13 Fun Questions to Test Your Knowledge of Digital Cameras

Last week’s fun test was all about film. But if you started in photography within the last 20 years, you might be more comfortable with a quiz about digital cameras. In that case, this is for you.

Digital cameras have been with us for more than two decades. Pound for pound, they’re much less costly than they were in 1997, and needless to say, performance has improved a zillion times over.

Let’s find out how much you know about the subject. Ready?

1. First 5-megapixel camera in the US
A.  Nikon Coolpix 500
B.  Sony DSC F707
C.  Minolta Dimâge 7
D.  Canon ELPH

2. First digital camera with built-in image stabilization
A.  Minolta DiMAGE A1
B.  Canon EOS 5D
C.  Kodak DSC-640
D.  Nikon Coolpix 500

3. First digital camera with an LCD monitor on the back
A.  Sony Cybershot L1
B.  Canon Zap Shot
C.  Ricoh DG
D.  Casio QV-10

4. Both Canon and Nikon collaborated with which company to produce DSLRs?
A.  Eastman Kodak
B.  Polaroid
C.  Minolta
D.  Pentax

5. Which of the following DSLRs can produce a DNG file in the camera?
A.  Canon Digital Rebel (original model)
B.  Nikon D5000
C.  Sony NEX 7
D.  Pentax K-3

6. If you are going snorkeling, which digital camera would you take along?
A.  Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS6
B.  Canon EOS-D1s Mk II
C.  Nikon Df
D.  Olympus E30

7. Which famous lens manufacturer first introduced a digital camera with a Foveon sensor?
A.  Tamron
B.  Sigma
C.  Vivitar
D.  Ricoh

8. The abbreviation “DSC” stands for
A.  Digital Sensor Camera
B.  Dual Sensor CMOS
C.  Digital Signal Capture
D.  Digital Still Camera

Image captured 20 years ago (April 27, 1997) with an early VGA camera, the Minolta Dimâge V. (Notice that Dimâge is intentionally spelled differently in reference to the Minolta DiMAGE A1.) Copyright © Jon Sienkiewicz

 

9. When using an FX-format lens on a Nikon body that has a DX-format sensor, the equivalent focal length can be calculated by
A.  Multiplying the FX lens’s focal length by 1.5
B.  Dividing the FX lens’s focal length by 1.5
C.  Multiplying the lens’s focal length by 1.6
D.  Doubling the FX lens’s focal length

10. Which two companies use the same lens mount on at least some of their current digital cameras?
A.  Panasonic and Lumix
B.  Olympus and Sony
C.  Ricoh and Pentax
D.  Olympus and Panasonic

11. Another common label for image resolution that measures 640x480 pixels is
A.  VGA
B.  SVGA
C.  CGA
D.  APS-C

12. Compared to the original Four Thirds sensor, the Micro Four Thirds sensor is
A.  one-third as large
B.  four-thirds as large
C.  three-fourths as large
D.  the same size

CMOS unit from Canon EOS-1Ds Mk II.

13. What does CMOS stand for?
A.  Canon Manufacturing OLED Sensor
B.  Change Modulation On Sensor
C.  Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
D.  Canon Makes Other Stuff

Answers:  1C,  2A,  3D,  4A,  5D,  6A,  7B,  8D,  9A,  10D,  11A,  12D,  13C.

This is a tough quiz. If you got seven or more correct, congratulations! If you scored three or less, better spend more time reading Shutterbug.

—Jon Sienkiewicz

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