Digital Photography

Photographic materials are the general medium for image-data storage

and transfer and still, in nearly all cases, they remain the most economic.

But slowly the universal dominance of film as the only origination

medium is being eroded by direct, electronic data storage.

Scanning the artwork or photograph is the principle on which modern

reproduction is based – scanning the scene is becoming a realistic alternative.

It is true that if the image is to be of prestige publication quality,

then the scene being scanned must be controlled and stationary. However,

the benefits of electronic, still photography are well documented and

already being enjoyed.

Digital photography has a great deal to recommend it. Some of the

recognised advantages of recording the scene directly in a digital format

are:

❑ image availability without chemicals;

❑ ease of transmission;

❑ direct entry to computer systems;

❑ ease of editing, retouching and enhancement;

❑ pre-separated data;

❑ convenience of archive storage;

❑ duplication and re-use with no loss of quality.

But there are disadvantages as well as benefits. Some of the disadvantages

of the current level of digital photography are:

❑ lower image quality than film (for one shot, portable cameras);

❑ less efficient image capture;

❑ higher quality = less flexibility (triple-exposure or scanning cameras

enable maximum resolution but require stationary subjects);

❑ special equipment is needed for general viewing;

❑ viewing equipment and storage formats are not universally interchangeable.

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