Article 9: Digital or not - that is the question

The pros, cons, and uses of digital cameras

In response to the article Photo Opportunity, readers wrote in with 2 kinds of questions: One group wanted information about digital cameras while another asked for recommendations for applications to download from the internet.

So this column will examine the pros and cons of digital cameras, and next month we'll check out Winzip and other useful downloads.

What is a digital camera?

A digital camera stores images digitally rather than recording them on film. Once a picture has been taken, the image can be downloaded to a computer and used on screen or in printed media.

What exactly is a digital image?

When you look at a picture on your computer, you are really seeing a kind of mosaic – lots of tiny squares (or pixels ) of color that merge to become a single image. The quality of a digital image, whether printed or displayed on a screen, depends on the number of pixels used to create the image (this is often called resolution ). More pixels add detail and sharpen edges, resulting in a better picture.

How is an image stored and used?

A regular camera captures images on film. You have a maximum of about 36 exposures before you have to insert another roll of film. Digital cameras capture images electronically and store them as files on memory cards (just as you store information on a floppy disk or CD in your computer). You can shoot hundreds of images before changing your "digital film". Then you can download these pictures from the memory card to your computer, keep only the ones you like, email them to friends and family, post them on a website, or print them out.

How does a digital camera compare to a film camera?

When digital cameras first arrived on the scene, the picture quality was far inferior to that of film cameras. But the technology is rapidly changing, and some experts are predicting that the time is not far when only professionals will be using film, and digital cameras will take over the average user market.

So why are digital cameras so popular?

Instant gratification: When you take a picture digitally, you can see it instantly on the camera's LCD (liquid crystal display) screen. If you don't like the picture, delete it. Or snap a few more until you get exactly what you want. You can share experiences almost instantaneously with family and friends that live far away by sending them pictures of the events on e-mail.
Saving money on development: Though the initial cost of buying a digital cameras is higher than for an equivalent film camera, you recoup money on development costs, viewing the pictures on your computer, and printing selectively. Memory cards are reusable and you don't have to constantly purchase new films.
Creativity: Digital pictures can be resized, manipulated, even "stitched together" to create panoramas – there are a multitude of options available with all the image editing software available. Digital cameras often come with free software to get you started in this direction.
Fun! Digital cameras are so easy and inexpensive to use that they almost feel like toys. You can snap hundreds of pictures before running out of memory without feeling guilty about wasting money or film.

Your pictures online

Finally, there are many internet sites that are catering to the growing digital market. Sites like Ofoto (http://www.ofoto.com) help you create free online photo albums, They also offer services such as printing, framing and publishing your pictures in the form of greeting cards, calendars and picture books, for yourself, or to be sent as gifts. An Israeli venture called Fotopages (http://www.fotopages.com) makes it easy for you to keep a free photographic weblog (or diary) of your experiences. You simply upload your pictures to their site, and write descriptive paragraphs. Within seconds, you can share your trip to Eilat or the birthday of your child with anyone who logs into your personal fotopage (you can take a look at mine at http://spring.fotopages.com).