Datasheet

■ THE RIGHT DIGITAL CAMERA

Another area that has no counterpart in the film world is file formats. Most dig-

ital cameras give you a choice of how you want the digital data saved. You can opt for

a small file size via various JPEG file format compressions, or for high quality—albeit

large files—saved in the TIFF file format. An increasing number of digital cameras even

allow you to save the pure, unprocessed data that comes directly from the sensor. This

RAW data, as it is called, can then be processed on a desktop computer with imaging

software more sophisticated than the processing in the digital camera itself.

Control over white balance is another point of divergence between digital and

film. Shoot daylight film under tungsten or fluorescent lights and you’ll get a greenish

cast. With a digital camera you simply adjust the white balance—or let the camera do

it for you—to compensate for the different light values.

Digital also goes beyond film with the capability of many digital cameras to cap-

ture full-motion video and sound. As you’ll see in Chapter 11, many photographers are

using their digital cameras to create short 15- to 30-second clips that have both practi-

cal and entertaining value.

The Right Digital Camera

Digital cameras come in all sizes, shapes, and prices, with various types of features. There

is no such thing as a single perfect digital camera, regardless of cost. However, there is

such a thing as the right digital camera for you, and it all depends on your needs.

An expensive, professional digital camera with interchangeable lenses may not

be the right camera if you are running out the door to shoot your child’s first day at

school and you really need only a lightweight consumer digital camera that fits in your

pocket. On the other hand, if you are shooting fast-moving action, you may be satisfied

only with the responsive controls typical of a professional or prosumer-level digital

camera.

Before I get specific about matching your needs with the technical aspects of dig-

ital cameras, I want to remind you (and myself) that there is much more to making

good photographs than the technical details. In the process of focusing on a camera’s

capabilities and features, it’s easy to “lose the forest for the trees.” The fact is, some of

the most memorable images in history were taken with cameras that we might consider

crude: think Mathew Brady and his Civil War photographs, or Edward S. Curtis and

his American West images.

Sure, the right tool for the right job is preferable, but as you’ll see throughout

this book, a creative person can overcome many of the limitations of a less-than-

perfect digital camera. I learned this lesson many years ago, when one of my mentors,

Gordon Clark, encouraged me to spend a few days shooting everything with a 200mm

telephoto lens, even close-up portraits. It wasn’t easy, but I soon learned to compen-

sate and actually came up with some decent images. When I went back to using other

lenses, I saw the world in a whole new way and my photographic abilities were vastly

improved.

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