Understanding the Parts of a Digital Camera

Digital cameras are very similar to film cameras. Understanding how they work is simply a matter of understanding how digital sensors have replaced film.

The Lens

Like its film brethren, all digital cameras have a lens, which can have several pieces of glass, or elements. The lens focuses the image onto the digital sensor, where it is captured for storage.

The Aperture

Every camera has an aperture. Sometimes fixed but usually adjustable, the aperture is a hole that varies in size to control the amount of light falling on the sensor.

The Shutter

The shutter defines how long the light falls on the sensor, ranging from hours to 1/5000 of a second.

The Sensor

The component that replaces the film, a digital sensor is comprised of a matrix of tiny dots that read light and color values, which are later reconstructed to create a photograph.

In Camera Software

The data from the sensor is reconstructed into a viewable image by software in the camera. This software is often very sophisticated and will allow for limited image editing in the camera.

Memory Cards

Once the image is reconstructed by the software in the camera, it is stored to a removable memory card. There are several common types of memory cards, including SD, Compact Flash, MemoryStick, and xD memory.