Digital Cameras: Thinking of buying a digital camera?

Overview
You need look no further than your local photofinishing outlet to see ample evidence that photography is evolving. Whether it's the kiosk that allows you to crop, retouch and print out a copy of your prized snapshots while-U-wait, or the ability to record a hundred slides or negatives onto a Photo CD, the times they are a-changin'. Now, this is not to suggest that silver halide photographic processing is likely to disappear anytime soon. Conventional photography continues to offer spectacularly high image quality -- especially with the large format cameras so cherished by the pros. But, as the digital process has transformed the music recording market and is now doing the same in Hollywood FX industry, it is similarly changing the way you and I take and use snapshots.

Today's digital cameras allow images to be transmitted electronically, shown on TVs or recorded on videotape, edited on a computer and printed out in glorious color with any of the new generation of photorealistic inkjet printers on the market. Some allow you to add several seconds of voice annotation to your photo -- a real-time travelogue. And for a thousand dollars or so, there are DV units by JVC and Sony (such as the one used by the photographer in The Lost World - Jurassic Park) that allow you to record over a thousand images, or capture full-motion video with sound.

The first-generation digital cameras -- some of which cost tens of thousands of dollars and required their users to lug around a unit the size of a lunchbox -- were joined a few years back by a bevy of more reasonably priced models that, unfortunately, lacked more than a little in image quality and advanced functionality. Fine for those who wanted to spend several hundred dollars for a camera that produced pictures approximately on par with a $15 FunSaver, but not quite ready for prime time. It was the advent of cameras like the pioneering Casio QV series units, with their built-in color LCD screen, providing nearly instant previews, that opened the horizons a little further. A majority of the digital cameras on the market now offer an LCD, either built in, or as an option. Like the Casios, many competitors also offer the ability to output the images not only to a computer (which every digital camera can do), but also to connect to a VCR or TV for instant presentations. A few, such as the Sony DSC-F1 and the Minolta Dimâge V, share the Casio units' 180-degree swiveling lens design that rotates 180 degrees (and automatically flips the image right-side up) -- just the thing to facilitate self-portraits or spy shots.

Now that the price has dropped as low as $200 for some basic models, the market for digital cameras has expanded beyond the original group of pioneers such as real-estate agents, news gatherers and other high-paid, time-crunched professionals. Of course, the mega-priced models have lots of fancy features. But what you should look for at the minimum? We think that the inclusion of an LCD screen on the basic unit is an invaluable feature -- not only for framing shots as you take them, but also to discard unwanted shots as your camera's storage memory fills up.

Obviously, the ability to connect to your chosen computer platform is an important issue. Although most cameras use a slow serial connection compatible with both PCs and Macs, some units, like the Canon PowerShot 600 cam, use a PC-only parallel connection, while others, like the Sony unit, offer an infrared option for (very slow) wireless data transfers.

Some cameras store images on a removable PCMCIA storage card. You can then simply pop the card out and insert it into a PC Card slot on a laptop computer, or a desktop unit equipped with a card reader. We've seen desktop PC card readers that fit into a PCs floppy drive bay on sale for as little as a hundred dollars.

The advantage of a standard serial-port connection is its simplicity: you don't have to turn your computer off, and just about every computer's got at least one serial port (although most of us have something connected to it!). The disadvantage of serial communications is the fact that, as every modem user knows, large images take a while to transfer.

For those coming from a conventional photographic background, most consumer priced models are a disappointment in terms of the options they lack: most low-cost digital cameras don't offer through-the-lens viewing, hot shoes for attaching external flash units, remote shutter release, manual focus settings and interchangeable lenses. In short, the more you care about f-stops, the less likely you are to be happy with a digital camera you can afford.

On the brighter side, those of us who enjoy the two-minute gratification of a Polaroid Moment will love the instantaneous feedback provided by a digital camera -- especially the LCD-equipped variety. And, slowly but surely, the feature-sets of digital cameras are getting richer. Most of today's digital cameras have the ability to the ability to capture close-ups in macro mode. Some models, such as the US$299 Agfa E307 and the D200 and D300 models from Olympus, offer a glass lens (as opposed to plastic)-- which we think is important. The Epson PhotoPC cameras have a threaded lens design that allows you to use VCR-style screw-mount accessories with the camera. And cameras such as the US$899 Olympus' D300 are finally breaking through the greatest weakness of digital cameras with higher-resolution images: the D300 offers a maximum 1024x768 resolution, generating files almost 4MB in size -- big enough for a 5x7" print of reasonable quality. (We think the camera should be capable of at least 640x480-pixel resolution at its highest-quality setting.) And then there's the ability to computer-enhance your photos....

Virtually all digital cameras come with image-editing software than can help turn a not-so-good image into a keeper. If that shot of Fido or Junior is spoiled by the dreaded "red eye" effect, you can edit it out with ease using a software package like Adobe PhotoDeluxe, MGI PhotoSuite, Live Picture's Live Pix, Ulead's Photo Impact, etc. One of these titles is usually bundled with a camera and some include a special-effects "Fun with Photos" package like the Kai's Power Goo, too. Power Goo, also available separately for US$49, lets you play with images as if they are made of, er, goo.

When buying a digital camera, there are a number of criteria. However, most users ultimately favor image quality over other considerations; our advice in this case is to view samples of each model you are comparing. Virtually all of the manufacturers have websites with samples of their products posted. From our observations, the best bang for the buck currently seems to be the US$299 (C$429) Agfa E307, with its glass lens and 640x480 maximum resolution. For sheer image quality, we'd pick the US$599 Olympus D200 or its higher-resolution sibling, the US$899 D300 (these units also sport glass lenses). And, for gee-whiz features, check out the Casio QV and Sony DSC-F1 models.