Running Head: SONY ALPHA 5000 DIGITAL CAMERA                                            1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technical Description: Sony Alpha 5000 Digital Camera

Pitcha Sudjaritjuntorn

The City College of New York

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

Title Page…………………………………………………………………………………………..     1

Outline of the Contents……………………………………………………………………     2

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….    3

1.1. History, Background, and Evolution of Object……………………………   3

2. Body…………………………………………………………………………………………………   4

2.1. Top parts……………………………………………………………………………………….  4

2.2 Bottom parts…………………………………………………………………………………  7

2.3. Side parts……………………………………………………………………………………..  9

2.4. Functions of the camera and the Uses……………………………………..   14

3. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….   15

References page…………………………………………………………………….………….  16

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Introduction

          Since the ancient times, the Greeks and the Chinese had their very own camera, which was called the ‘camera obscura.’ ‘Camera obscura’ which means “dark room” in Latin was what people in the Ancient times used to take pictures. Their camera was a small dark room that had one tiny hole for the light from outside to enter the room (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013). This invention eventually developed over time into what is now a camera that most people use to capture pictures and videos. The object to be described is the Sony Alpha 5000 Digital Camera produced by a worldwide company called Sony. Sony is a company found in Japan where they produce many technological products for consumers to buy. One of the products they produce is digital cameras; one of their well-known type of cameras is their Alpha cameras, which includes a feature of mirrorless and interchangeable lens. The first Alpha camera made by Sony was the Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 in 2006, the camera had many features such as in-camera metering and Minolta lenses, which were part of the camera markets for a while (Gee, 2015). Since then, Sony has been improving their Alpha cameras and coming out with different versions each year. In January 2014, Sony came out with the Sony Alpha 5000 also known as the Sony a5000. This digital camera has a maximum resolution of 20 megapixels, the camera is lightweight, and it can connect with the internet to transfer photos onto the phone or computer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Body

Top Parts of the Camera

On the top of the Sony a5000, there is an on/off switch at the right-hand corner according to figure 1. The on/off switch allows the camera’s power to turn on and off. When the black switch is moved to the on button, the camera’s power turns on and the user can take pictures or videos.

Next to the power switch is a large round button called the shutter-release as shown in figure 1A pointed by the red arrow. When the shutter-release is pressed on, the camera takes a picture. The silver component surrounding the shutter-release as pointed by the blue arrow in figure 1A is one of the zoom parts of the camera. When the silver part is moved left and right, the lens zooms in and out. The image will be closer if it is zoomed in and the image will be farther if it is zoomed out.

 

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The round red button where it says ‘Movie’ under the power switch as indicated by the red arrow in figure 1B is the record button of the camera. When the button is pressed, the camera records moving images (videos).

 

Further from the right, there is a black rectangular outline. This is where the flash is kept as shown in figure 1C pointed by the red arrow. Next to the flash storage to the left is the flash

 

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icon which also looks like a small lightning bolt as indicated in figure 1C pointed by the blue arrow. The flash is often used for adding more light to a picture or taking pictures in the dark. When there is minimal light, the camera has more difficulty producing a good-quality picture that is bright and clear, the flash is used to solve that problem by providing the picture with light.

 

When the flash icon is pressed, the flash opens up as shown in figure 1D.

 

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Bottom Parts of the Camera

This section of the camera contains a few components. The first component is a hole which is used for placing a tripod (a three-legged camera holder). Tripods are essential when the camera user wants to place the camera at a certain position or angle, they are also useful when taking pictures alone or taking pictures outside, and the tripod is like a support for the camera. The hole is located at the middle of the bottom of the camera as show in figure 2 pointed by the red arrow. On the left hand corner of the camera, there is a small section where the battery is located inside as shown in figure 2 pointed by the blue arrow.

The small battery section can be opened. The oval-shaped gray slider on the ‘lock’ side as indicated in figure 2A pointed by the white arrow is held onto and moved to the right where it says ‘open’ and then the battery compartment opens as shown in figure 2B.

 

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The battery is a black rectangular shape as shown in figure 2C, if the battery is taken out, the camera will be unable to turn on because the camera runs on battery power and it needs the battery in order for the camera to function.

 

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Side Parts of the Camera

There are four side parts of the camera: front, back, left, and right as shown in figure 3.

The front part of the camera is where the lens of the camera is located, the lens is the round part that is sticking out in the front as indicated by the red arrow in figure 3. The lens is responsible for taking in light in order to create the image the camera is capturing. The lens is interchangeable meaning it can be taken out and be used with other Sony cameras. As shown in figure 3A, the red arrow pointing at a black button is used to take out the camera lens.

