A filmless camera is now known as a digital camera.
A filmless camera, also known as a digital camera, uses an array of light sensors instead of film to convert light into electrons, which are then recorded by the lens and sent to the camera's embedded processor. This processor cleans up the image and saves it to internal memory or a memory card.
The Image Sensor
Digital cameras use various light sensors depending on the model, often either a "charge coupled device" (CCD) or a "complementary metal oxide semiconductor" (CMOS). CCDs produce a higher quality image, but CMOS consumes less power. They convert light into electrons. The more sophisticated the sensor, the higher resolution the camera can produce. Like a normal camera, a filmless camera uses a lens to focus the light onto the sensors, and a diaphragm controlled by the on-board computer that allows only a certain level of light.
Color Images
Light sensors only capture the absence or presence of light, and do not record color. In order for a filmless camera to recognize color images, it uses a series of filters, called a Bayer filter that isolate and record light depending on the light's wavelength. Each pixel sensor has a red, green or blue filter associated with it, and records just that one color of light. Then the pixellated image is sent to the processor.
Saving and Processing Images
The processor takes the image, which is composed of tinted pixels, and applies an algorithm to it to interpolate out the colors, called a demosiacing algorithm. It then applies basic processing to the image and saves it to a storage unit, commonly an SD card or a small internal memory chip. The processor also controls the focus of the camera. The camera can then transfer the pictures for further editing.
Other Camera Functions
Some digital cameras also record video and sound recordings, and even 3D images. Camera processors can "correct" themselves by constantly scanning the image and changing the focus automatically. They can also "recognize" certain features of the image, such as faces, and optimize the focus length and zoom when it finds them.
Tags: filmless camera, camera filmless, camera filmless camera, camera uses, convert light
