Digital Photography
By: Roy Barker
 Most
serious photographers and professionals use a Single
Lens Reflex camera (SLR), the definition of an SLR
camera is that the image is captured exactly as you
see it in the viewfinder. However there are now two
types of SLR the single lens reflex film (SLRF) and
the single lens digital (SLRD). They are both single
lens camera, but digital does not use film and the
resulting image can be processed at home with the
aid of a photographic editor such as Photoshop.
The chemical component in a
traditional camera is film. When film is exposed to
a real image, it makes a chemical record of the
pattern of light, coming through the lens. Film has
a collection of light sensitive frames, suspended on
a strip of plastic. Colour film has three different
layers of light sensitive material, which respond to
red, green and blue (known as the (RBG) values. When
the film is developed, it is exposed to chemicals,
which dye the separate layers of film, into a colour
negative. All modern film is made up of silver
halide crystals.
The digital revolution is the
conversion of analog information, which is
represented by a gradually fluctuating wave, to
digital information represented by bits. This shift
in technology has revolutionized both visual and
audio information, in the form of cameras,
televisions, and MP3 players. Whilst SLRF cameras
relied on a chemical process to transmit an image
onto film, all digital cameras have their own
inbuilt computers, which records images
electronically. Essentially the digital camera
represents a form the computer can understand, the
information is collected in bits and bytes. Each
part of the image is broken down into "pixels",
which is a contraction of picture element. When
monitors display colors they are arranged in rows
and columns, separated into thousands of little
squares of colour. They are so minute that they
appear to be connected, but if you zoom into this
the squares are quite separate.
All these squares are the
smallest dot that can be displayed by a monitor, and
combined together they display the completed image.
Because of the enormous
difference in the way the two types of camera work,
there has been in many people's mind a huge
confusion as to what type of camera to buy. Added to
that there are three types of SLRD cameras. SLRF
cameras had conventional shapes, because it was
necessary to have room for the film, and the light
path, SLRD cameras do not have these constraints.
 At
the lower end of the market for the digital cameras
are the "Point And Shoot", their SLRF equivalent is
known as "idiot Proof". They have low resolutions of
between 3,000.000 and 4,000,000 million pixels. The
next level is the proconsumer camera typically with
a resolution of 4-5 million pixels. At the top end
of the market the resolution is between 6- 12
million pixels. The greater the number of pixel
resolution the better the quality of the resultant
image.
As with any new technology
there are 'pros and cons' with both types of
cameras, and it will be decades before digital
cameras replace SLRF, if indeed they ever do, more
likely the SLRF cameras will be retained for use in
a specialist market. It is also fair to say that the
quality of digital cameras has improved enormously
in the last ten years, and the price has also
reduced dramatically.
One major factor determining
the choice of camera is weight. Typically the SLTD
camera is half the weight of it's SLRF counterpart.
The point and shoot is fully automatic, but like
their counterpart the idiot proof they do not give
the photographer much creative control. They have
earned their stripes, on the occasions when a
photographic opportunity would have been missed with
SLRF. The middle of the range family of digital
cameras represent the fastest growing demand for new
cameras as they represent the ease of digital with a
higher level of creative control. You can also make
larger prints, as well as use the function of
through the lens focusing. The higher resolution top
of the range digital cameras offer the same wider
exposure controls and the ability to use different
lens, in other words they offer the best of the
features of analog photography to digital
photography. The most recent development in digital
cameras has been the development of a standard image
sensor in the ratio of 4:3. As the image sensor has
a standard size and shape, the mount for the lenses
can be identical. That means that they will fit more
than one type of camera, and will ultimately be
cheaper to produce, as they can be produced in
higher volume. Canon lenses for SLR film only fit
Canon cameras, but they will now disappear. In
future to add to the growing confusion, there will
be a plethora of lenses from multiple manufacturers,
to fit your camera, competition between the lens
manufacturers should mean cheaper and better quality
lenses. One factor not to be forgotten in deciding
whether or not to go digital, is that the quality of
the lens is still of paramount importance, it is
still better to have a cheaper body and higher grade
lens.
Another major element is that
digital image sensors are smaller than frames of
film, which means that the lens can be
correspondingly smaller and lighter. Until the
development of the 4:3 ratio systems, digital
cameras used conventional lenses. Getting the most
from your camera? - click here
The type of digital camera to
choose is as complex as buying a car, it is a matter
of personal choice, dictated by what it is used for,
and the available amount of money to spend.
Fortunately there is a large amount of help in this
respect already available on the Internet for you to
research. At imaging resources you will find a large
database dealing with individual camera models, the
reviews also cover the scanners and printers as
well. It includes member's forums to assess
individual comments as opposed to manufacturer's
claims. To review the cameras by make and price
there are Canon, Fuji, Kodak, Minolta, Nikon,
Olympus and Sony. One of the major drawbacks of
using digital film, was that the quality of prints
produced on a personal computer's printer was less
than satisfactory. This obstacle has been overcome
by the development of online printing centers. You
upload the film to them via e- mail and they print
the images and they are returned by post, with a
professional standard. Kodak gallery offers you the
opportunity to have your images improved and
printed, and then to share your album via your
computer, which means that your personal scanner is
not necessary. Luminous Landscape has an excellent
article on color to improve the final color of
images.
About the Author
Publisher & Author: Roy Barker.
Roy specializes in profitable photography solutions
for passionate and keen photographers. A whole world
awaits keen eyes, imagination and some get up and
go. Find out how you can easily expand your passion
and skills in photography into a profitable career
at
www.photographic-photography-resource.com/
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