I know little about how digital photography works. Two questions:

1 - Use to be the rule with film cameras that the bigger the lens diameter (more glass) the better the pictures you could take. Does this hold true for digitals also?

2 - Whatever happened to shutter speed?

I'm not sure I understand your questions, but here goes...

quote:

1 - Use to be the rule with film cameras that the bigger the lens diameter (more glass) the better the pictures you could take. Does this hold true for digitals also?

Not necessarily. A larger diameter will help to allow you to take pictures in lower light (assuming focal length is the same...), but not always "better". A cheap off brand will never equal genuine Nikon or Canon lenses, regardless of size.

quote:

2 - Whatever happened to shutter speed?

Huh? Shutter speed is still there, as well as aperture, and all the rest of the "stuff". The "basics" haven't changed, just the way the image is recorded. CCDs (Charge Coupled Device) have replaced film emulsion, but basic camera operation remains the same...

My camera (Olympus D-370) has a tiny lens and I can't get detail on extreme closeups (no manual focus either) and no shutter speed setting.

Do some digitals have shutter speed settings?

Do you need a focusing lens for extreme closeups?

It sounds like you are inside of your minimum focusing distance.

As for shutter speed settings, if it's a "point & shoot" (I'm not familiar with that exact model, but I do have an Olympus D40), it is basically just shooting in a Program mode. It will select the best combination of aperture and shutter speed for you, without you having manual control over them. Not as precise if you need that control, but for shooting on the fly, it usually does pretty good...

If you want more control, you're going to need to step up to a more advanced DSLR. For every day shooting though, the new breed of point & shoots do a very good job.

Get away from the point & shoot stuff & all the functions you are familier with will be there.
In other words go SLR digital.

I agree with you. This past spring I bought the Canon Rebel Digital XT, and coupled it up with the Tamron AF 18-200 LD Aspherical F/3-6.3 XR lens. I bought a 2 gig and a 4 gig card for it. I'm set for life.

I bought an Olympus 740 after observing one of our hunters and what results he got with his. It has a 10X optical zoom, closeup mode, takes videos, and many of the same features found on my Canon Elan. I have gotten some great shots of birds around the blind, deer, hogs, etc with the 740, and the digital features are the way to go. Drive home from the hunt, and in 15 minutes you can share your experience with anyone with e-mail.

A top of the line close up lens can help you focus a little closer. If your camera is an SLR then you can always attach 1 or 2 extension rings onto the camera body before mounting the lens (extension rings come in different sizes and since they contain no glasss they will not affect the optical quality). This will allow you to focus closer but they will most likely prohibit you from focusing to infinity untill you remove the rings.
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