■ Resolution. Consumer-level digital cameras
are not capable of higher resolutions than
what you would receive from a 35mm cam-
era with a third-rate lens.
■ Color space. Digital cameras rely on a
color space, or mathematical representation
of all colors. Most cameras use the sRGB
(Red, Green, Blue) color space. Other color
space definitions exist though that often are
superior.
■ Aliasing. Software and low resolution sen-
sors work together to degrade the resolution
of an image by blurring pixelation.
■ Highlight disaster. Some digital cameras
cannot handle highlights in an image,
resulting in bright white streaks.
■ Delays. Forget action or sports photography
with a consumer-level digital camera. Stopping action at the exact moment
you desire is something of a guessing game and a very expensive digital SLR
(Single-Lens Reflex) is necessary.
■ Wide-angle lenses. CCDs in digital SLRs are smaller than the standard
35mm film frame. The result is a magnification of lenses, so that a 35mm
becomes a 55mm. Wide-angle is difficult unless you buy an exotic (that is,
expensive) lens.
■ Prints. Blame it on genetics or culture, but digital prints do not command
the same respect as regular prints.
■ Battery drain. Digital cameras drain batteries faster than any electronic
device. With a small LCD screen, constant auto-focus, and flash, normal
alkaline batteries barely survive a “roll” of 36 pictures.
■ Price. Low-end digital cameras currently match instamatic cameras in price,
but above this consumer level, a serious SLR digital camera body costs two to
three times as much as a traditional camera body.As you can see, digital cameras aren’t perfect. Fortunately, technology is rapidly
overcoming these drawbacks. You owe it to yourself to research these issues, in case
your dream camera has a drawback.12 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TODIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
This chapter focuses
on the lesser-known
advantages and disadvantages of
digital cameras. You will learn
how a quality digital camera
improves a digital suite, and how
a low-quality camera hinders your
photography.