FIGURE H


These buttons are too small for me, but they're perfect for Denise. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Given that the process of taking a picture should be a very seamless event between you and your subject, you want the controls to be intuitive, comfortable, fit where you want them to be, and not difficult to get to. In effect, you want the controls to be so natural, they seem like an extension of you.

In most cameras, the shutter release is near the top of the camera because that is where you'll naturally place your index finger while holding the camera in your hand. Obviously, if you had to fiddle with the camera and move it around to reach the shutter release, it would be very hard to hold the camera steady enough to take a picture.

Sadly, if you happen to be left-handed instead of right-handed, you may find that the shutter release is inconvenient.

Hey! You camera manufacturers reading this: make some cameras with shutter releases on the left!

Flash
Continuing our tour of the camera's outside, flash is next. Be aware, especially for those new to digital cameras, that there are two components in a camera that use the term "flash".

The first we discussed earlier: flash storage card memory. The second is a more traditional camera term: the flash of light that illuminates your subject in a darkened environment, coming from a light-emitting device like that shown in Figure I.

FIGURE I


As you might imagine, a flash this small can't reach all that far. Roll over picture for a larger image.

According to legend, the term "flash" as it pertains to flash storage memory was coined by Toshiba's Shoji Ariizumi because the method of erasing a flash memory element reminded him of a camera's flash. And, forever more, we now have two flashes in our camera's component lineup. If this confuses you, you've got Mr. Ariizumi to thank.

Accessory connections
Some digital cameras do not come with an on-board, built-in flash, while most do. The better, more professional digital cameras (usually SLRs) come with on-board flash and a way to mount an external flash device as an accessory. As you might imagine, where you aim your light and how it bounces off your subject can have a substantial impact on your final image.

Beyond the flash mount, shown in Figure J, most digital cameras have various accessory connections.

FIGURE J


Here's the flash "shoe" for my trusty old Nikon film camera. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Two of the most important accessory connections are the tripod mount (a threaded hole in the bottom of the camera) and a remote shutter release (allowing you to take a picture without jostling the camera), like that shown in Figure K.

FIGURE K


Moving the camera can cause it to lose focus, especially when the shutter's open for a long time. A shutter release like this can prevent that movement. Roll over picture for a larger image.

One accessory connection that's critically important is the connection between the computer and the camera. That's the next stop on our tour. You can see the tripod mount as well as the PC connection port and battery door in Figure L.