P3D Re: "Electronic shutters?" (PHOTO-3D digest 3777)

[Brian Reynolds <reynolds@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bob Howard wrote:
> Digital cameras are a whole electronic device so of course have
> electric button.  Often frustrating as you can't hear a click and
> may take time for autofocus and image storage before you can take
> next picture.
> 

Some digicams have a physical shutter.  This allows the camera to take
its time transferring the image from the sensor to whatever on-board
storage it uses.

Digicams without a physical shutter have a masked CCD sensor.  Every
other row has a mask infront of it that blocks light.  After the
exposure is made the image is shifted down one row and then transfered
to on-board storage.

The new Kodak DC290 has a speaker/microphone and can be set to make
35mm camera noises (shutter release, motor wind) when you take a
picture so that you can tell what the camera is doing.

-- 
Brian Reynolds                  | "Dee Dee!  Don't touch that button!"
reynolds@xxxxxxxxx              | "Oooh!"
http://www.panix.com/~reynolds  |    -- Dexter and Dee Dee
NAR# 54438                      |       "Dexter's Laboratory"