Simple Technology Choices - Glossary of Terms

Glossary of terms used in the reviews...

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Bluetooth:Is a radio standard and communications protocol primarily designed for low power consumption, with a short range (power class dependent: 1 meter, 10 meters, 100 meters) based around low-cost transceiver microchips in each device. ad Bluetooth lets these devices communicate with each other when they are in range. The devices use a radio communications system, so they do not have to be in line of sight of each other, and can even be in other rooms, so long as the received transmission is powerful enough. Commonly used for headsets on cellphones.

boot time: The time it takes for the camera to become usable after turning it on. Slow boot times are frustrating when you miss a photo opportunity.

fps: Frames Per Second. This is the rate that the video mode will capture individual pictures in the video sequence. 10 fps is minimal and will appear jerky and of poor quality.

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internal memory: Storage for photographs that is in the camera and can be used even if the memory card is removed. This is a handy feature as your cards are always in and out of the camera.

LCD screen (see viewfinder):The screen for viewing photographs taken, menus and the live scene before the camera's lens.

megapixel: A million dots of information. The size (or resolution) of digital photographs are measured in megapixels. At least 3 are needed for quality snapshots. 4 are needed for medium enlargements (8x10 inches). This is not the only measure of quality; sharpness, color fidelity, contrast and smoothness are others.

memory card:The storage chip for photographs in digital cameras. Sometimes referred to as the digital film. See SD/MMC, xD, MicroSD cards.

menu: The list of functions and settings that can be adjusted on the camera. You manipulate the menus on the LCD screen.

MicroSD memory card: asdf

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pixilation: The tendency for the camera to create unrealistic "blocks" of color when there should be more detail in the photograph.

recycle time: The time is takes for the camera to; expose the digital film, process the photograph, save it, and ready itself for another photograph. Slow recycle times are frustrating because you can miss photo opportunities.

SD/MMC memory card: The MultiMediaCard (MMC) is a flash memory memory card standard. MMC is about the size of a postage stamp: 24 mm x 32 mm x 1.5 mm. They have been more or less superseded by Secure Digital cards, but still see significant use because MMC cards can be used in any device which supports SD cards.

shutter lag time: The time delay between pressing the shutter switch and the camera actually recording the scene. This time has been greatly reduced in modern cameras and is not considered a major problem anymore.

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user interface: Everything the deals with how humans interact with a machine. Poor user interface design decissions are what makes Simple Technology Choices necessary.

VGA:The term is often used to refer to a resolution of 640 x 480. This is quite small now and if used for cellphone photographs, almost useless.

viewfinder, LCD screen:The viewfinder is the way you see what the camera sees and allows you to frame your photo. You can frame your photo on the screen. Some cameras have only an LCD viewfinder.

viewfinder, optical:An optical device that lets you see what the camera sees and allows you to frame your photo. Can be used in addtion to the LCD viewfinder.

xD memory card:A type of flash memory memory card, used mainly in digital cameras. xD stands for extreme Digital. The cards were introduced into the market in July 2002 and developed by Olympus and Fujifilm.

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zoom, digital:The computer in the camera can take the optical zoom photo and just multiply the dots to make the subject appear larger. This is a low quality zoom and should be avoided. Details will become pixilatedated and unfocused.

zoom, optical: The cameras lens usually can magnify the scene. This is called zoom and it is measured as 3x, 4x, 10x and so on. 1x is an arbitrary decision by the manufacturer but is usually near to what we commonly see in snapshots. Optical zoom is high quality magnification sense the glass lens is doing it.

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