Digital Cameras:Who Needs Film Anymore?

Regional Technology AcademyAugust 4, 2004

Livington ESA, Dewey LabInstructor: Elson Liu

http://www.geocities.com/liuelson/RTA.html

Snapshots

• Find 3 other partners and select one of the available cameras (one you brought or one on the table).

• Have a partner take a “biographical picture” of you – in a pose or in an environment that describes something about you.

• Each person should use the camera at least once.

Snapshots: Debriefing

• How was your experience in using the camera? How did the difficulty / ease of taking a snapshot compare with your expectations?

• How was this similar to using a regular film camera? Different?

• What strategies did you try in order to learn how to use the camera? Did some things seem intuitive? Confusing?

Shopping: Choices

• Characteristics of a digital camera:– Resolution (Megapixels)– Size (Ultracompact, Compact, SLR)– Zoom (Optical, Digital)– Battery types (Proprietary, AA)– Memory Card (CF, SD, Mem Stick, xD)– Interface (Disk, Dock, USB, TV/Video)– Controls (Snapshot, Program Modes, Manual)– Cost ($80 - $8000)

Shopping: Resources

• Digital Camera Websites– http://www.cnet.com/– http://www.dpreview.com/– http://www.dcresource.com/

• Manufacturer Websites• Price Comparison Websites

– http://shopper.cnet.com/– http://www.pricegrabber.com/– http://www.ebay.com/

Step 1: Preparation

• Not film – Memory card

• Batteries

• Key controls:– Power– Zoom– Flash– Shutter– Delete

Step 2: Taking the Picture

• Mandatory, cannot be corrected: FFF– Focusing– Framing– Flashing

• Useful, but correctable– White balance– Exposure

• Keep or Delete?

Step 3: Loading to Computer

• Connecting Camera to Computer– Install Software FIRST– Connect cables– Power on computer– Power on camera

• Software download, or…

• Copy and Paste

Step 4: Printing

• Inserting into Microsoft Word

• Basic options– Size / Stretch– Cropping

• Printing– http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/

Classroom Integration

• Kathy Schrock’s Gadget Guide:– http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/gad

gets.html

• Manufacturer Websites– http://www.kodak.com/US/en/digital/dlc/plus/c

hapter5/lessonPlans.shtml– http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/

lessons/main.html

Editing and Publishing

• Editing– “Auto-Fix”– Brightness & Contrast– Color– Effects

• Publishing– Printed– PowerPoint– Posted to Web (2)

Wrap-Up: Q & A

Instructor: Elson Liu

http://www.geocities.com/liuelson/RTA.html