The Digital Photography Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The Digital Photography Quiz
Image: Neil Godwin/Digital Camera Magazine via Getty

About This Quiz

Digital imaging is a profound shift in the way we humans capture and share pictures. How much do you know about digital photography?
Why did Williard S. Boyle and George E. Smith win the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics?
They invented portable digital image storage.
The invented digital cameras
They invented digital imaging sensors.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They figured out how to record images electronically instead of relying on film.

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What does CCD stand for?
computer-core device
charge-coupled device
coded-image capture device
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

CCDs (and their CMOS cousins) are the light-sensitive sensors that capture images in digital cameras.

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How long did it take Boyle and Smith to devise plans for the first CCD?
1 hour
1 week
1 month
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They were confronted by a supervisor and told to do something fast, otherwise they'd lose project funding.

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What is most commonly regarded as the smallest unit of digital images?
electronic dots
resolution
pixel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Digital images are made up of many small pixels; together, the pixels can make up crystal-clear images suitable for enlargements.

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How many pixels are in there in a megapixel?
100
1,000
1 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Consumer digital cameras often prominently display megapixels right on the box.

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Megapixel count is the most important factor to consider when shopping for a digital camera.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Camera marketers use megapixels to tout cameras, but a variety of other factors are just as important.

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Changing the ISO setting on your camera alters what?
the camera's file format
the camera's color profile
the camera's sensitivity to light
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As with old-school film, a higher ISO number typically works better in low-light scenarios.

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What is the most common image storage format in digital photography?
PNG
JPEG
RAW
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The JPEG format employs clever compression techniques to store more images with little loss in image quality.

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What is a often a side effect of using a camera's highest ISO setting?
digital noise
color imbalances
battery drain
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The noise (or grain) is typically most visible in darker areas of the image.

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An employee from which company often gets credit for inventing the digital camera?
Olympus
Eastman Kodak
Nikon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

President Obama awarded a National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Steve Sasson for his work on digital cameras.

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How much time did Sasson's first camera need in order to capture a single image?
1 minute
23 seconds
2 minutes and 12 seconds
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

And the images were stored to cassette tape.

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Which company manufactured the DS-1P, which was the first digital camera aimed at consumers?
Fujifilm
Canon
Nikon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was the first to save images to a removable memory card but never actually sold on the market.

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In what year was the Fujifilm DS-1P demonstrated at an industry trade show?
1979
1988
1990
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With 2MB of capacity, it could only store 10 images, at maximum.

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To what capability does "FPS" refer?
frame rate
autofocus mode
file format
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The "frames per second" rate refers to the number of still images a camera can capture in a single second.

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What is a defining feature of DSLR digital cameras?
They allow you to swap lenses.
They let you save in multiple file formats.
They have extra nice imaging sensors.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A digital single-lens reflex camera lets you use everything from small portrait lenses to huge telephoto zoom lenses.

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The first Sony Mavica digital camera was essentially what?
a glorified floppy disk drive
a video camera that took still pictures
a lab tool in a portable box
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It basically snagged single frames of digital video and stored them for later viewing.

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What was a major drawback for many early consumer digital cameras?
no flash options
very heavy
slow booting speed
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Early versions often required a few seconds for startup, meaning picture opportunities might disappear before you could shoot.

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Which digital image file is sometimes called a "digital negative?"
RAW
TIFF
JPEG
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These files allow the creator to tweak fundamental properties of the image with minimum loss in quality.

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What revolutionary capability did the Kodak EasyShare include?
USB connectivity
WiFi
Bluetooth
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Unfortunately, there just wasn't much use for this feature in 2005.

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How much did the first DSLR camera cost?
about $1,200
about $19,000
about $30,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was made by Kodak and required the photography to lug a hard drive on a shoulder strap.

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In what year was a consumer digital camera finally available to buyers in the United States?
1989
1990
1992
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Dycam Model 1 (also sold as the Logitech Fotoman) cost $1,000 and took awful pictures.

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When batteries died, what often happened to images stored on the earliest digital cameras?
The images would digitally degrade.
The images would be stored out of chronological order.
The images disappeared.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Without power, your images would simply slip into the digital abyss.

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How did Kodak capitalize on the fact that its engineers created the first digital camera?
It filed for bankruptcy.
It expanded its film camera offerings.
It stopped selling cameras altogether.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kodak is notorious for missing out on much of the digital revolution.

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In what year were the first JPEG image format standards created?
1988
1990
1992
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Decades later, JPEG is still the most universal digital imaging standard, used in myriad products.

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The Casio QV-10 was the first consumer digital camera to have which feature?
preview screen
removable memory card
pop-up flash
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The rear LCD screen gave photographers an instant view of the pictures they captured.

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In 1994, which company sold a digital camera called the Quicktake-100?
Casio
Olympus
Apple
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It had a resolution of 640 x 480 and was probably the first truly successful consumer digital camera.

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Which company sold the world's first (sort of) affordable DSLR?
Nikon
Canon
Fujifilm
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The $6,000 D1 revolutionized the idea of what professionals and consumers could do with digital cameras.

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What was the subject of the very first digital image sent from one cell phone to others?
baby
cat
dog
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Inventor Philippe Kahn sent the image in 1997.

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Digital image storage media does not degrade over time.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Physical media always degrades, meaning you should make multiple copies of important pictures.

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The Nikon D90 was the first DSLR with which capability?
HD video recording
ISO range exceeding 10,000
exposure bracketing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Since then, the HD video features in DSLRs have exploded in popularity, among both amateur and professional videographers.

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You Got:
/30
Neil Godwin/Digital Camera Magazine via Getty