30 Photo Innovations . . . During Our 30 Years

The Editors, May, 2002

In our June 1997 issue, we reviewed our 25 favorite technological advances that occurred in photography during Photographic's first 25 years. A lot has happened during the ensuing five years. So here, for our 30th Anniversary, is an updated list of our favorites. All photos by Mike Stensvold unless otherwise indicated.

1 Digital Imaging Well, duh. Digital imaging was No. 1 on our list five years ago, and it's grown exponentially in popularity with both point-and-shooters and serious photographers since then. It's especially hot among point-and-shooters and studio product photographers, but also gaining with professional photojournalists and serious photographers in general. For the consumer market, 3-, 4- and more-megapixel cameras cost less than VGA (screen-resolution) digicams of five years ago. On the pro end, interchangeable-lens AF SLRs with pro-level features and performance and capable of producing images that can run full-page and bigger in magazines no longer cost five figures—they're available in the $3000-$6000 range. As with computers not so long ago, performance is going up while prices are coming down at a rapid rate. Today, film and digital are both legitimate choices for both point-and-shooter and serious photographer.

2 AF 35mm SLRs Still the most versatile, cost-efficient tool for most serious photographers, the AF 35mm SLR has come a long way since the Minolta Maxxum 7000 started the AF 35mm SLR revolution back in 1985. Actually, Pentax introduced the first 35mm SLR to incorporate a focusing sensor back in 1981, the ME-F. But only one AF lens was available—a rather bulky 35-70mm f/2.8 zoom that contained the focusing motor and four AAA batteries. The Maxxum 7000 brought autofocusing to the AF SLR masses in 1985, providing both novice and serious shooter with a unique blend of versatility and simplicity. Today, we have Canon's EOS-1v, Minolta's Maxxum 9 and Nikon's F5—heavy-duty high-performance AF SLRs designed especially for (and now the mainstay of many) pros. There are also lower-priced models (such as Canon's EOS-3, Minolta's Maxxum 7, Nikon's F100 and the Pentax MZ-S) that offer pro-level performance and features at much lower prices. And even today's entry-level AF 35mm SLRs—such as Canon's EOS Rebel 2000, Minolta's Maxxum 5, Nikon's N65, Pentax's ZX-L and Sigma's SA-7—offer lots of features and performance at very affordable prices.

3 Pro-Level Autoexposure Automatic exposure control is not just a convenience; it makes possible shots that weren't possible before, because it greatly speeds up shooting. Today, you can set the desired shutter speed for action considerations, or the desired aperture to control depth of field, and the camera will automatically and near-instantly set the corresponding control to maintain correct exposure as the lighting changes. You get the best of both worlds: speed and control. Higher-end AF 35mm SLRs even provide shiftable program AE, in which the camera sets both the shutter speed and the aperture for proper exposure, but you can instantly set a desired aperture or shutter speed, with the camera automatically setting the other control to maintain proper exposure.

4 Better Image Quality When Photographic began, the finest-grained color film was Kodachrome 25, an ISO 25 (actually, ASA 25, in those days) slide film with an RMS granularity rating of 9 (and that figure had mysteriously increased to 11 by the time the film was discontinued). Today, we have Fujichrome Provia 100F, an ISO 100 slide film with an RMS granularity rating of 8—way finer grained, at 4X the speed! Provia 400F, an ISO 400 slide film, features RMS 13 granularity and beautiful colors. Today's ISO 400 color-print films are way better than 1972's 100-speed print films, while today's ISO 800 print films are far better than the first 400-speed print films (which didn't even exist 30 years ago). In black-and-white, not only is today's Kodak T-Max 400 sharper and finer-grained than 1972's popular ISO 400 film, Tri-X; it's also sharper and finer-grained than that era's hot ISO 125 film, Plus-X. And today's T-Max 100 is sharper and finer-grained than Kodak's image-quality king of 1972, ASA 32 Panatomic-X. Better image quality and three times the speed—that's progress! Today's color films provide rich, accurate, beautiful colors. Fujicolor Reala was the first to incorporate a fourth (cyan-sensitive) emulsion layer that gave the film a color response similar to that of the human eye—so it produces good results even under tricky lighting such as fluorescents. Today Fuji incorporates the newest version of the technology in most of its color-print films, and other film makers have their equivalents. The results? Better, more-accurate colors in all our color shots.

5 Imaging Software Adobe Photoshop (now in version 7.0) remains the pro standard in image-editing programs with an installed base of more than 4 million. But there are also several far less costly (and easier to learn) programs suitable for serious users, including Adobe's own Photoshop Elements. These programs make it possible to do just about anything to a photo, using your computer rather than a darkroom—including things you can't do in the darkroom—quickly and easily, with no smelly chemicals, wasted paper or even dark. And you don't have to use a digital camera—you can have your film images (negatives, slides or prints) scanned for use in the computer.

6 Desktop Film Scanners If you want to do serious digital photography, you don't have to choose between a an "affordable" but somewhat limited fixed-lens consumer digital camera and a versatile but costly interchangeable-lens pro digicam. In fact, for around the price of a 4-megapixel consumer digicam, you can get 9-megapixel digital images using your familiar 35mm film camera—along with beautiful high-quality original slides and negatives—thanks to yet another wonderful recent development: the affordable high-resolution desktop film scanner. For under $1000, you can get a 2700-dpi scanner that produces 9-megapixel scans from your 35mm slides and negatives. For $500-700 more, you can get a 4000-dpi scanner that yields 20-megapixel digital images from your slides and negatives. And you can continue to shoot with your familiar and versatile film camera, have your usual slides and negatives as archival originals, and get far higher-resolution images than a pro digital SLR produces to boot!

7 One-Hour Processing Labs In this era of instant gratification, what's better than getting your prints back in an hour? (Even with a digital camera, by the time you get the photos into your computer, optimize them and print them, an hour has gone by.)

8 The Internet What a resource! You can go online and enjoy photos of just about anything and anyplace, research any topic, check out manufacturers' websites, download software, buy photo gear, participate in photo chat rooms, post your images on a web page or e-mail them to family and friends, even pick up digital images from that roll of film you dropped off at the lab, and organize them in on-line albums—all without leaving your chair.

9 Multi-Segment and Spot TTL metering Center-weighted average metering was the standard for 35mm SLR cameras when Photographic began, and while it was generally a good thing, it was easily fooled. Today's multi-segment metering takes into account the subject's distance and position in the frame, along with its brightness and the scenic contrast, to provide excellent exposures in a far greater number of shooting situations. And when you want to precisely meter a specific portion of a scene or subject, built-in TTL spot metering is just the ticket.

10 Single-Use Cameras Available in 35mm and APS formats, these inexpensive simple box cameras come loaded with a roll of color-print film (there are also models that come loaded with chromogenic black-and-white film), and are great for times when you forgot your camera or don't want to risk your good camera. Single-use cameras are available in several varieties, including with and without flash, panoramic format, and waterproof. Try one!