DIGITAL CAMERA CHIPS CCD VS CMOS DIGITAL CAMERAS

When shopping around comparing digital cameras it might be wise to become acquainted with the terminology of the digital camera chip and difference between CCD type and CMOS type of digital camera chips. Below is a brief summary outlining the differences between CCD and CMOS camera chips that might be useful information when reading a digital camera rating review or asking questions to the salesperson at your camera shop.

The digital camera and the conventional film camera share basic similarities, as both are a light tight box ( camera body) with a lens focusing an image toward the back of the camera body. The lens gathers light which travels to the back of the camera body where it is focused.

digital camera chip

The mediums used to record the image a traditional camera is the photographic or light sensitive film. Film is exposed to light and is later processed in chemicals to render an image. A digital camera however, does not use photographic film to record an image nor is there a chemical processing of the image. The digital camera works by using a light sensor or chip which absorbs light particles converting them into electrical charges. The light sensor is divided up into many small arrays of receptor cells. The more light these arrays of cells exposed the more light is recorded. These cells alone (with exceptions to emerging technologies such as Foveon x3) cannot recognize the different colors of the spectrum so during exposure primary colored filters are used in front of the image sensor which are a charged-couple device or CCD The charge generated by the CCD is stored as analogue information until it s digitized from analogue to digital converter or ADC. Every receptor in the array is equivalent to one pixel and it is the pixels that make up an image.

Not all digital cameras use CCD chips as image sensors. Some cameras use CMOS chips, or Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. The CMOS based sensors are manufactured using the same process that is used to mass produce DRAM and microprocessors. CMOS sensors are cheaper and easier to manufacture than CCD chips, as they are smaller and more energy efficient than CCD's. Generally speaking, digital cameras that use CMOS chips are usually lighter than their CCD counterparts. However CMOS chips do have their drawbacks as they are less light sensitive. Once upon a time digital cameras utilizing CMOS were regarded inferior in terms of image quality, today however many popular digital cameras and video cameras are increasing in popularity as CMOS technology improves. CMOS technology allows other circuitry to be incorporated into the same chips, making them useful to a manufacturer for use in other electronic applications.

Most digital cameras that you would be likely to encounter would be using CCD technology, however many popular models such as the Cannon EOS digital Rebel XTi feature a Cannon CMOS sensor.

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DIGITAL CAMERA - CCD VS CMOS DIGITAL CAMERAS

Digital Cameras Basic Comparison