While digital cameras may not live up to all the hype, digital photography still offers tremendous possibilities. In terms of creativity, digital photography offers avenues to explore that are impossible with tradidional photography and can also provide exacting control over each image when required. In short, digital photography represents a valuable and powerful tool for creating images that deserves serious consideration by all photographers.
The first item to understand is photo quality prints are easily produced with digital photography, provided you use the right tools. Today's top professionals working in digital generally do not begin with a digital camera. They start by shooting on film, and then have the negs scanned by a professional lab (or use a high-end slide scanner at home). A 2700 dpi scan results in an effective 8-10 MP equivilent file (photo quality up to 11x14), and 4000 dpi scanners capture an effective 13-18 MP of information (photo quality up to 16x20). To calibrate their monitor, they pick up calibration tools that attach directly to the monitor (generally a $300-400 item). Finally, they use tricked out computer systems (very heavy on RAM, fastest available processors) and print to top quality printers. To make calibration even more precise, they will choose printers for which they can find profiles which will tell the printer exactly how to print so that what comes out matches the screen exactly - and profiles are available so that they are not only printer specific, but also paper specific. So if you use an Epson 1280 with Ilford Gallerie Glossy, you choose the 1280/Ilford Gallerie Glossy profile. So equipment selection and starting with a negative is key for most digital photographers, and you certainly can produce top results using computers and high-end inkjet printers. The only downside is that to do photo quality digital, you often pay through the nose ($1500 for a computer system, $700-1500 for a quality scanner, $600-1000 for a printer, $300-400 for the calibration tool, plus paper and other necessities like film and processing). Believe it or not, this is currently cheaper than most professional digital cameras, which retail for about $2500-5000 (and the 16 MP Hasselblad digital back goes for a whopping $17,000!).
While such expensive equipment is currently required for the best in digital, film quality digital does not necessarily require an expensive investment in film scanners or high-end digital cameras. In many cases, all you need is a flatbed scanner and a good computer system. The key is to understand that what you put in is what you will get out. So if you scan a 4x6 print, you'll get a good 4x6 print from your printer (or a reasonable 5x7). Scan at 600 dpi, and you'll pull in everything the print has in terms of resolution, and get a good digital file to work with. You will also notice that I recommend only a 600 dpi scan, which is actually overkill since 300 dpi is considered "photo quality" (going to 600 dpi provides insurance). While I hate to disappoint scanner manufacturers, this means you don't need to buy the ultra-expensive 2400 dpi scanners. With even the cheapest of flatbeds now providing up to 1200 dpi scans, you don't need to spend more than $100 to get a top quality scanner for photo use. Just check the reviews by PC Magazine, C-Net, or other computer resources to find a model that performs well. Once you have the image scanned, the rest is up to you.
In fact, I highly encourage people to use flatbed scanners as a way to start out in digital. They let you explore digital, get used to the systems, and e-mail images to friends (or create web pages) without the hassle or expense of either digital cameras or film scanners. Since you can get a quality scanner for under $100, flatbed scanners also qualify As the biggest bargains in digital photography.
Now if you remember the figures from part 2, you need about 14 MP for a quality 11x14 at 300 dpi. If someone uses a 2700 dpi film film scanner and creates an effective 8-10 MP file, how can they then produce something that is a "photo quality" 11x14? The trick is in the key advantage to digital photography - CONTROL. Once you have a digital image file, you can edit every minute detail, from simple dodging and burning through perfecting color balance. As a result, while the final image may not have exactly the same resolution as a print from a negative, it can be far superior in color balance and overall quality. In addition, users of photoshop can do editing impossible with traditional film printing, such as eliminating unwanted elements. Retouching is also far easier (and more precise) in digital photography. I can not emphasize this enough; digital photography gives the photographer ultimate control over an image, far more so than any film system. It should also be noted that you cannot always take a 2700 dpi scan and get a good 11x14; there will be times where the resolution will not be there, and no amount of editing will improve the image to a sufficient level that it would be better than direct print from film (or a 4000 dpi scan). But even so, the control offered by digital attracts many photographers, and many eagerly await digital cameras that will match film.
While the ultimate control over an image attracts many photographers, digital also opens new doors in terms of creativity. A blank screen can be like an empty canvas, and digital imagers are beginning to explore the limits of this new medium... and many have found there are no limits! With the wide array of commercialy available filters and effects to use in Photoshop, plus an artist's creativity in creating new effects, digital imaging can produce unique and creative results. And in this arena, "photo quality" is a subjective term; while higher resolution files and prints often look a bit better, creative digital images stand on their own as artworks and do not require any specific dpi for "photo quality" results.
Digital cameras also have some important advantages over film. First and foremost is the "white balance" or color balancing options on many digital cameras. Unlike traditional color film which must be produced for use in specific lighting conditions (daylight, tungsten, etc), digital cameras do not have such limitations, nor do they need filters to correct for different light sources. They will either automatically adjust the color balance for different lighting, offer color balance overrides, or (the ultimate in control) allow the user to set a custom color balance with a gray card. While not offered on all digital cameras, this feature is of tremendous value to those that have it. No more green cast from flourescent lights, or ugly yellow cast from indoor lights - and all without changing film! Digital cameras also provide instant results, so you can see exactly what you took instead of waiting for the lab to deliver your prints. This is great if you need to make sure you got the shot, or if you want to delete a bungled shot (impossible with film).
The only downside is that some digital photographers get delete-happy; an image doesn't look quite right, they delete it (which isn't always a good idea). About six months before the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke, a number of photographers took pictures of Clinton hugging her at the White House. At the time, it was only Clinton hugging an intern, so most news agencies deleted the shot. Months later, only one photographer still had the shot. Why? Because he used film. Even if you are deleting images that aren't very good, this can also be a problem. Many photographers like to go back over their work, and see what they did previously. And bad shots can be just as instructive (or more so) than good shots, and you may find an old shot that's good - it might just need a little cropping or other minor reworking. So be careful before you delete an image, either in the camera or on your computer. And if in doubt, save it.
Another nice option is to be able to work on your own, and not be subject to a lab. While digital photography can be time consuming if you want to perfect your images, this can still be a tremendous advantage; you can produce prints on demand, or at times when traditional labs are closed for business. Here again the control digital provides becomes a factor; you can produce prints to your specifications and not have to worry if the high school kid running the print machine at the lab knows how to make a good print. You also gain the ability to choose which prints to have made; rather than spend $10 for a roll of film containing mostly duds, you can pick and choose exactly which photos you want to work on and print. The others can be erased or saved for later use (though again - I urge caution before you hit the delete button). While potentially time consuming, it is still quite nice to be able to work at home.
Last (but certainly not least) is the ease of distribution of digital images. For making web pages, a digital camera is truly the best option. A 1 MP camera is overkill, and will provide quality images for a site. The ease of taking the photo, downloading it, and then putting it on a web page in a matter of minutes simply cannot be matched by film, where you must wait at least 1 hour to have your film processed (and then spend time scanning each image). This ability has made countless grandparents happy; they can see photos of their new grandchild moments after the birth, Suzy dressed up for the prom, and so on. Likewise, people can now easily e-mail photos of graduation, vacation, or other moments to friends and family without much difficulty. Real estate brokers and news agencies also take advantage of the fast distribution of digital images. News agencies can now receive images moments after an event occurs (or even as events unfold), and real estate brokers can have complete images of a house (inside and out) to show clients without the expense of film.
In short, there are significant uses for digital photography that extend well beyond any quality differences between film and digital. The digital revolution is here to stay, and well worth exploration.
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