	This tip focuses on features and uses of a digital camera. The digital camera expands our photographic possibilities. There are even some features that are unique and not found in traditional equipment. It is fun and easy and there are just a few items that may help you take better pictures. Included are ideas for using a digital camera for creative educational applications.

What is white balance?

The LCD monitor is the small picture device that you can look at when taking a picture with a digital camera. Though you cannot see exact sharpness of the image you still can the scene in front of you and allows you to see exactly what you are getting in the picture.

The ability to review and check your shots as you go is possible using a digital camera. You can review them in the LCD monitor, check on your computer and then re-shoot if you necessary. Removing pictures at that moment that aren’t really what you want is also a benefit.

White balance is very important to every digital camera. Your camera needs to know how to deal with various colors of light that are all around us. White balance is the way the camera looks at light and corrects the colors to make white appear white. You can see any effects in the LCD monitor. Some cameras have auto, outdoors or indoors.

ISO of film refers to a rated speed or sensitivity of film to light. High numbers give you high speeds and more sensitivity; low numbers give you lower speeds and less sensitivity. In general high-speed tend to be grainier and low-speeds have the best sharpness and color qualities. Technically, digital cameras don’t have an ISO rating but they do have an ISO equivalent and the rule of thumb is high for indoor shots and low for outdoors.

Megapixels is a term "pixel" means "picture element"-the number of "dots" that make up a picture. A picture on the Web needs only 72 pixels per inch; a medium-quality print needs about 150 pixels per inch, while a high-quality print requires at least 300 pixels per inch.

A megapixel is approximately 1,000,000 pixels. A 3-megapixel camera can produce a medium-quality print of up to about 11" x 14" and a professional-quality print up to about 5" x 7". Similarly, a 2-megapixel camera produces a reasonable-quality print of up to about 8" x 10" and a high-quality print of up to about 3" x 5". The newest 5- or 6-megapixel cameras have the ability to print even larger.

Storage Media for the earliest digital cameras stored images on memory within the camera. Today, storage is on a variety of removable devices, from floppy disks to CDs to "media cards." The most popular storage device is the media card. As small as one-half inch wide, some media cards can store up to 384 megabytes of information-the equivalent of over 270 floppy disks. There are a number of different types of media cards, such as the Smart Media card, the Memory Stick, and the CompactFlash card. Be aware, though, that the different types of cards are not compatible with each other. For example, a camera that uses a SmartMedia card will not be able to use a Memory Stick. Because the media card is removable, the camera effectively has no limit on the number of pictures that can be stored-just remove the card, put in a new one, and continue snapping pictures.