What is 'Digital' Photography?
In the 'old' days (pre 2000!) cameras were a mechanical device that captured an image through an opening in the lens (the shutter) to leave an impression on film. The film is made of either a cellulose acetate or polyester base with a coating of light sensitive minerals - silver salts. You took this 'exposed' roll of film to your drugstore and in an hour or day you got back a paper folder full of pictures and negatives. You looked at the pictures, laughed and smiled, and then 'filed' them in the shoe box in the closet with all the others - never to be seen again!

Digital cameras operates on a similar approach of capturing an image but instead of on film, it stores the image on a magnetic card the size of a postage stamp. With the image now stored as pixels in computer lingo, you can immediately look at your image on a small screen built into the camera to decide if you like that shot or need another. You can take this storage card to the local developer to make prints or do it at home. You can now store them on your home PC for easy viewing on your big screen TV (imagine seeing your Aunt nodding off at the Christmas party on the big screen!). And you can do much more...

Why should anyone be interested?
This question is dated as of 2007 but some may find it useful. How many times have you taken a roll of 36 prints only to have 5 or 6 that you really like? How many times have you heard "Take another just to be sure!" Do you often get double prints then mail a copy to friends or relatives? How many of us have shoe boxes full of slides or negatives that we dread as that organization project after retirement? If any of these ring true, then you have to look into digital cameras. The ability to see the picture immediately after taking it allows you to select if you need another or a different angle. Just like a Polaroid but cheaper and easier. With today's technology it is simple to email a few of your favorites to everyone in your family or have prints made and mailed to them if they don't have email. Windows XP or Apple's iPhoto makes storing and organizing pictures simple. There is easy to use software the helps organize and enhance your pictures as well.

How about getting prints?
This is getting easier and easier every day. You can print them at home, upload them to a photo finisher on the Internet such as Picasa Web Album or take them to your local Wal-Mart or traditional photo developer. The trade off is time and money (isn't it always!). Printing at home cost about 39 cents per page on a high quality inkjet printer such as the 7960 PhotoSmart Printer and it takes only a few minutes for a 4x6 or 8.5x10. Internet developers charge anywhere from .10 to.25 for a regular print. You have you prints back in a few days by mail. The grocery, drug or department store offers Internet prices with one-hour turnaround in some cases. Many developers offer the option to copy your pictures onto a compact disc (CD) for permanent storage. Now you don't even need a PC. You simply plug the camera or storage card into the printer and print the picture.

What are the disadvantages?
This has to be compared with traditional cameras. Some inexpensive digital cameras, even in 2007, have a lag time between the time you push the shutter button and the time it takes the picture. So sometimes you miss a fast moving shot. The better cameras have solved this problem. You do have to be mindful of how many images you have taken on the storage card but this is becoming a non-issue with larger capacity and less expensive storage cards. Battery life can be an issue on some cameras but again there are major advances in technology reducing this problem. I used only 2 sets of AA PhotoLithium batteries for my two month Everest expedition for my digital camera. My Canon G7 is fantastic on battery life even with rechargable batteries. Finally for some high-end professional photographers the image quality is not equal to film. For 99% of the picture taking public however, any camera with a pixel count if 4 million (4mp) or more is adequate for a simple 4x6 print. Most cameras this Christmas, 2007 will have 6mp to 10mp quality. I regularly use a 6 mp camera since I like to print big 10x12 pictures. The bigger you want your print, the more pixels are required. I personally believe that 4mp is the maximum most of us 'regular' folks will ever need but soon it will be impossible to find a camera under 6mp and 10mp is becoming common.

What about the picture quality?
The quality of the image taken with digital cameras have come a long, long way over the past few years. However, since 2005, the cheap cameras, often bundled with printers are a huge compromise on image quality so be careful and say with proven and committed camera brands. However For most people, you cannot tell if it was taken with film or digital when printed on a high-quality printer. The prints printed on most photo printers last over 70 years - longer than film! Here are some hints when looking at a print from a digital camera: Look at the edges of straight objects, like a wall or a post, to see if it is really straight or a little jagged. Look at the dark places on the picture; like a very dark shadow or black shirt to see if you can see speckles. This is called 'noise' and the best cameras do not have any you can see. Also look at the color starting in the center and going out to the picture edge to see if the colors are the same. Some cameras will 'shift' the color as you go out from the center so the blue sky in the middle is no longer blue. Finally, look at the colors themselves. Are the reds - red? Are the blues - blue? You might be surprised. Think about what size you will print. Small pictures (4x5 or 5x6) do not show these problems like big prints (8x10 or posters) However, don't expect a 6mp $100 camera to do as well as a $500 6mp model. Like in everything, you get what you pay for.

