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Digital-imaging evolution is going gangbusters, as you'd expect of a relatively new technology. Just a year ago, the hot news in consumer digital cameras was the introduction of a 4-megapixel model, while the big news in pro models was a high-performance 5-megapixel model for around $6000.  Less than a year later, we have under-$1000 5-megapixel consumer digicams, and more than 10 interchangeable-lens AF SLRs, including a 6.3-megapixel model for under $3000! We'll introduce you to these and other interesting new digital models—and give you specs on 60 top digicams in handy chart form—in a bit. But first, what exactly is digital imaging? Digital imaging is the recording and manipulation of images using digital sensors (in a digital camera or in a film or print scanner) and computers (compared to analog imaging, which is the recording and manipulating of images using film and a darkroom). You can do all kinds of things with your images once they're in your computer. To get them into your computer, you must digitize them. Digital cameras digitize your images automatically as you shoot them. Scanners digitize existing negatives, transparencies and prints. Once the images are digitized—whether they were shot with a digital camera or shot on film and scanned—you can transfer them to your computer (generally by removing the "digital film" memory card from the camera and inserting it into a card-reader connected to the computer, or by connecting the digital camera directly to the computer via a cable; or via the scanner's connection to the computer). Once the images are in your computer, the fun really begins. You can optimize your images with an image-editing program, restore damaged or faded photos, and apply an almost infinite variety of special effects—all without a darkroom, environmentally unfriendly chemicals and wasted paper. You can see the results of anything you do right on your computer monitor as you do it, and if you don't like what you see, just use the "Undo" command and try something else. You can e-mail your pictures, or post them on a Web page, turn them into calendars or greeting cards, put them on T-shirts and coffee mugs, print them, or even have them output on film. So, "going digital" lets you get a lot more out of your pictures. It's fun. And if you're a pro, at some point down the line you'll need to be digitally capable to remain competitive. Digital is the wave of the future. What do you need to "go digital"? A digital camera or a scanner (or access to a scanning service), a computer, a good monitor, a storage device, an output device, and image-editing software. The rest of this section of the magazine will cover digital cameras. As far as the computer goes, a fast Power Mac or Windows machine with as much RAM as you can afford (64MB is probably the minimum; serious digital imagers have 256MB and even more) and a lot of hard-drive space are the main requirements. The monitor should be a quality one, and the bigger the better (at least 17 inches; serious digital imagers like 21-inchers). The most popular storage devices are Zip drives and CD-burners—digital images take up a lot of space, and will quickly fill your hard drive, so you need some form of removable storage media to archive your images. The most popular output device among entry-level and even serious digital imagers is an inkjet photo printer (you can get a top-notch letter-size one for $250 or less, and one capable of printing up to 13x19 inches for under $500). You can also take your images (on Zip disks, CD-Rs or -RWs, or other storage media) to a service bureau and have them output on film as transparencies, or as conventional photo prints. As far as software is concerned, Adobe Photoshop (now in version 7.0) has long been the choice of most serious and professional photographers, and we use it. But it's a serious program—it costs more than $600 and takes a while to learn. But it can do just about anything. There are also other good image-editing programs, such as Corel Photo-Paint, Deneba Canvas, and the economy-priced but Windows-only Ulead PhotoImpact and Wright Design. For those on a budget, or who want simpler programs, there are entry-level products such as Adobe PhotoDeluxe and Corel Custom Photo, plus lots of Windows-only programs such as ArcSoft PhotoStudio, Canon Photo, MGI PhotoSuite, Microsoft Picture It!, and many more. And Adobe now offers Photoshop Elements, which offers nearly all the capabilities of Photoshop in an easier-to-learn under-$100 package. Digicams
Digital cameras (digicams, for short) range from under-$100 kid's toys that produce images suitable for e-mailing and viewing on-screen to $30,000 pro studio backs that have to be hooked up to a computer and require seconds or even minutes to record an image. Consumer models occupy the lower-priced end of the group, ranging from simple VGA-resolution (640x480-pixel) point-and-shoot devices to interchangeable-lens SLRs that cost $3000-$7000. Digital cameras offer several advantages. They automatically digitize your photos as you shoot, so they're ready for your computer. You don't have to buy film—or pay for processing. It's easier to keep track of your digital images than it is to keep track of a bunch of film negatives and prints (there are several software programs that make it really easy to find specific shots). You get instant gratification—you can see your image right after you shoot it. And if you don't like it, you can correct the problem and reshoot it better on the spot—or just erase it and try something else. Of course, digicams have their downside, too. None of the affordable ones can match 35mm film in image quality. Because many require that you scroll through menus on the LCD monitor to make camera settings, they're more difficult to use than film cameras. Digicams that provide the same range of shooting features as an entry-level AF 35mm SLR cost many times as much. And while you don't have to buy film or pay for processing, you do have to buy memory cards to store your images (and those aren't cheap, although they are reusable).
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