the Ldigital camThese showtribution othe informusers can

3.7 What is best for me, an optical or

Cameras with eitherprovide the user witor her get closer to odifficult to reach, sufield or the ornate dture. When choosingmake sure to differeoptical and digital z

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of field so most or all of a scene is in sharp focus.Such a setting is suited for landscapes and archi-tecture. If the camera features an Aperture Priority

mode, you can set the aperture to your desiredlevel and the camera adjusts the shutter speedaccordingly.

3.5.2 What effect does the shutter speed have?

Besides exposure, the shutter speed also influ-ences the way movement is depicted. With fastexposure speeds, a speeding car can be frozen asit races past. Alternatively, a slow shutter speedlets you blur the action giving an even greaterimpression of speed. Slow shutter speeds are also

required for shootinglow light shots, suchas night-time city-scapes. In ShutterPriority mode, theexposure time ismanually adjustableand the cameraalters the aperture tomatch the chosenspeed.

The creative possibi-lities of shutter speedcontrol. Above: slowshutter speed. Right:

fast shutter speed.

A digital zoomoften provides

additional magni-fication power -

but at the expenseof quality



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possible aperture. camera is so close todifficulty getting theuse the built-in flashwith the ambient liged on the object. Fin

shots may feature slphotograph documecamera back a bit.

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With an optical zoom lens, the focal length canbe adjusted at pre-selected stops or movedsmoothly between a range of stops. By simply

shortening or lengthening the

focal length, thesubject appears to move either closer or furtheraway. However, as the zoom power extends, thelens light-gathering power is reduced, sometimesmaking slower shutter speeds necessary for cor-rect exposure. To ensure bright, sharp images atmaximum zoom level, a tripod or if available the cameras optical image stabiliser should beemployed.

Even though this problem does not arise with adigital zoom, images magnified using an opticalzoom will always be of a better quality becausethe digital system simply recalculates the imagedata already captured to produce a zoom effect.For example, the digital zoom crops the central50% the image and then doubles the size of thissection, which results in a lower resolution shot.An optical zoom, on the other hand, actuallybrings the whole scene closer so there is no lossin detail.

3.8 What it there to consider when taking macro shots?

As CCDs are much smaller than conventionalfilm, they make digital cameras particularly suitedto taking detailed shots of small objects in com-parison to their analogue counterparts. Whentaking macro shots, it may help to follow thesesimple tips: place the camera on a tripod or makesure you hold the camera very steady and useeither the self-timer or remote control to releasethe shutter. A long depth of field is usually best

for macro photography, so select the smallest

Focal lengthThe distance

between the filmor CCD sensorand the centre ofthe lens system.

Altering the focallength changes

the subjects posi-tion in the frameand the depth of

field.



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3.9 What is sequence shooting?

After the digital camera captures an image, itusually needs some time to save the data to thememory card before it can record the next shot.Depending on the pictures resolution, this cantake anywhere from a fraction of a second to overone minute. However, if the photographer wantsto record the progression of an action, such asa skateboarder performing a jump, he or sheneeds to be able to shoot in quick succession.How?

This is made possible by, on the one hand reduc-ing the resolution to speed up the data recordingtime. On the other hand you can use the sequencemode found in many digital cameras and theinternal memory. By saving the first and subsequentimages in the short term memory, you can takeseveral shots in a quick sequence. Once themaximum number of shots has been reached(the actual limit depends on the resolution andmemory capacity) or the user removes his or her

finger from the release, all the photos are thensaved to the storage card.

3.10 How can I get myself in the pict

While some modelsholding the camera it towards you, the mflattering) method ofis to use the self-timtimer, place the camtripod so it will not shot. The self-timer fwant to avoid cameing with slow shutteual operation of the era to move.

3.11 What are panorama photos?

Panoramic shots arejoined together to pand can even show picture is taken fromeach shot the cameror up and down alo

photos for a panorammended to use a trip



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3.12 How can I take black &white or sepia photos with adigital camera?

Just change thesettings fromcolour to black& white orsepia record-ing in the cam-eras menu (ifavailable) andresume shoot-ing. Recordingin mono-chrome can significshot, giving it a moror artistic quality. If recording in black &change the shots on

44


relatively quickly, so that the scene does notchange too much, such as by clouds movinginto the picture. It is also best to use a long focallength because tele positions produce less distor-tion than wide angle lenses so the shots fit bettertogether. Some cameras facilitate the process bysuperimposing lines over the image in the LCDso that the photographer is quickly able to tellwhere the scenery in the next frame should over-lap that of the previous shot.

Once saved, the photos can be transferred tothe computer where the individual shots arestitched together. This is particularly easy if thesoftware includes a panorama function. The finalcomposition can then be printed out at home(special panorama-length paper is available forthis) or sent to a printing service. Alternatively,by saving the image in a file format such asQuickTime VR, a virtual scene can be createdin which viewers navigate their way around theshot using the mouse to go left, right, up anddown.

By combiningmany individual

shots, you cancreate stunning

panoramic scenes.



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3.15 Is it also possible to record soun

Yes and not just w

sequences, but withrecording sound as tmay also (if supportcomment or sound e

3.16 What should I bear in mind whe

Here are a few poining to avoid commoresults.

Cameras usually centre of the framplace your point othe frame when sedepressing the relcamera, if necessa

Brightness can be able to adapt itselbut a digital camethis when taking ptions. Thanks to theasy to see whethor not.

