Digital cameras use lenses and a shutter to capture light within the camera body just like traditional film cameras, but that’s where the similarity ends.

Instead of using film to capture an image like traditional cameras do, the digital camera captures the image using an image sensor.

These sensors are completely electronic in operation. They have various internal electronic devices for measuring light intensity and a number of other functions.

The complexity of the image sensor determines its rating, measured in megapixels. The higher the number of megapixels a digital camera offers, the higher the clarity and quality of the resulting image. Also, the higher the megapixel rating of the digital camera, the higher the cost of the camera.

Digital cameras work by converting light into an electrical signal which, in turn, is converted to binary (ones and zeros) so that they can be processed through the digital camera’s on-board computer. After the binary numbers have been processed, they are stored on the digital memory card or on a floppy disk.

The digital camera processes light in such a way that the light is converted to the primary colors of red, green, and blue by internal filters. Photographs must be further refined using computer processing to produce the full color photograph. This process is called Demosaicing.

Many cameras offer photo focus to make digital photos clearer; Usually there are controls on the digital camera to adjust the brightness, contrast, and color saturation.

Once all this is done, inside the digital camera, the last step is to compress the image and then store it on the memory card.

To upload images from a digital camera to a computer and give it the ability to process the digital image manually, a digital camera that offers this ability is required. If you want this feature, you should ask if the camera you are considering includes it before making your purchase.