And that was if
you could figure out how to get the images out of the camera and into your PC.
Early digital cameras typically had low quality plastic lenses, and the light sensor that
captured the image was a component called a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
(CMOS) chip. CMOS chips were popular because they were cheap and required very little
power, but they created horribly fuzzy pictures. Charged Coupled Devices (CCDs) cost a small
fortune in comparison, so CMOS chips found their way into many of the first cameras. See
Figure 1-1 for an example of the difference between an image taken with a CMOS chip (on the
left) and a CCD (on the right).
CMOS has made a comeback??”the technology has improved dramatically, and new
cameras with CMOS chips work as well as CCDs and cost less to boot. Indeed, some
of the best professional cameras on the market now include CMOS sensors instead of
CCD sensors.
In the early days, VGA resolution (640?—480 pixels) established itself as the first real
standard size for digital images. Digicams came equipped with sensors capable of capturing
640?—480-pixel images, which was ideal for display on a computer screen, posting on web
6 How to Do Everything: Digital Camera
pages, or e-mail, but you couldn??™t really make a useful print from such a picture.
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