Beware of scenes Most models haveing system as the to poorly exposeareas of strongly cprevent this, try us

46


3.13 What should I do if I want to photograph text?

If you wish to record text so that it can be easily

read later on, it is best to use the

blackboardor whiteboard modes. Utilising only black andwhite with no grey tones, these provide superbcontrast because they save the text as black typeon a white background or vice versa.

3.14 What can I do in movie mode?

Many cameras today offer a movie mode thatallows you to record short, low resolution(e.g. 320 x 240 pixels) scenes lasting about a

few minutes. These make ideal additions tohomepages or presentations and sometimes theycan feature sound, too.



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Avoid shots with tthis can often appresults if you let yo

place additional d

Try shooting from of people and eveoften stand out frophotographing froposition.

Images shot in mnificantly differenand help emphasi

Dont be afraid tothe centre of the csubjects closer to have a more dynaplaced in the cent

And of course, alwbatteries on hand.

48


Backlight situations can confuse the camera.However, the result can be improved by simplyturning on the flash. This trick is especially use-ful when taking portraits of people positionedin front of a bright background.

To avoid red-eye when shooting in low lightwith the flash, use the red-eye reduction mode.If a regular flash is employed, the eyes of yoursubject may seem unnaturally red because thelight from the flash is reflected off the bloodvessels in the retina and out through the wide-open pupils. In red-eye reduction mode a lampshines or the flash fires a few bursts before the

shot is actually taken. The pupils contract, andthe effect of the reflected light is less noticeable.

The fill-in flashmode can ensure

your subject isnot lost in the

shadows.

Experimentwith shooting

from different,unusual angles.



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50

4. Printing digital photos

4.1 How do conventional photo prints differfrom digital photos?

As far as quality is concerned there is generallyno difference between conventional and digitalphoto prints. However, the production processesdiffer radically.

The traditional photo print is made by a contin-uous series of chemical processes. Whether thenegative, the photographic paper, or film itself isexposed, chemical reactions are always responsi-ble for the results. These analogue processes areso exact that there are virtually no qualitative dif-ferences between photo prints and the original.

A digital photo print is made by bringing thedigital image on to specially coated photographicpaper using a printer.

Until just a few years ago, photo-realistic resultscould only be achieved with considerable effortand expense. Thanks to the rapid pace of devel-opment in software and hardware, (of whichprecision printers, the print stations in photostores and technologies like DPOF and Exifare prime examples), the situation is now quitedifferent. Today there are many user-friendly andaffordable solutions for bringing digital photosto paper for both commercial and private use.

Home printing, for example, is very user-friendly.There are no chemicals involved, no dark roomis needed and it provides the photographer withresults on the spot in around two minutes. Com-mercial photo processing services (such as photo

labs and dealers) have also improved over recentyears and their number has increased.

4.2 Can I print at home?

Thanks to its ability good quality, diverseease-of-use, the hompopularity among dmodels feature mem

printing without a Ptheir own LCD screethe photographer caprinter. There are alsfor portable use.



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image dots to produrastered or patternedtransitions. The benelarly noticeable wheshadows in which trflow smoothly. Gooalso add a protectivlonger life. This is no

the printer uses. Sucnot possible with intems, which use a raPrint quality is also parent dye in dye-suthe creation of new dots on top of each

High-end ink-jet pmore colour cartridgcan achieve print re2880 x 1440 dpi or impressive results. Itthat use separate inkreplace the individuthereby reducing co

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You can choose from a wide range of printingtechniques. However, not all printers are capableof producing realistic photos. Therefore it pays to

read about the models and, if possible, compareprintouts before making your purchase.

Colour laser, solid ink-jet, thermal wax, andthermal fusion printers are hardly the idealprinters for photo realistic prints, if at all. Onlyink-jet printers and dye-sublimation printersare able to meet the high standards required.

By far the best results are achieved with dye-sublimation printers. A short explanation ofthe technique used in dye-sublimation printersexplains why this is the case:

The dye-sublimation process involves heating aspecial film coated with the elementary printingcolours cyan, magenta, and yellow. The coloured

steam released in the heating process diffusesdirectly into aspecial type ofpaper. By con-trolling the timethe film is heat-ed, it is possi-ble to regulatethe size of the

dpiDots per inch.A unit used in

printing for thegeometric resolu-tion of a picture.

Thermal print h

The portableCAMEDIA P-200 printer

The thermal printhead heats the

ribbon, causingthe dye to diffuse

into the paper.



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for printing such as shutter speed and wmode was activated

use this information quality of the final im(PRINT Image Matchwork on a similar prused by Epson print

Finally, a word abouthe high resolution oimately 300 dpi resotion printers sounds

the diffgi

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An ink-jet printer injects the colour containedinside the printing heads storage chambers intoeach nozzle of the printing head. The ink can

be brought to paper in either of two ways: thebubble jet technology works by heating the corre-sponding nozzle, while the piezo printer usesa small crystal which contracts under electricalcurrent to eject the ink. Each printer has a specialchip that determines which nozzles should beheated or activated.

Although this system produces images that arebuilt from a rastered pattern, high-quality ink-jetmodels can still provide impressive photo printsin up to A3 format.

The type of paper used has a significant influenceon the quality of the final print. For best results,you should use the paper types (and inks) recom-mended by the printer manufacturer. Today, thereis a wide selection of photo papers available.Besides glossy types, there are also media withrough surfaces that produce a watercolour effectand others with a surface similar in texture to silk.

