Before the advent of digital film and photography, it was clear: you bought a camera or camera, put a roll of film in it and only when you had the result developed or played back did you see exactly what you had captured. For several years now, rolls of film have been virtually unavailable for sale. In this article you can read more about what digital ‘recording’ exactly means.
Old-fashioned shooting
Nowadays it is possible to photograph and film digitally with digital cameras, smartphones and tablets. Since this emergence, the ‘old-fashioned’ way has been known as ‘analog’. When someone talks about an analog device, it means a camera in which you have to use a roll of film. That is also the big difference between analog and digital: in the latter no light-sensitive film is used. Since the invention of photography, a film has been crucial. During shooting, the images were stored on the film and only during the chemical development process did the images emerge.
No more movie
Digital devices work very differently: the devices look similar on the outside, but inside they are equipped with advanced technology. The image data of a photo is not saved on film, but on a memory card. Many more images fit on it than on an analog roll. After shooting, the memory card can be connected to a computer at people’s homes or at a photo shop. The photos are copied to the computer and can then be edited or printed. Optionally, they can be removed from the memory card, on which new photos can be saved. For example, a memory card lasts much longer than a roll of film. If you take a lot of photos and the card is ‘full’, copy the contents to another storage medium such as the PC or an external hard drive, and you can empty the card again.
See the result immediately
Another important difference with analog recording is that you can view the result immediately after taking a photo. If the photo failed, you can delete the data directly from the memory card and take a new photo.
Costs are lower
Finally, the cost of shooting has dropped dramatically. The camera is a significant investment, but after that the costs are very low. In the past you had to have the entire roll of film developed and often all photos, even the failed ones, were printed. Nowadays you choose on the computer which photos you want to print and in what format. You pay no development costs.
To assemble
The same is partly true for digital filming: where there used to be rolls of film in the cameras, these have now been replaced by memory cards. For example, with a digital film camera/photo camera you can film special moments and share them on Facebook via the PC. But the recordings can also be made beautifully. Via video editing programs on the computer, the films can be edited and provided with transitions or captions.
More possibilities
Especially with digital photos, so much more is possible than before. For example, many people turn their holiday photos into a digital photo book that they then have printed. No album where you have to paste the photos yourself, but a beautiful whole of printed photos with captions and beautiful design, ready to go through the letterbox.
Or think of digital keychains, with a small screen, on which grandparents proudly always have the photos of their grandchildren at hand to show to acquaintances. And then we haven’t even mentioned the large number of products that can be ordered with personal photos: from calendars to clothing and from posters to a coffee mug.
What do you need?
Today, most smartphones are equipped with very nice to very good cameras. You can therefore consider purchasing such a phone and start taking pictures with it. If you prefer to photograph and film with a digital camera, you can choose from different cameras. Compact cameras that are often light and handy. The more expensive SLR cameras that are often large and heavy. In between are the so-called system cameras. A memory card with limited capacity is usually supplied as standard, so many people immediately buy one with a little more storage space. A camera bag is also not an unnecessary luxury. Strictly speaking, there is no need for a computer, as you can also take the camera to the specialist retailer, where the retailer will transfer or print your photos. But with a computer you get much more out of your recordings. Then you need a program on your computer to manage the photos, such as Google Photos. There are other packages for videos. The range of free software is more limited, those who really want to get started or have filming as a hobby will benefit more from a paid package such as Pinnacle. A free application is Windows Movie Maker.
What do you have to pay attention to?
If you are considering purchasing a camera or camera, it is advisable to list your wishes. If you occasionally take a snapshot, a simple device is enough. Hobby photographers may prefer an extensive SLR camera on which they can set everything themselves. Really bad cameras are no longer sold, although the number of options usually increases with the price. Get good advice and also look at websites such as www.kieskeurig.nl to read other people’s experiences with certain devices.