Digital Photography . . .
Digital Cameras have come a long way in such a short time. They are smaller, less expensive, more sophisticated, they capture more detail, and they can store a lot more information to even smaller memory cards than before. They also can record video with audio, and have improved battery life.
Recent models now include "anti-shake technology", wireless connections to computers for transferring images, and many other advanced features. I recently "retired" my original Kodak DC-200 (1 megapixel) camera which required 4 "AA" batteries (adding weight to the camera), a Compact-Flash memory card, and it had a relatively small LCD display. But the camera served me well for many years for my investment.
This past year, it was time to upgrade to more pixels, a zoom lens, larger capacity storage media, a larger LCD display, rechargeable battery system, and so on. The Nikon Coolpix 5900 offered me these features and much more for less than what I paid for my Kodak (about seven years ago).
As you can see, my Nikon has a nice-sized LCD display, easy-to-find controls and navigation, and yet the whole system is quite compact and light-weight. Since the size of the lens (by this I mean the aperture or digital sensor) has not greatly increased with these newer cameras, the higher amount of pixel resolution actually increases the chance of improper exposure of these pixels, especially in low-light shooting conditions. We refer to this as "digital noise". However, the 5.1 megapixel capacity of the Nikon is quite enough for most generic applications.
The camera also can take up to 13 minutes of live video with mono audio sound as most digital cameras do these days. These "QuickTime video files" do take up a lot of memory so it's a good idea to dump these into a PC and delete them from the SD card. From there, you can archive your photos and videos onto external media such as burning a CD-ROM, CDRW, DVD/R or RW, etc.
Transporting Your Digital Image Files
You might consider purchasing a portable USB memory card reader for transfering your photos, especially to a PC which does not have a card reader built-in on the CPU or printer. For this, I selected the SanDisk USB ImageMate 12-in-1 card reader which can handle most popular memory card formats (Compact Flash: Type I and II, Secure Digital: SD, MMC, RS-MMC and mSD (mini Secure Digital), SONY Memory Stick: MS, PRO, Duo, PRO Duo, and Smart Media: SMxD). This allows me to transport my SD and CF files to another PC, and also enables me to easily transfer image files from memory card formats from another camera or manufacturer to my computer system. The card reader features a detachable docking stand, a small USB cable for transporting, and a "one touch" feature which launches the file transfer application.
They have also greatly improved the focal length of these lenses. For close-ups, the macro setting allows you to get really close to your subject and yet still maintain proper focus of the subject. That was another limitation of my former digital. After shooting a still photo, I would discover that I was still too close to the subject for it to be in focus, only after I had downloaded the image to my PC for viewing it at full-size on my monitor. I always suggest using a tripod for still shots when it is convenient for the occasion. Also, try to take indoor photos both with and without flash. The difference in color balance results and general appearance will give you a better range of selection.
Chrissi Poland - Photo by Mark Prigoff
Advantages of Digital Camers vs. Conventional Cameras
Digital cameras offer many advantages for today's photographer. For starters, you can see if you got the shot before leaving the scene of the shoot (whereas you had to wait for film development with conventional cameras). For the most part, if the image is in-focus and without blurring caused by the photographers movement of the camera, chances are that what you see in the display will be suitable when enlarged for printing. The environmental issue of silver conservation is also a benefit of digital photography as both conventional film and photo paper require large quantities of silver nitrate compounds for exposure, development, and printing. Similarly, the savings of not having to purchase film or prints is also quite a plus to the digital photographer.
The "digital domain" in photography allows for photo-editing, printing, publishing to the Web, email, archiving to PC or disc, and other immediate forms of sharing one's photographic product. Images can be resized, retouched, color-balanced, converted and enhanced with sepiatones, color-to-black-and-white conversions, and much more with the help of the personal computer. And now, you can find a digital camera sized to fit your pocket, PDA and cell phone. What will they think of next?
Mark Prigoff
Digital Jazz Productions
June 2006