A recent innovation that helps improve the qualityof prints is the Exif Print (Exif 2.2) standard. Exif(Exchangeable Image File) is a file header formatwhich records additional data about an image,like the shooting parameters, such as the lensfocal length and flash setting used by the camera.Under Exif Print (also called Exif 2.2), additionalinformation is stored which is especially important



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This table provides a helpful guide, showing upto which recommended size you can print yourdigital images.

Based on the fact that almost all digital camerasrecord images with a resolution of 72 dpi, wehave calculated the respective print sizes for thedpi values listed. Please note, however, that thefigures here should only serve as a guideline. Infact, many photos can usually even be printed ingood quality in larger formats.

The resolution (givenchanged in many imthe menu option Pi

resolution:150 dpi for 300 dpi for professiona

As a comparison, th

Default imageresolution

in camera (72 dpi)

640 x 480 pixels

1,024 x 768 pixels

1,280 x 960 pixels

1,600 x 1,200 pixels

2,048 x 1,536 pixels

2,288 x 1,712 pixels

2,560 x 1,696 pixels

2,560 x 1,920 pixels

2,816 x 2,112 pixels

3,200 x 2,400 pixels

Print(Width x height

at 150 dpi)

10.84 x 8.13 cm

17.34 x 13.00 cm

21.67 x 16.26 cm

27.09 x 20.32 cm

34.68 x 26.01 cm

38.74 x 28.99 cm

43.35 x 28.72 cm

43.35 x 32.51 cm

47.68 x 35.76 cm

54.19 x 40.64 cm

Print(Width x height

at 300 dpi)

5.42 x 4.06 cm

8.67 x 6.50 cm

10.84 x 8.13 cm

13.55 x 10.16 cm

17.34 x 13.00 cm

19.37 x 14.49 cm

21.67 x 14.36 cm

21.67 x 16.26 cm

23.84 x 17.88 cm

27.09 x 20.32 cm

Width x heigh

118.90 cm x 84.10

84.10 cm x 59.40

59.40 cm x 42.00

42.00 cm x 29.70

29.70 cm x 21.00

21.00 cm x 14.80

14.80 cm x 10.50

10.5 cm x 7.40

7.40 cm x 5.20

5.20 cm x 3.70

3.70 cm x 2.60



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60

5. Archiving digital photos

5.1 Are there special software packages forarchiving digital images?

You can, of course, create your own directories toarchive your image files. However, as the volumeof files rapidly expands it becomes increasinglydifficult to keep track of them.

Imagine that you are looking for a certain photobut the files have not been named clearly. Onlyby opening the files one after the other do youhave a chance of finding the right image.

It would be much simpler if you had software tohelp you archive and organise your data collec-tion. Such programs can create a catalogue withsingle or multiple directories. These catalogues

show miniature images (or thumbnails) of theoriginal as well as give directions to where the

files are stored. The saved on the hard Nowadays, DVDs

ingly viable alternatthe appropriate softwcatalogue and quicknails to find the ima

With CAMEDIA Mvincing and easy-to-only the organisatiobut also multimediamovies. This softwarcamera type, enablisubsequent retrievalmise and customise stitching together inwith an Olympus dimode.

Meanwhile, CAMEDoffers functions for e

shows with sound m

on a monitor and thtion lets a number obined in one.



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tal images to a CD, systems will need tolike both Macintosh

to read your digital also check the softwhelp facility.

Once you have selearchive on the CD (storage capacity of Ccan commence the on your software, it be done in a series osessions. However,generally not be ablcomputers until all s

Finally, you should asure the CD productsuccessfully. Simply

drive and open one

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5. Archiving digital photos

5.6 How do I save digital images onto CD-ROMs?

As well as a computer, all you need for CD storage

is a CD burner, a recordable CD (CD-R) orre-writable CD (CD-RW), and the appropriatesoftware for controlling the data transfer to theCD. Todays CD burning software is usually quiteeasy to use and often has a similar operatingstructure to other computer application programs.A number of the better image editing programs

also enable CDs to be burneddirectly, without the needfor dedicated CD burningsoftware, thereby enhanc-ing user-friendliness.Nevertheless, it is alwaysbest to consult the man-ual of the software youare using for specificoperating instructions.

Before burning digi-



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So, the higher the de(e.g. in JPEG files the more difficult it

objects contours cowant to display a shreduce a pictures remore than 2 megabywithout a significantIf you wish to print is always best to recformat, that is with aSHQ provides a verdown the file size th

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6. Compressing Image Data

Lossy compression works quite differently. It isbased on the fact that the human eye can onlyperceive about 2,000 different colours at once.

That means that 16.7 million colours do not needto be saved at all. (16.7 million colours comesfrom 256 colours (R) x 256 colours (G) x 256colours (B).)

This is the key to lossy compression. It searchesthe picture for unnecessary or redundant colourdata and simply erases it. You can determine thedegree of lossy compression you want in thecameras menu by selecting between the differentrecording modes or, once the files are on thecomputer, using software like Photoshop.

Here is another example. A picture contains thefollowing colour pixels:

White, White, Bright Red, Pink, Red, Dark Red,Red, Pink etc.

The compression recognises the similaritybetween the different degrees of red and com-presses them together like this:

White, White, Bright Red, Bright Red, Red, Red,Red, Bright Red

A higher degree of compression would give thefollowing results:

White, White, Red, Red, Red, Red, Red, Red.

