Posted to Digital Cameras Articles 2009-03-08
How does Face Recognition, Continuous Shutter & Smile and Blink Detection work?
Digital cameras, particularly the point and shoot varieties, are constantly being loaded with new features that make taking pictures easier. Some of these features are designed to refine the autofocus capabilities of the cameras. Others are designed to allow more sophisticated types of use, such as auto-shutters and wireless downloading of pictures.
Face Recognition
Face recognition technology is capable of recognizing where one face-in some cases more than one face-is located in the frame and adjusting camera settings to provide the best possible picture of the subject. Generally, the camera will autofocus on the face and adjust the flash and the shutter speed according to what values will offer the best possible portrait. This mode is usually activated simply by entering the camera's portrait mode.
Smile and Blink Detection
These features are designed to eliminate two of the most common annoyances that plague photographers. Smile detection recognizes when a person is smiling and trips the shutter at that moment, eliminating pictures that were taken before the subject was ready. Blink detection does not time the taking of the photo, but warns the photographer that one of the subjects was blinking when the photo was taken so that it may be redone.
Continuous Shutter
Continuous shutter both offers a feature and eliminates a problem for digital cameras. The feature is provided by the fact that the shutter, in this mode, shoots several pictures in rapid succession. This allows photographers to capture action more easily. The problem it eliminates is the delay characteristic between the time when an image is displayed on a digital camera's screen and the action in front of the lens. By shooting several shots rapidly, the photographer can ensure that they don't miss any action due to delay.
Wi-Fi
Just about every product is being improved by wireless technology and digital cameras are no different. Digital cameras equipped with wireless networking cards can connect to a computer network without cables and download pictures instantly without the use of any special adapters. They can also interface with cellular phone networks so that pictures may be shared via messaging with cell phones.
Digital cameras continue to have their common features improved upon, as well. Particularly where rapid-shooting via continuous shutter is concerned, the cameras are able to capture higher quality images than they were in the past. Some continuous mode shutter models can capture images at 1.6 megapixel resolution, and better, depending on the quality of the camera.
Some features are not necessarily technology driven. For example, several manufacturers have been releasing point and shoot models with larger buttons to accommodate users who have difficulty manipulating tiny controls.
Some Digital cameras to consider are:
Fujifilm FinePix S100fs
11.1 mega pixels, 14.3x optical zoom lens, 2.5 inch 'tiltable' LCD Screen
Nikon Coolpix S600
10.0 mega pixels, 4x Optical Wide-Angle Zoom lens, 2.7 inch LCD screen
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28
10.1 mega pixels, 18x optical zoom lens, 2.7 inch LCD
