Digital SLR Cameras & Photography For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Chapter 2. Safari Inside a dSLR

In This Chapter

• Understanding megapixels and dSLRs

• Taking a guided tour through dSLR-land

• Working out the quirks and kinks of the dSLR

If digital photography is the greatest thing since sliced bread, the digital SLR is the toaster — a no-nonsense device that anyone can use to create tasty results. Even so, you can get better results if you know a little about how your favorite gadget works. You don't need to understand Ohm's Law to make breakfast, but it's a good idea to understand a little about a toaster's innards before you poke a fork inside. In the same vein, understanding pixels, lenses, and sensors can help you get better results from your photographic appliance.

This chapter takes you on a safari through the darkest recesses of the digital SLR to give you a little knowledge about how it works before you decide to poke a figurative fork inside.

Megapixels and Why dSLRs Have More of Them

If you've been working with digital images for a while, you know that pixels are your pals. They're the basic building blocks that make up an image. The term pixel is a portmanteau, which was Lewis Carroll's term for a new word created by combining two old words, such as slimy and lithe to create slithy. In this case, pixel stands for picture element and came into vogue when computer imaging became popular.

However, you've seen pixel-like components outside the digital ...