Image file formats of Olympus camer(not all Olympus cameras offer all formats)

RAW

TIFF

JPEG (SHQ, HQ, SQ1, SQ2)SHQ lowest compressionSQ2 highest compression



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6.4 How can the space needed for diwithout file compression?

If, after copying youcomputer, you want hard drive withouspecial archiving proThey save one or mocompressed archivespeaking, this methocompression cocoobe extracted at any ttheir original file struquality with this kin

The most well-know PKZIP or WinZIP for Mac systems. Proin a variety of applicservers and the intersending several files

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6.3 Which compression rates are best for which applications?

Since you might often not be

sure when you take your photoswhether youll just want todisplay them on the computermonitor or TV, or print themout, it is better to have a veryhigh quality mode (SHQ orTIFF) as the default setting inyour camera. Then, you cancompress the files on the PClater using image editingsoftware.

When it comes to printing orediting images, the higher theresolution, and the lower thelevel of compression, the better.However, high compressionimages are fine for viewing on amonitor, especially if they are tobe used on an internet site,since their low resolution andsize means they can be loadedquickly. (You can find moreabout displaying pictures on theinternet in section 7.)

Low compression

High compression



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For this reason, a doded. Save your mostless format (such as

Also, to save yoursesmaller format for thshow on the internemonitor.

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6.5 Is the number of pixels reduced during compression ordecompression?

No. The picture resolution remains the same forall types of compression. When you compress adigital image with a resolution of 144 dpi, thecompressed data file still has the same resolution.

Additional storage capacity can also be saved bymanually reducing a pictures resolution. Forexample, you only need a resolution of 72 dpi todisplay a photo on your monitor.Please note that it only makes sense to reduce theresolution, as increasing the resolution, whiletechnically possible, does not improve imagequality.

6.6 Can a single digital image be stored in different formats?

Once you have digitised a photo, you can con-vert it into any image file format you want, forexample, by using imaging editing software. Afterall, that is one of the great advantages of digitalimage editing. Nevertheless, you should alwaysremember that while it is possible to enhancecertain qualities like the colour or contrast withan image editing program, it is impossible toimprove the resolution or image size, etc. If youhave saved your photos using lossy compression(in JPEG format, for example), you cannot undothe data loss afterwards by saving the photos in alossless format.



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7. Editing digital photos

7.1 What are the most important image editing programs?

First of all, there is no single image editing pro-

gram which can be described as the best ormost important. Almost all of the most commonprograms sufficiently master the basic functionsneeded for editing a digital image. The differ-ences lie in the additional features offered.Although they cannot be clearly categorised,a division can be made between programsthat have been created for professional and forpersonal use.

Adobes Photoshop and Painter from Procreateare examples of software designed for profession-al use. These programs offer a wide variety of fea-tures, including the simulation of natural paintingand editing methods. These features do, however,have their price.

For the non-professional market, there are manycompanies that deliver affordable software witha high level of functionality. CAMEDIA Masterand CAMEDIA Master Pro from Olympus,ThumbsPlus from Cerious, PaintShop Pro fromJasc, Photoshop Elements from Adobe, Photo-Suite from ROXIO, Kais Photo Soap from Scan-Soft, Photo Express and PhotoImpact from UleadSystems, and Picture Publisher from Micrografixare just some of the programs available. A varietyof these are offered as bundles with cameras andcan provide an impressive array of high-qualityfunctions for editing digital photos. Some of themalso include options that until recently were noteven available in professional programs.

The development in the area of digital imagingis illustrated by, among other things, the rapidlyincreasing demand for image editing software.

It therefore comes anies mentioned aboof their programs an

products into the mthe latest developmeit is recommended tdealer, read the phocheck the internet.

7.2 How do you send digital images b

Everything in digitalIn todays email proto an email is a veryemail programs incoon the toolbar, for esomewhere in the pjust has to select thewishes to send, and

Image: OlympusCAMEDIAMaster Pro



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7.5 Is it possible to view an image on

Yes. Since the video

made for video camsame format as the oand displaying imagSECAM standard in ed). As videos and tto the same principlshow images taken television.

Viewing images on way to look at photothem with friends anlet you rotate imageview pictures with a

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7. Editing digital photos

Word, integrate HTML editors. These programsallow you to design your internet page in a wordprocessing program and then save it as an HTML

document.

When preparing your photos for the internet, youshould not forget that each picture shown onan internet browser has to be downloaded bythe receiving party. Therefore, as a guideline, nopicture (even very detailed ones) should be largerthan 50 kilobytes.

The photo you want to show is then importedto the HTML editor. Note: the photo will not besaved in the HTML document. The only thingto be found here is a reference to the picture. Theinternet browser brings the HTML text and theimage file together to produce the page you seeon your screen. This is important to rememberbecause you have to copy your picture together

with the HTML document to your internet serverin order for the browser to view the picture.

Transferring data from your hard drive to theinternet server is done with an FTP program. InFTP (file transfer protocol), the data, regardlessof the servers operating system or the file format,is transferred and stored in binary code.

PAL

Phase AlternatingLine. A colour

television stan-dard developedin Germany in

1967 and used inmany Europeanand non-Euro-

pean countries.

NTSC

National Televi-sion Standards

Committee.American

television stan-dard for the cod-

ing/encoding ofcolours. It is usedin USA, Japan

and some Asiancountries



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Dot pitch Used with monitorsbetween individualdistance between do

Good monitors usuabetween 0.25 and 0

Download Describes the procevia either a mailbodevice like a digital mission).

dpi Dots per inch (1 incA measuring unit in geometricresoluti

DPOF Digital Print Order Fby the photo industrfor example on Smato be accessed direccopiers as well as atreatment by photo

DRAM Dynamic RAM. A tyused in most personstorage medium. (

Driver A small program thabetween the applicadevice, for example

Diode Photodiode.

