The Lens

• Like its film brethren, all digital cameras have a lens, which can have several pieces of glass, or elements. The lens focuses the image onto the digital sensor, where it is captured for storage.
  
  

The Aperture

• Every camera has an aperture. Sometimes fixed but usually adjustable, the aperture is a hole that varies in size to control the amount of light falling on the sensor.
  
  

The Shutter

• The shutter defines how long the light falls on the sensor, ranging from hours to 1/5000 of a second.
  
  

The Sensor

• The component that replaces the film, a digital sensor is comprised of a matrix of tiny dots that read light and color values, which are later reconstructed to create a photograph.
  
  

In Camera Software

• The data from the sensor is reconstructed into a viewable image by software in the camera. This software is often very sophisticated and will allow for limited image editing in the camera.
  
  

Memory Cards

• Once the image is reconstructed by the software in the camera, it is stored to a removable memory card. There are several common types of memory cards, including SD, Compact Flash, MemoryStick, and xD memory.