When digital photography first became a reality, everyone knew it would be the way of the future. With advancements in technology and cameras now offering 5 megapixels (or more), it seems as if the future has arrived. But is digital photography all it's cracked up to be? That's the question everyone seems to be asking, and with the sales of digital cameras continuing to grow at astonishing rates a large number of people believe that it is. Unfortunately, I must disagree.
While I will certainly concede that digital photography is the way of the future, and that you can do amazing things on a computer, I still find there are a large number of difficultes and challenges not yet answered by the digital industry. Image quality, while improving, still does not match that of standard 35mm film, much less medium or large format. Archival and storage issues have been almost completely ignored. Most importantly, the cost to work with digital photos is still far too high for most people. In all, I do not feel that digital has reached the point where it is a viable replacement for film.
What I'd like to offer here is an in-depth look into digital photography, and some of the major issues often overlooked. By no means do I intend to discourage people from getting into digital photography. I simply would like people to be more aware of the limitations of current equipment, and understand exactly what they are getting into. Digital photography offers much promise, but it is not something to be embarked upon without due consideration of all the issues. I have spoken with far to many people who bought expensive digital cameras and no longer use them, because they found it too difficult or digital did not do what they expected. So my hope is to inform, and help people enter into the digital world with full knowledge of what they are buying and what digital cameras currently offer.
To make life a bit easier, everything has been broken down into sections. I welcome comments and feedback, though please understand that I cannot answer questions regarding which digital camera you should buy. For camera recommendations, please check out the recent reviews in Popular Photography, Shutterbug, or any of the other fine photographic publications. Also check in with the rec.photo.* newsgroups for advice; there are many very knowledgeable people there who can help.
- Executive Summary Don't have the time to go through each section and read all the fine details? Here's everything condensed down into a nutshell.
- Part 1: Overall Quality: Film vs. Digital Comparing film resolution to digital resolution, and converting film specs into megapixels.
- Part 2: Resolution and Reality A practical look at digital resolution, and understanding what you need to have.
- Part 3: The Economics of Digital Photography A look into the true cost of digital photography today, and what is required to do it effectively.
- Part 4: Life on Easy Street? Is digital photography really as simple as point, click, download?
- Part 5: Archival Life and Storage A look at digital file storage, and the archival quality of digital prints today (both commercial and those done at home).
- Part 6: More on Quality A look at dynamic range, "film types", digital artifacts, lens quality, and other important issues.
- Part 7: Getting the Most Out of Digital You've heard all the bad news; now for a look at what digital does well, and why you should have a flatbed scanner at the very least. Easily the longest section, equivilent in length to at least 3 of the other sections combined.
- Part 8: Final Thoughts & Commentary My final thoughts on digital photography, plus alternate viewpoints and feedback from readers.
All content Copyright 1995-2002 by Peter Williams. Please read the Disclaimer for complete copyright and legal information.