Diopter Unit for measuring a lens refractive power.

In photography, the term is used with close-uplenses and corrections to the viewfinder to adjustit to the users eyesight.

Dioptric The adjustment of the viewfinder to theadjustment photographers eyesight (unit: dpt).

Direct print The ability to print digital pictures without thefunction need for a computer.

Diskette Adapter FlashPath Adapter.

Display LCD.

Distortion Misrepresentation of an image. Wide anglelenses normally produce more distortion thantele lenses.

DOS Disc Operating System. Usually DOS describesthe operating system developed by Microsoft forpersonal computers. (MS-DOS)

Dot The smallest raster element of an image. Manydots together produce one pixel. For example,in the specification 8 bit colour depth,three layers of 256 dots each are on top ofone another to produce one pixel.

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8. The A to Z of digital photography



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EElectronic The electronic

vieviewfinder LCD which displayslens, just like with awith the help of thesends the captured ielectronic viewfindemuch easier becausthe very same imageFurthermore, shootinumber and settings

Email A worldwide electrodata can be sent almthe world via telephEvery email user hasdistinct address wheelectronically. Files, be sent with any em

EPS Encapsulated PostScformat based on theis supported by moslayout programs. In code, the EPS file alPICT.

ESP Digital ESP.

EVF Electronic viewfin

DTP Desktop Publishing. This refers to the design andillustration of texts and graphics directly on themonitor screen.

DVD-ROM Digital Versatile Disc. A standard for CD-ROMwith a much greater capacity (e.g. 9.4 GB) thana regular CD-ROM.

Dye-sublimation Describes a printing method for half-toneimages or pictures. This process uses heat totransfer colour from a printer ribbon intopaper. The picture quality is exceptional.The CAMEDIA photo printer P-400 ID fromOlympus produces A4 size prints within90 seconds and at a resolution of 314 dpiwith up to 16.7 million colours.

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Google Well-known interne

GPRS General Packet Rad

nications standard. Sand 3G (UMTS), it orates via a GSM netw9.6Kbps and 115Kb

GPS Global Positioning Suses satellites to let longitude, latitude, aanywhere on earth.

Graphics card Component of a comdisplay an image on

Grey scale A scale of shades raDevices that can onwhite translate coloshades of grey.

GSM Global System for MStandard for the tran

Guide Number Value for the maximflash based on a filmBuilt-in camera flash(GN) of approx. 10 between 20 40, anflashes is between 4

Format In computers this refers to the type of file, suchas JPEG, TIFF or DOC. In photography and otherareas it also refers to the two dimensional size

of an image. In compact cameras, the photos typ-ically have a ratio of 3:2 (Format: 36 x 24 mm).With digital images, the ratio is normally 4:3 butcan be changed to 3:2 in some cameras. Forprints, the format means the size of the print out,such as 9 x 13 cm, 10 x 15 cm, 13 x 18 cm.

FreeHand Popular graphics program from Macromedia.

Freeware Software that is free to use and pass on but notsell. Unlike shareware, there is no need to regis-ter the software.

FTP File Transfer Protocol. Protocol for transferringfiles between computers and the internet.

Full automatic In this mode, the camera not only controls theaperture and shutter but all other settings(e.g. flash).

GGamma A process whereby contrast values are optimised.

correction

GB Gigabyte.

GIF Graphic Interchange Format. A popular fileformat for computer graphics.

Gigabyte 1 Gigabyte = 1,024 Megabytes.

Glass lens Lens

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Hot plugging The connection anddevices while the PCcomputer is unnece

and the relevant opePlay)

Hot shoe A clip-on connector(or accessories like adapters) usually fouIt has two metal braseveral electrical cocommunication betwIf it has no contact, The flash also featurnormally a locking mout of the shoe.

HQ resolution High Quality resoludigital photo quality

HSCSD High Speed Circuit Scommunications stamission rates up to 4

Html Hypertext markup lain the World Wide

http Hypertext transfer pand communicationdata in the internet.

HHand-held External

exposure meter. (

exposureexposure meter meter, reflected-light metering)

Hard drive /disk Device for the permanent storage of programsand information that remain after a computerhas been turned off.

Hardware All actual physical computer components suchas the computer itself and peripheral deviceslike monitor, mouse, printer, digital camera, etc.

HDD Hard Disc Drive. (Hard drive)

Hi Colour Describes an image having at least 32,000colours. (True Colour)

Histogram A graph that shows the brightness distribution(by depicting the distribution of dark and brightpixels) for a scene. The data can be used tojudge the exposure of the picture. Histogramsare sometimes found in high-end digital cameras.

Homepage First page of an internet site.

Hot pixels Faulty pixels which are always on, causing awhite spot in the image, usually slightly largerthan one pixel in size.

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Image stabiliser Either opto-mechanthat helps prevent csharp, clear results e

levels. Upon detectiment of the lens, theoptically or electronsteady. While electrare fine for video casuitable for still ima

Image Thedigitisation oftransmission/ be transmitted via d

transfer without the loss of qnumber of times. (

Index print Reduced display of

Ink jet printer A printer that by sprink dots onto paper

Integrated Circuit Integrated Circuit =

Interface Connecting point bean external device, emodem, digital caparallel interface)

Internal memory Memory built into aremoved.

