Digital photography: The art of selection

The world of photography has changed dramatically over the last 24 months. Digital cameras have invaded the market - not only at the low end as was first predicted - but all the way up to professional level where the latest machines are capable of reaching performance benchmarks that were unthinkable just a few years ago.

Faced with such a plethora of products, the selection of a digital camera depends on its ergonomic appeal as well as its performance and price, says Zandre Rudolph, business manager at Rectron who looks at the latest product and technology trends.

In the photographic world today, the focus is on digital photography. Film is all-but-forgotten as the digital offerings from world-class vendors such as Canon, HP and Nikon explode into a marketplace with a voracious appetite for new technologies.

Far from being too expensive or too technical to own and operate, the latest digital cameras are affordable and sport features and benefits that make photography a snap.

It`s all about instant gratification, as digital cameras allow you to review your photos immediately - so if a shot doesn`t work out, you can try it until it does.

Then it is easy to link the camera to a personal computer and, with the help of Adobe Photoshop or similar software, save the photos and e-mail the best ones off to business associates or friends.

Whether you want to share digital images with family or create high-quality professional prints, there`s a digital camera to meet your needs. Today cameras range in price from R500 to R50 000. What to choose?

Digital cameras come in many shapes and sizes - from pocket versions to heavier versions that resemble the older film cameras.

In lieu of film, most use a CCD (charge-coupled device) to capture image data. The CCD is one of the keys to image quality.

In much the same way as cars are categorised by their engine capacities, so digital still cameras are categorised by their megapixel ratings. And cameras - like cars - are constantly evolving with new models boasting high quality, more capabilities and more megapixels.

How many megapixels you need - and can afford - will be one of your biggest decisions when choosing a digital camera.

For the normal recreational or weekend photographer, a camera with a three to five megapixel rating is more than adequate. It will produce photographs that are as clear and bright as those taken with a higher resolution camera - with more megapixels. There are machines on the market ranging up to 12 megapixels and more.

The key difference is that the optimum size of the photograph is smaller when taken on a camera with fewer megapixels.

In other words, with a five megapixel camera you can print photographs up to A4 size. This size is significantly larger than is generally required by the average photographer.

The quest for higher resolutions is driven by the professional market where high-quality film cameras have, up to now, been de rigueur. This is changing and digital cameras are being substituted for film cameras in many studios around the world.

This has followed the realisation by professional photographers that the digital format offers many advantages, notably the obviation of the development process, which saves time and money.

With digital, the results can be viewed immediately and the transfer of images to the production process for printing can begin soon afterwards.

From the editing perspective, digital represents a major leap forward, as changes and additions - even complete image manipulations - can be made with a few keystrokes and mouse movements.

For the average user, buying a digital camera is becoming easier because of the large range and choice of brands on offer.

Canon, for example, offers digital cameras at entry-level that are cost-effective yet support all the functions needed to take perfectly good photographs for e-mail or print.

Their range also includes SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras for the semi-professional and professional photographers who prefer to exercise more control over the functions of the camera.

Whatever camera you choose, buy one that is appropriate for your needs, and not something that just sounds good in the advertising blurb. It`s like buying a Ferrari and driving at the speed limit.

An important consideration when purchasing any camera is lens quality. Many cameras support accessory (or conversion) lenses. You can get wide-angle, telephoto, or macro lenses that improve the capabilities of your camera.

These lenses often require an adapter (at additional cost) and make your camera a bit unwieldy. Also, you will have to rely on the LCD for previewing pictures since the optical viewfinder will not be accurate.

Another important factor is the camera`s zoom function. Most cameras offer an optical zoom function as well as digital zoom software. With an optical zoom, the lens moves to increase/decrease the field of vision and a digital zoom manipulates the data.

One of the great advantages of digital photography is the capability to increase the memory of the camera at will. Almost all cameras feature removable memory cards. This is critical for the photographer on the go as the memory card can simply be replaced when full.

CompactFlash cards are the most popular as they offer the highest capacity - in excess of 4GB, while the smaller, and newer, xD Picture card format is also well accepted. But Secure Digital cards are fast becoming the tiny memory card of choice. They`re used in PDAs, cameras, camcorders, voice recorders, and are available in capacities as large as 1GB.

An increasing number of cameras also have a small amount of built-in memory instead of bundling a memory card with the camera. Cameras that write to CDs store about 156MB per disc, but they are bulkier, slower and more expensive than cameras that use flash memory.

The liquid crystal display (LCD) screen on the camera is part of the "shoot-and-share" concept which is driving the digital revolution. Most cameras feature a sizable 2.5-inch LCD screen to support users` needs for this experience.

Cameras at the upper-end of the range now feature InfoLITHIUM batteries that are compact, last longer, don`t build up memory and display the remaining power before recharging is needed.

Digital cameras with a video function are seen as "gimmicky". But for some users, the feature is useful as it obviates the need to buy a camcorder.

Some cameras limit recording time to anywhere between 30 seconds and 10 minutes. Newer models allow up to an hour. Movies are usually recorded at a resolution of 320 x 240, and are saved in AVI, MPEG, or QuickTime format. Cameras with "high end" movie modes usually record at 640 x 480.

While the advent of the digital camera represented a revolution in photography, the industry is now in a phase of continuous evolution allowing technology to become more sophisticated and - at the same time - more affordable.

New products with improved features are launched at shorter intervals - sometimes on a monthly basis.

The fact that digital cameras are installed in cellphones has also given digital photography a big boost and it has introduced it to a larger, very receptive audience.

Digital cameras are part of the digital revolution that will result in all home appliances being networked and centrally controlled - to make life easier, and give us more time to enjoy it.