Is your family ready to make its next Kodak moment a filmless one? If the answer is yes, then perhaps you are ready for the latest in digital cameras. By storing images on computer memory instead of film, these cameras allow you to bypass traditional film processing by displaying images immediately when connected to a computer or television.
Think of a digital camera as a cross between Zen and instant replay: Even if you’re not in the moment, you can see right away what it was like.
Digital cameras, which are sold at computer outlets as well as some camera stores, contain computer chips that store visual images just as CDs store music. This merger of camera and computer represents the easiest way to get photographs into your PC or Macintosh: point, click, then connect a cable. The images are transferred to the hard drive, where they can be viewed, edited or added to documents. Transferring the images frees up the camera’s memory so that you have an endless supply of “digital film.”
While professional digital cameras costing tens of thousands of dollars have been available for the last few years, several factors–including cheaper cameras, better color printers and friendlier editing software–are beginning to make digital photography appealing to amateur photographers.
As with most technology, you will pay a premium for the privilege of being first; digital cameras cost two to three times the cost of conventional cameras. That said, they are undeniably fun to use, and may find a place in many families’ holiday gift plans.
Recently, at least two manufacturers, Epson and Chinon, introduced digital cameras that will sell for less than $500. And almost every other major name, including Panasonic, Polaroid and Canon, will introduce their versions in the months ahead.
But before you decide to go filmless, consider some of the trade-offs involved. The current crop of digital cameras produces images that are a cut below the quality of moderately priced conventional single-lens-reflex or point-and-shoot cameras. Few of them have all the accouterments that photographers are accustomed to, such as zoom lenses.
Remember that your images will start to accumulate on the computer’s hard drive, so a capacious disk (on the order of a gigabyte or more) is best to store your digital photographs. And while color ink-jet printers can do a credible job at reproducing photos, they are still not quite up to absolute photorealism.
Casio QV-10 is the most appealing of the current crop of digital cameras. It is small enough to fit in a pocket and provides the most instant gratification. The color liquid crystal display functions as a viewfinder and a playback device.
Swivel the lens around, frame the shot in the display and snap. You can store up to 96 photographs (protected even when you change batteries), play them back on the internal display or transfer them to a computer. Pictures can be viewed as a self-running slide show or one at a time.
Unfortunately, the gadget appeal of the QV-10 tends to obscure a couple of drawbacks, notably the $995 list price (street prices are about $799) and the picture quality. Partly because of the extreme compression used to get so many photographs into its internal memory, images from the QV-10 are not as sharp as those of the other cameras listed here.
Epson Photo PC is a pocket-size entry with a more comfortable street price (less than $500). It has the familiar look and feel of a regular point-and-shoot camera, while many of its digital brethren tend to look more like high-tech binoculars. The Photo PC, which should be available in stores by late January, can store up to 32 color images (or 16 in high-resolution mode), and you can add an extra-memory module ($150 for up to 96 pictures; $250 for up to 160 pictures). Epson also includes Easy Photo software, a slick program for viewing, editing or touching up photographs once they are transferred to a computer.
Chinon ES-1000 shares the same point-and-shoot ease as the Epson, although it stores only eight images in its base mode. You can purchase a wallet-size external memory pack to store additional photographs. The camera’s main appeal is its price (less than $500) and portability (it weighs just 5 ounces). It will be in stores by late January for about $500
Chinon ES-3000 has perhaps the best quality and features in its price range ($1,000) and includes a 3X power zoom and multiple flash modes. It accepts an optional internal storage card ($300 to $1,200) to hold as many 689 pictures in addition to the 40 the base unit will accommodate. The Chinon probably provides the best image quality and features of the cameras mentioned here.
Three other cameras–Apple’s Quick Take 150, the Kodak DC 40 and the Logitech Foto Man Pixtura–share several attributes. (It’s not surprising, since Chinon manufactures all three, and they all use Kodak-designed imaging units.) Any of the three can take reasonably sharp photographs, yet each offers slightly different features. The Apple ($700) has a snap-on close-up lens; the Kodak and Logitech models offer slightly higher resolution. Storage capacity ranges from 16 high-quality images in the Apple to 48 in the Kodak DC 40 ($850) and the Logitech ($900).
To be able to process digital photographs, you will need a color printer, image-editing software and perhaps a scanner. Fortunately, all these peripherals are now less costly for home users.
The Adobe Photo Deluxe delivers much of the same sophisticated photo-editing magic that professionals have long enjoyed, but at a reasonable price ($89). It will be available his month for the Macintosh and by February for the PC.
Another factor that should enhance the popularity of digital photography is the availability of color ink-jet printers whose output is closer to photographic quality. There are three models that work especially well: the Epson Stylus Color II ($449), the Hewlett-Packard 855C ($499) and the Canon BJC-610 ($549).