Internet Worldwide netwofor the global excha

IIC-Card

PC-Card.

IEEE1394 Firewire.

Illustrator Popular graphics program from Adobe.

Image capacity The number of images that can be taken beforethe storage medium needs to be replaced.

Image In order to store digital pictures economically,compression the image data is compressed. However,

compression often causes a reduction in picturequality.

Image converter Semiconductor image converter (CCD chip).

Image editing Describes software that allows the user tosoftware view and alter digital images. A commonly used

image editing program is Adobe Photoshop.

Image plane The area inside the camera where the object isfocused clearly. The image plane can be com-pared to the film plane in analogue cameras;the difference being that the film is replaced bythe CCD chip.

Imaging software Software for the administration and editing ofdigital images (as well as other multimedia files).(CAMEDIA Master)

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JJaggies Slang term for the sta curved or angled l

smaller the pixels, athe less apparent thepixelisation.

JAVA A programming langAmong its features iinteractive software

JEIDA Japan Electronics IndAssociation. Japanesstorage cards.

JPG File ending for JPE

JPEG Joint Photographic Estandard for image cdevices which enabpression to be selecinformation is more most pixels only stoWhen the JPEG file data is automaticallyinformation. (MPE

Interpolation Calculating non-existent image data from cap-tured image data. Interpolation is used by alldigital cameras to determine colour data from

neighbouring sensors. (The reason, a sensor canonly record one colour.) Interpolation can alsobe used to increase (or decrease) an imagesresolution. The quality of the resulting photodepends on the capabilities of the algorithmused. It is important to remember, interpolationcannot produce detail that has not been cap-tured.

ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network. Digitalnetwork for the fast transmission of voice, data,pictures, etc. between uniformly standardiseduser interfaces.

ISO Norm International Standard Organization.(Film sensitivity)

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LLAB LAB colours consist component and two

Laser printer A printer that uses aters and graphics ontrographically transfeonto paper. Laser prquality reproduction

LCD Liquid Crystal Displaused in calculators, and notebook comp

LED A Light Emitting Dioindicator lamp.

LED printer As opposed to lasis not brought on toby a row of densely

Lens Transparent glass or and polished to formspherical. When a bbetween the air andalways reflected. Ththe lens and alters itthe light is refractedlenses (converging aa lens system. Whallow the subject to image plane.

KKB

Kilobyte.

Kbit/s Kilobits per second. The number ofkilobitstransmitted per second. (Baud)

Kbyte Kilobyte.

Kelvin scale Temperature scale beginning at absolute zero(approx. 273 Celsius = 0 Kelvin). ThereforeCelsius values can easily be converted intoKelvin by adding 273 degrees to the Celsiusvalue. (Colour temperature)

Kilobit 1 Kilobit = 1,000 bits.

Kilobyte 1 Kilobyte = 1,024 bytes.

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MMac Abbreviated name ocomputer. This com

graphics application

Mac OS The Apple Macintossystem.

Macro converter Lens attachment thashots. (Tele conve

Macro shooting Shooting while havishort distance from or 20 cm away.

Mailbox Either an answering service that enables announcements, texor any other type of are accessed via teleof a modem.

Mass USB Mass StorageStorage Class

MB Megabyte.

Megabyte 1 MB = 1,024 kilo

Megapixel Digital camera equidigital camera record images with o

cameras with up to range of amateur us

Li-Po The lithium polymer battery represents a newrechargeable type of technology that unlike Ni-MH, NiCd

battery and Li-Ion cells does not need a metal casing.

Instead, the electrodes are covered with flexibleplastic or aluminium foil. They also have a veryhigh energy density so that they can be smallerbut provide higher performance than otherrechargeable batteries. Furthermore, they areeasier and cheaper to produce in the mediumterm than Li-Ion rechargeable batteries but,like the latter they are only available in custom-made forms requiring special chargers.

Lithium battery An accumulator type battery with a high energydensity making it ideal for mobile phones, stilland video cameras. Generally, the lithium batteryis the main battery and the lithium ion battery isa secondary, rechargeable battery.

Lycos Well-known internet search engine.

LZW Developed by Lempel, Zif, and Welsh: a specialkind of compression reducing required storagecapacity for Bitmap formats without loss inquality.

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Noise A term used in the fdescribe interferencsounds and distortio

example, as a resultrecording equipmenis a term used to deinterference on the Cunwanted colour spthose taken at night (Colour noise)

Noise reduction In noise reduction mshots: the normal shexposure time but wthen able to determimage that are suscesate for this.

NTSC National Television American televisionencoding of coloursUS TV norm is defin640 x 480 pixels an(interlaced, i.e. 2 x 3(PAL, SECAM)

NNavigator

Netscape internet

browser.

Negative Film coated with a light sensitive emulsion thatafter exposure and processing produces theimages taken with the camera in complementaryvalues. (Slide)

Net Shortened form ofnetwork or internet.

Netscape Navigator.

Network The connection of several individual computersto aid data exchange and communication.

NiCd battery Nickel-Cadmium battery.

Ni-MH battery Nickel-Metal Hydride battery. Rechargeablebatteries that have an energy density 100%higher than NiCd batteries and can supply highenergy levels when required, e.g. when using theflash in quick succession. They can be rechargedmore than 300 times and are environmentally-friendly (free of cadmium and mercury). Amongother devices, Ni-MH batteries are used to powerdigital cameras.

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PPageMaker Popular

DTP prog

PAL Phase Alternating Listandard developedused in many Europcountries. The imagewith a frequency of images are generateSECAM)

Panorama Special function thafunction of numerous picture

SmartMedia and xDmake it particularly tions when used in cble Olympus digital (SmartMedia funct

Pantone A colour scale constions in tone that is

Parallax error When the motif seenviewfinder does nbe captured by the ling positions of the tthe degree of error cimages. Some camercorrection markingsautomatically compIn digital cameras, tavoided by framing (if available).

Parallel Simultaneous but inindividual tasks.

OOffline Describes the state when no data connectionexists. (Online)

OLE Object Linking and Embedding: Enables objects(graphics, tables, etc.) to be embedded intodifferent files/documents in order to create, forexample, a report.

OLYMPUS One of the worldwide leaders in the optio-digitalmarket. Olympus entered the field of digitalimaging at photokina 1996. From the very begin-ning, the company offered a complete digitalphotography system. With its vision, Olympusquickly became, and has remained, a drivingforce in this booming sector.

Online Describes the state when two or more devicesare directly connected and are communicatingefficiently. (Offline)

Operating system The basic program needed by a computer foroperation. Well-known operating systems includeWindows from Microsoft and Mac OS fromApple.

Optical real Shows the actual area that can beimage viewfinder photographed.

Optical zoom Zoom lens.

Overexposure When a shot receives too much light so that thephoto is too bright and colours are bleached out.Underexposure.

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Printer Some types of printeink-jet, laser, L

Print functions In addition to trimmsome printers offer ufrom the computer bprint functions. For egrounds may be cresepia used to personprinter and camera fprint settings selecteafter taking photos w(Picture effects.)

Printing media For optimum printin(paper) to choose the best p

not only offers papedye-sublimation pprint media for the to the specially coatPhotomedia, the CAother paper types whigh-gloss to poly-si

Processor The heart of a comcommands are exec

Program In the program autoautomatic models denoted by

ture and shutter spetions.

Plug-In Additional program for a browser to extend itsfunctionality. With a plug-in, file formats that arenot in HTML, such as music and video files,

can be accessed. Well-known plug-ins are:QuickTime, Flash (for video), Shockware(for multimedia), RealAudio/RealVideo (formusic/video through the Internet), and AcrobatReader (for PDF files).

PNG Portable Network Graphics. A lossless compres-sion file format used for storing images. (JPEG,MPEG, LZW, ZIP)

Polarisation filter Filter that only lets light through that is comingfrom a certain direction and so helps cut outreflections from non-metallic surfaces (like glassand water). Use of the filter also increases coloursaturation, making blue skies even bluer, forexample.

Postscript A standard format for the printing or reproductionof text and graphical documents.

Ppi Printing term for pixel per inch. Indicates thenumber of pixels a scanner or digital cameracan process per inch.

Primary colours The basic colours of the additive or subtractivecolour system. (Additive colour system;subtractive colour system)

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QQuark Xpress Popular

DTP-prog

Quick shooting This function allowsmode taken in quick succe

two seconds betweememory (D-RAM)high resolution shotsond between them. saved onto the card

QuickTime Developed by Appledigital videos and stinternet videos are i

QuickTime A file format createdMotion JPEG compressing animat

clips, for example). QuickTime-Player.

QuickTime VR Addition to QuickTipanorama images.

QXGA Quad Extended Gradisplaying images ois 2,048 x 1,536 pixUXGA, XGA)

Progressive CCD Describes a CCD specially developed for digitalcameras. (Video CCD)

Prosumer Term to describe a camera with features ofcamera professional models that also appeal to theconsumer.

Protocol Basis of communication (rules, format, proce-dures) for passing data between individualdevices. It is the language devices use tocommunicate with each other. Well-knownprotocols are TCP/IP and FTP for internetcommunication and PTP for exchangingimages.

.PSD Photoshop file.

PTP Picture Transfer Protocol is an image data transferprotocol (like the TCP/IP protocol for theinternet) that is intended to do away with the needfor special digital camera drivers. PTP compatibledevices, such as digital cameras, computers,mobile phones, printers, etc., should be able totransfer data among each other without the userneeding to install any drivers.

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SScan The process of readuse of a scanner.

Scanner A device used to d(pictures, graphics, a

Scene program Modes for certain typrogram, the camerabest parameters (sucflash mode, etc.) forcal scene modes incportrait, sport.

SCSI Small Computer Sysface standard used, external storage devcomputer. It is neceSCSI I, SCSI II, and S

SD Card Secure Digital Car

Search engine Helps catalogue andinformation availablGoogle, Lycos a

SECAM Sequential Couleur Atelevision standard. Bloc countries. (PA

Secure Digital Removable storageCard and audio files.

RGB Red, Green, Blue the three basic colours foradditive colour mixing.

RISC Reduced Instruction Set Computer. A

processoror system that has extremely fast processingtimes, but recognises only a small number ofcommands.

ROM Read Only Memory. This type of memory storageonly allows the user to read the information itcontains, i.e. the user cannot store (write) anyinformation on the ROM. Once written, thecontents of the ROM cannot be changed. (FlashROM,CD-ROM,RAM)

RS232C Serial interface.

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Subtractive A special method focolour mixing prints that involves l

magenta, yellow, an

proportions, to prod(additive colour m

SVGA Super Video Graphicscreen resolution of SXGA, VGA, U

Super CCD A CCD type developutilises octagonal-shan interwoven patte

SXGA Super Extended Graa resolution of 1,280(QXGA, SVGA,

System camera Camera that can be accessories from theconverters, external etc.)

