A camera's image sensor resolution measured in millions of tiny dots (pixels). Effective megapixels — the number of megapixels actually used to capture the image — is typically slightly lower than the number of total available megapixels.

The clarity of a digital image， determined by multiplying the number of pixels wide by the number of pixels high (e.g.， 640 x 480).

This is your lens' true zoom capability. The lens does the work by reducing or enlarging the field of view. The greater the optical zoom， the closer you can get to the subject you are shooting.

Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens; 12 elements in 10 groups (6 aspheric， 1 prism)

The distance (in millimeters) from a camera's image sensor to its lens， usually given in terms of the 35mm (film camera) equivalent. Cameras with optical zoom have a range of focal lengths， while cameras without optical zoom have a fixed focal length.

Size of the LCD screen， in inches， measured diagonally from corner to corner.

Xtra Fine OLED touch screen with 1229K dots and 5 selectable brightness levels

Provides the photographer with an approximation of what the lens is seeing. In addition to a conventional optical viewfinder， most digital cameras also provide a color LCD panel.

Digitally compensates for camcorder shake so videos appear steady.

Also referred to as continuous shooting， burst mode captures multiple shots in rapid succession with a single click of the shutter. This is a useful feature when shooting subjects in motion.

Number of images that can be stored on a digital camera's built-in memory and/or included removable memory cards. This number varies depending on the resolution of each image. The higher the resolution of the image， the more storage space it takes up.

The rate (typically measured in fractions of a second) at which a camera shutter opens and closes to capture an image. Slow shutter speeds are used for low-light conditions， while faster speeds are best for action shots.

Auto， daylight， cloudy， fluorescent 1 (white fluorescent lighting)， fluorescent 2 (natural white fluorescent lighting)， fluorescent 3 (day white fluorescent lighting)， incandescent， flash， 1 push， 1 push set

Settings that assess and compensate for color conditions in any given lighting to ensure true-to-life color. Most digital cameras feature automatic white balance settings as well as the option to manually override such settings.

Distance over which a flash will adequately light a subject.

Flash settings. Common modes include Auto (camera decides when the flash is needed)， Red-Eye Reduction (minimizes eye reflections) and Fill (reduces deep shadows in bright sunlight).

iAuto AF: 1.2" - infinity (wide)， 2' - infinity (telephoto); Program Auto AF: 3.1" - infinity (wide)， 2' - infinity (telephoto); Magnifying Glass Plus AF: 0.4" - 7.9"

Captures short， low-resolution video clips， sometimes with sound.

Measurement of a digital camera's light sensitivity， which is equivalent to a conventional camera's film speed. The higher the ISO， the clearer the image in low-light conditions.

Connection used to transfer digital images from a camera to a computer. USB 2.0 is the most common digital camera interface.

Jack that allows the camera to be connected to a TV for viewing images.

Settings that regulate the amount of light entering the camera lens， which affects how light or dark an image will be.

Number of images that can be stored on a digital camera's built-in memory and/or included removable memory cards. This number varies depending on the resolution of each image. The higher the resolution of the image， the more storage space it takes up.

Powers a device from a standard AC outlet.

Type of element used to convert light into a digital image. The most common types are CCD (charge-coupled device) and CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor).

Size of the CCD or CMOS image sensor， usually measured in fractions of an inch (e.g.， 1/1.8" or 2/3"). In general， the larger the sensor， the better the picture quality.