Which camera should I buy?
This depends on how much you will use it. I suggest starting small and buy what you need. Don't get fooled by all the specs out there. You need to select from camera size - how it fits in your hand. How many pixels it has (see the previous discussion) but 4 mp is plenty. How much optical zoom it has - the ability to bring the entire image in your viewfinder closer. Most cameras today offer the ability to zoom in 3 times as close with some offering 12 times. There is 'digital zoom' but this does not bring the subject closer like optical, it only eliminates the surrounding area around your main subject. If you are upgrading from your first digital camera, don't just upgrade for more megapixels, look at the entire package. The technology is moving so fast that you want to get new features, lens AND better resolution when you upgrade. For example just going from a 5mp camera to 6mp with everything else the same will not get most people better pictures.

Any other advice?
Photography is all about light. This why you see professional photographers with huge lights in the studio or waiting for the "right light" in the outdoors. Think about where you will take most of your pictures, if it is inside then seriously think about getting a camera with a large lens. If you are mostly an outdoor photographer, then a smaller lens will work but you probably want more zoom which decreases the light the camera captures. If size is not that important you will always get a better picture with a larger lens.

What about those cameras in cell phones?
There is a revolution happening in the market with cameraphones The technology is rapidly improving and major manufacturers like Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson are creating some nice products. It is becoming more common to see 3mp sensors, improved optics, flash, zoom and advanced features in cameraphones I will not be surprised to see mobile phones take over the low-end of the digital camera market. After all, you always have your phone with you but not your camera! And now it is almost impossible to buy a new mobile phone without a camera since Verizon and others want us to spend more money on airtime by sending pictures. All that said, they may never replace your stand-alone camera for that birthday party or vacation. Most of us will be 2 (or more) camera families.

I really like my traditional SLR, can I get one in digital?
Absolutely. In fact as mobile phones take over the low end of the market, many manufactures are putting most of their effort into Digital SLRs. With more volume and competition, the prices have dropped dramatically. There are many advantages to these cameras: they support their traditional analog camera lenses so you can leverage your investment; they are significantly faster than most digital point and shoot cameras so you really never miss a shot, the lenses and sensors are bigger thus providing superior image quality and finally, they have tons of features including true full manual mode for those photographers wanting total control over shutter speeds and aperture settings. The disadvantages are cost and ease of use. One Canon's D-SLR is the EOS-400D, an 10mp model which cost $900.00. I currently use a Nikon's D-50. It is about $550 and supports 6mp.


Any thoughts on video?
I see more and more video cameras on climbs since they are lightweight and small enough to carry in your pack. The best approach is to capture climbs in High Definition Video. The Canon HV10 HDV seems to offer nice features: HD, image stabilization,lightweight, great quality but ... it is expensive at $1300 and the battery life is average at about one hour. Another consideration is Sony's HDR-HC3 with better battery life (almost two hours) plus a little easier to use according to some reviews.

How do I get started?
Buy one! Go to your local Circuit City, Target or other store. Pick the camera up. Hold it to your eye. Get a feel for it. If you want to get opinions, don't ask the salesman, go to an independent web site such as Digital Photography Review or Photo.net to read owners reactions. Amazon.com has a great camera section as well. Buy on-line or in a store but get one and start enjoying all the benefits.

Suggestions for climbers?
For mountain climbers there are several considerations: size, weight, battery life and optics. For trekking, I suggest larger cameras, even Digital SLRs, since weight in often not a primary consideration. Just remember that Digital SLRs are sophisticated electronics and are susceptible to dirty conditions. In fact you need to clean the sensor to remove dust which will show up on you pictures so carefully consider using one in dusty places like Nepal and Pakistan. When climbing, use smaller pocket-sized models that are easy to use. An excellent source of information is from Thom Hogan, an expert in Photography. Look at his Take Hike with a Digital Camera article. Finally make sure you have a viewfinder on any camera you buy for climbing. LCDs eat batteries and sometimes are just not bright enough for bright outdoor conditions such as snow and ice on a sunny day. There are a few "must haves" for me in a camera I use during hiking, trekking or climbing.

This is how I evaluate future purchases for climbing cameras:

- pocket size for climbing (any non-DSLR)
- use AA batteries and not rechargeable batteries since it is difficult to recharge at altitude!
- at least 6X optical zoom - forget about digital zoom all together
- true image stabilization e.g. lens or sensor moves
- optical view finder - do not depend on LCD because: 1)cannot see in bright sun, 2)eats batteries, 3)arm-length grip creates image blur
- excellent physical build quality that can withstand rough treatment
- excellent image quality (research on DPreview.com)
- sufficient mega pixels for cropping and large prints - 6 to 10 mp - but mp are not the key factor in image quality. It is a combination of the image pipeline, quality of lens/optics and software in the camera. But in the end it is the amount of available light!
- 30 frames per second (FPS) in video mode

For hiking or trekking cameras, I make these considerations:

- big zoom e.g. 200mm+
- fast shot to shot time to capture animals or children
- as lightweight and compact as possible but I am wiling to trade this off for other features
- manual controls

Here are some specific camera ideas: