Aims

• To develop an understanding of the principles behind the mechanisms of digital capture.

• To create a recource for objective comparisons between digital cameras.

• To foster an appreciation of when digital is the preferred choice for image capture.

Objectives

• Research and evaluate the choices available in digital capture devices, including:

  • high end cameras

  • mega pixel cameras

  • scanning backs

  • point and shoot cameras

Introduction

The ability to perform any digital manipulation requires image data to be ' captured' and then entered into a computer system. This can be achieved by using either of the following:

• A digital camera for initial capture with the data then transferred onto a computer, via direct link or storage card.

• A traditional camera using film, then at some later stage scanning the image and transferring the data onto a computer.

Whilst both methods result in a similar data file which can be said to represent the image as ' seen' by the camera and indeed the photographer, they actually produce data that have important differences. To understand these differences, let us first examine the processes involved.