Hardware Limitations

Limitations of Hardware & Software

 

Hardware

Digital Camera

One of the main limitations of digital cameras is their resolution, measured in megapixels. High end cameras often have more megapixels than their low end counterparts. Better resolution tends to result in better image quality, a crucial factor to be considered when working in image manipulation.

A serious limitation is the inherent shakiness of most users' hands, which can cause blurring of the image as it is taken. This is counteracted in some cameras that have built in anti shaking technology, in some cases completely removing blurring.

Other issues include slow shutter speeds, which can result in the picture being taken a second or two after it was intended to be. Along with this is the strong battery consumption required by many digital cameras, heavily limiting how long they can be used for. Lithium batteries offer a form of help for this problem, but are also more expensive than regular batteries.

 

Flatscreen Monitor

 A glaring disadvantage of flatscreen monitors is the increased fragility over older CRT models, requiring much more care to maintain than their older counterparts. Flatscreen monitors cannot be left on for the same extended times as CRT monitors, as they will begin to lose brightness and soon need replaced.

If working with video editing software, flatscreens fall short due to slower pixel response times. This can present issues caused by latency which would not be present in a CRT monitor.

If working in image manipulation, flatscreens face limitations due to a lower colour quality than CRT monitors,  which have a 15000:1 contrast ratio. In addition to this, CRT monitors have near zero color, contrast, saturation & brightness distortion, making them ideal for image editing.

 Touch Screens

An issue with using touch screens is that they are less accurate than a traditional mouse, which can be a serious problem if working with image manipulations software.

This lowered accuracy can lead to user input being misinterpreted by the device, which easily leads to an annoyed user that

In addition to decreased accuracy, on screen keyboards and icons consume screen space, leaving much less to view content. Compounding with this problem is that use of the device requires that the user obscures a portion of the screen while interacting with it. This is a massive problem when using applications that are information intensive, displaying important details across the whole screen which are then blocked from the user's view while trying to use the app.

Memory

Ram, or a lack of it, can present a dire issue when working with image manipulation software. Without sufficient memory, software such as photoshop or any similar memory intensive applications will experience performance issues that can render the program unusable.