"TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY" Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

ABOVE: This snapshot wasn't a great picture technically, but--after cropping--it made a perfect illustration for my "Cats of Venice" article. (Olympus InfinityZoom 200, 38-80mm lens; Kodak Gold 200 film.)

Digital Photography

When digital cameras entered the mass market in 1996, they appealed mostly to insurance adjusters, real-estate agents, and other business people who needed quick-and-dirty photos that could be uploaded to corporate databases or added to Web pages. Digital cameras are still useful for such applications, but their quality has improved considerably over the past several years. What's more, the latest generation of inexpensive photo-quality inkjet printers has made it possible to tweak digital photos on a computer and make glossy color prints at home.

Unfortunately, digital cameras are still more expensive than comparable film cameras. And while they're great for business and home use, they have one major disadvantage for travel: limited picture storage. 

Even the newest models with SmartMedia or CompactFlash memory cards aren't as practical as film cameras, simply because no portable electronic storage medium holds as many images for so little money as film. (IBM's Microdrives come close, but they aren't compatible with all digital cameras.)  Finally, film has one other big advantage over digital: it's an industry standard that won't disappear overnight.

If you'd like to know more about digital cameras, visit Photo.net or visit the rec.photo.digital newsgroup.

Two other possibilities are worth investigating if you want digital images without buying a digital camera:

Film plus a scanner. To capture photos electronically for digital photo albums or Web pages, you can scan prints with an inexpensive flatbed scanner. Better yet, scan your slides or negatives directly into your PC with a film scanner such as Nikon's CoolScan IV.

A video camcorder. If you're already planning to buy a new camcorder, look for a digital model that stores both video and still photos. With older camcorders, a device like Snappy Video Snapshot (check eBay for used models) or a digital video-capture card lets you grab stills from video footage. Such photos won't be up to the technical standards of the better film and digital still cameras, but they're fine for Web pages, screensavers, Windows wallpaper, and similar uses. 

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