SQ-resolution Standard Quality resolution.

SRAM Static RAM. A special type ofRAM that, due

to its speed, is particularly suited to tasks wheretime is a critical factor.

SSFDC Solid State Floppy Disc Card.(SmartMedia memory card)

Standard Standard interfaces include serial, parallel, USBinterface and monitor interfaces. (Interface)

Step-up-ring Lens adapter, with which a filter/conversionlens with a wider diameter than that of the cam-eras lens is attached.

Storage Class USB Mass Storage Class.

Streamer Internal or external drive for data security involv-ing a so-called Streamer Band.

Studio flash Stationary, high power flash that is mostly usedby advertising and fashion photographers.Normally consisting of simply a flash tube andpilot lamp that shines continuously to enable theuser to check the exposure, they have no auto-matic metering system and must be adjustedmanually. Studio flashes can be equipped withdiverse accessories, such as softboxes, filters,reflectors, Fresnel lenses etc. to achieve speciallighting or effects. These flash systems aregenerally much more powerful than compactflashes and their output is measured not by aguide number but by watts per second (Ws).Models over 400 Ws mostly have to be poweredby an external power source. The studio flash is

connected to the camera via an x-synchronisationcable. If several flashes are used, the other unitsare activated by an activation light from the firstflash unit.

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higher bandwidth athan the original stabeing backwards co

technology, so olderUSB 2.0.

USB USB Mass StorageAutoConnect

USB Mass With USB Mass StorStorage Class camera (or any othe

automatically displaIt can then be easilyas a regular drive. Scontain the generic the camera is recognhaving to be installeClass or USB AutoC

USB USB Mass StorageStorage Class

Utility A program that perfooperating system, focontrolling a digital printer.

UXGA Ultra Extended Grapimages with a resolupixels. (QXGA,XGA)

UUART Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter.Set of chips in a computer regulating data flow

over the serial interface.

Underexposure When a shot does not receive enough lightwith the result that the scene is too dark.

Unsharp Masking Often abbreviated USM. Describes an imagefocusing process. The quality of the resultdepends on the characteristics of thealgorithm used.

Update An updated version of a software program.

Upgrade A new improved version of hardware orsoftware that is already available.

Upload Process of copying a file from a computerto a remote computer. Opposite of download.

URL Unified Resource Locator. Address systemfor internet sites.

USB The Universal Serial Bus is probably going toreplace the serial and parallel interfaces.USB enables the effortless connection of peri-pheral devices without the need to install cardsinto the computer or reconfigure parts of theoperating system. The most important advantagesare: the support of Plug and Play, hot plugging,automatic configuration of external devices uponconnection (no re-start necessary), faster datatransfer and the possible operation of up to 127

devices from a single port. USB 2.0 uses a much

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WWhite balance The adjustment of ative type of light (c

daylight, overcast, tufor even truer coloucreate a different, st

Wide angle Wide angle lenses aof 35 mm* and lowethese lenses are a w180) and a large angle lenses are clasof 28 to 35 mm*; suvalues of 24 mm* o(* Refers to a 35 mm

Wide-angle Lens attachment thaconverter (Macro converter,

Windows Graphic-based oper(95/98/2000/ by Microsoft.

NT/XP/ME)

World Wide Web Currently the most pthrough the internetthe possibility to tracontent (texts, sound

Write cancel This mode allows imto be deleted and cathe memory card. Thately ready to shoot cially useful in cameshooting.

WWW World Wide Web.

VVGA Video Graphics Array. Refers to a display screenwith a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. (QXGA,

SVGA, SXGA, UXGA, XGA)

Video output Interface that connects a digital camera witha TV or video recorder.

Video CCD Describes a CCD specially developed fortelevision and video, also used in digital stillcameras. (Progressive CCD)

Vignetting Fading off the sides of a picture into plain whiteor black instead of having abrupt edges. Alsounintentional loss of brightness at the edge ofthe image. Wide angle lenses are particularlysusceptible. However, the problem can be moreor less avoided by removing the elements causingthe effect, such as a filter with a frame that is toolarge or ill-fitting lens hood.

Virus Describes a part of a computer program that usu-ally causes damage or destruction of softwareand/or data.

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Z.ZIP

File format used fo

ZIP-Drive A device that allows750 MB of data.

Zoom lens A type of lens that acloser (zoom) to a sulength (manually or of magnification canparticularly useful fodistance. The zoomiusually be read on itis a common zoom magnification. Howeto 10x magnificationthe focal length ten When using such hioptical image stabilsharp, clear results. digital zoom, fo(* Refers to a 35 mm

XxD-Picture Card An innovative memory card standard developedby Olympus and Fujifilm, launched in 2002.

Particularly small digital memory media fordigital cameras that is very durable and robust,and allows speedy data transfer rates. Capacitiesof up to 8 GB will be possible in the future.(Max. available capacity 2002: 256 MB).

XGA Extended Graphics Array. A graphics standarddeveloped by IBM, which allows the display of1,024 x 768 pixels with up to 65,535 colours.(SVGA, SXGA, UXGA, VGA)

X-synch cable Cable for connecting a non-dedicated flash orstudio flash. The cable only passes the commandto fire and no other instructions.

YYahoo! Well-known internet search engine.

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Frequently Asked Questions on

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