 

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How the camera looks when the lens is taken out is shown in figure 3B and how the lens looks is shown in figure 3C. On the side of the camera lens, there is another zoom feature of the camera which is shown in figure 3D pointed by the red arrow. The zoom feature is moved back and forth which allows the lens to zoom in and out.

 

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Another componenent of the lens is the lens cap as shown in figure 3F pointed by the red arrow and in figure 3E, the lens cap is a small, round protection that is used to cover the glass of the lens to prevent it from breaking and damaging.

The back of the camera is a wide screen with control buttons to the right as shown in figure 3 pointed by the blue arrow. The wide screen is like the viewfinder of the camera but bigger to look through. The screen can be lifted upwards as shown in figure 4 so that the viewer can see the picture or video they’re taking without having to go look at the screen.

 

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The control section of the back side of the camera allows the user to view photos and videos, use the settings of the camera, adjust what type of shooting mode they want to take pictures in, and also transfer photos and videos onto another device as shown in figure 5. The screen is controlled by the control buttons. Figure 5A shows the menu section of the camera and the several options it has. When the menu button is pressed as indicated by the red arrow in figure 5, the camera’s screen will turn into the main menu screen as shown in figure 5A. The blue arrow in figure 5 is a turning wheel for viewing photos, the round black button pointed by the white arrow is the enter button, the lower left button pointed by the yellow arrow is for viewing pictures, and the question mark button at the bottom right pointed by the green arrow is for deleting photos or going to the help section.

 

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The left side of the camera has a section that stores the memory card of the camera as shown in figure 6A pointed by the red arrow. The memory card can be removed by pushing it in and the memory card pops out, then the memory card can be inserted into a computer for transferring media. There is a charging port of the camera as shown in figure 6A pointed by the blue arrow, this is where a USB cord is plugged into the port and the USB is plugged to an outlet so that the camera’s battery is charged. The memory card (as shown in figure 6) is important because the camera needs a place to store all the pictures and videos. If there is no memory card, the pictures and videos will not be saved.

 

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How the Camera Functions and the Uses

The Sony a5000 comes with many modernized components that makes it easier for the users. For example, the camera functions as a digital camera; the media is stored in a memory card which can be transferred onto a computer or a cell phone. It is done digitally and it saves money from buying ink and photo paper for a regular film camera. Although digital cameras are modified by being able to keep images and videos in files, the way the digital camera functions is still similar to how a film camera works. Both cameras still uses a shutter to admit light into the camera’s body (Chambers). The shutter of a camera is a device that opens and closes for a certain period of time to allow light to come into the camera’s body. This allows the film or digital sensor to be exposed to the light and it will create an image. Both types of cameras still uses the shutter except the images are just stored differently. For a digital camera, the images are stored inside RAM cards which are also known as memory cards. RAM cards are portable storage devices that allows a certain number of media to be stored inside (Chambers). RAM

 

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cards can also be removed from the camera just like it was mentioned in the section: Side Parts of the Camera. Another device to store the media in are hard drives; hard drives are like memory cards except they are permanently stored inside the cameras and the files can only be transferrable by using a USB port to connect the camera to a computer or phone.

The Sony a5000 is versatile for different purposes such as for photoshoots or shooting movies. According to a Sony a5000 review by Katie Dawes, Dawes states that the camera is a great camera for solo travellers because of the small, compact size, its ability to upload pictures onto social media, and the excellent quality the camera provides for pictures and videos (Dawes, 2015).

 

Conclusion

           The Sony a5000 is a compact and modern digital camera that can be used by anyone. It functions similar to a more complex digital camera but it is easy to use like an older camera. The Sony a5000 offers components like interchangeable lens, a viewing screen, and also the access to transfer pictures and videos onto another electronic device. In conclusion, the features of the Sony a5000 offer a wide variety of different functions that can be applicable for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

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References Page

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2013, October 17). Camera obscura.  Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/technology/camera-obscura-photography

Gee, G. (2015). Sony’s Innovative Journey in Camera Design and Technology. Retrieved from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/sonys-innovative-journey-camera-design-and-technology

Chambers, M. L. How Does A Digital Camera Work? Retrieved from https://www.dummies.com/computers/pcs/how-does-a-digital-camera-work/

Dawes, K. (2015, July 20). Sony A5000 Review: The Perfect Travel Camera for Solo Travelers. Retrieved from https://thehostelgirl.com/sony-a5000-review-the-perfect-travel-camera-for-solo-travellers-9/