PHOTO TALK
Prepared by the staff of Marshall’s Camera
Auburndale, Florida -A07

So you wish you knew what kind of camera to use in order to take the world’s greatest pictures. Read on for the possibilities that await you.

QUESTION: I have a good 35mm camera that takes excellent pictures. My husband wants to get a digital camera to replace my camera. He says that digital cameras must be better because they’re advertised so heavily and everyone is getting them. Should I change and, if so, what features should I look for when I go shopping?
ANSWER: Both this question and a partial answer was given in the last column. Now to finish the story.
A film camera requires the purchase of a roll of film for each new set of pictures that are taken. Furthermore the quality of the pictures taken is never quite known until they are picked up from the processing lab. With these limitations why are film cameras still being used?
Since we can’t think of any methods at our disposal to scientifically research this question we will offer some opinions.
First, people feel comfortable with film cameras. Most film cameras are very simple to operate and the idea of using film to produce negatives and prints has been around for over a hundred years.
Second, film cameras do not require additional equipment to use properly. Once the pictures are taken the photo processor does the rest. Some photo processors still do not offer prints from digital media (or storage cards) and so the use of a digital camera may require the use of a home printer. We are now talking about a serious investment in both money and time if picture taking is all that is desired. It has been said that only a small percentage of pictures taken digitally are ever printed out. Most of the time the pictures are just admired by way of a computer screen.
Third, if the same amount of money is spent on both types of cameras the quality of picture of the digital camera is still not as good as the quality of picture of the film camera. The difference in quality is becoming smaller as time goes by but when that difference will disappear no one can accurately predict.
Another way to look at the choice between film and digital camera is to compare the results. If one wants to

share prints with friends and relatives then the film camera is the best choice. If one wants to email pictures to friends and relatives then the digital camera is the best choice.
If the decision has been made to get a digital camera what are the more important features to consider?
Quality of manufacture and availability of service is important. When shopping for a camera find out how the camera is serviced if anything goes wrong. If you have to send the camera away yourself call the manufacturer’s repair number and find out how long you are put on hold. Discovery of difficulties before purchase is much less painful than after.
We deal daily with broken digital cameras. Our experience is that most major non-video camera companies that now have digital cameras offer excellent service after the initial sale. Most computer and electronics companies, however, don’t seem to have any efficient means of servicing the customer after the digital camera has been sold.
The quality of the picture is most dependent on the number of picture elements or pixels in the camera sensor or chip. A generalization is that a 2 megapixel chip will make good 5x7 prints and passable 8x10 prints. A 3 megapixel chip will make good 8x10 prints. A 4 megapixel chip will make good 11x14 prints and allow considerable cropping for good 8x10 prints. By now you realize that if the chip has more pixels then the print will have more clarity.
Another feature is the zoom range of the lens. Consider only optical zoom. Do not consider digital zoom as it is basically magnification at the expense of picture quality.
Another feature is the opening or f-number of the lens. The larger the opening the more light that can be gathered by the sensor in low light situations.
Another very important consideration is how easy do you perceive the operation of the camera to be. Spend some time taking pictures and reviewing them. Have the salesperson demonstrate the discarding of pictures. How easy are the controls to operate? Are they intuitive or do you need your instruction book when you operate the camera? The more time you spend on investigation before the sale the fewer problems you will have after the sale.
Marshall’s Camera periodically gives classes on choosing and using digital cameras. Check our website, marshallscamera.com for details.
Copyright 2004 by Marshall Ledbetter