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Technology

Basic Digital Photography Made Easy (or at least a little less obscure): Part 2

by Joe Kashi

April 2006

DIGITAL CAMERAS THAT I LIKE OR DISLIKE:

In our last issue, I looked at some general considerations that you should take into account when purchasing a digital camera for use in your law practice. This month, I will look at some specific models and their pros and cons.

Many of the traditional 35mm photographic vendors have not made an entirely successful transition to the world of digital photography. For example, Konica-Minolta has completely exited from the photography market and many of the lower end consumer grade Nikon and Olympus digital cameras seem to be oddly lacking in overall photographic quality. Panasonic’s and Casio’s otherwise excellent cameras appear to have more than their share of noisy sensors. On the other hand, some Kodak, Sony, Canon and Fuji models in the $200 - $400 range provide very good value for the money.

In the $200- $220 or so range, I really like the 5 megapixel Kodak z730. It is an excellent camera for the money with a very good Schneider-Kruznach 4X wide angle to telephoto zoom lens and excellent manual and automatic controls. I use one regularly. The z730's ergonomics are excellent and it very easy and logical to use once you have become familiar with it. Although inexpensive, the Kodak z730 produces surprisingly high quality enlargements up to 13" x 19". A slightly more expensive but very similar model, the z760, has a somewhat higher resolution 6 megapixel sensor and a 3X Schneider zoom lens that I have not been able to personally test. (The video clip option on these lower cost Kodak cameras does not reach the desirable 30 frames per second but I have not found this to be unduly troublesome when videotaping approaches to accident scenes.) Kodak also makes a unique, rather more expensive, two lens ultra-compact camera, the $399 list price v570, that includes two separate lenses, both a normal magnification to telephoto zoom lens and also a very wide angle lens, both made by Schneider, a top-tier optical vendor.

I have made identical 13"x19" enlargements from identical bright sunlight photos taken with the $200 Kodak z730 and with the $1,000 top-tier Sony DSC-R1. Although one could, upon close comparison, see a difference, the difference was not all that great for photos that were not enlarged beyond 13"x19". As one person remarked, “There’s a difference but not an $800 difference”.

Overall, though, you might be better off with a 6MP, 7MP or 8MP camera such as those made by Sony, Fujifilm or Canon. These will typically cost about $300 - $400. In this price range, the Canon A620 (7MP), the Sony DSC-W7 (7MP), and the Fujifilm F10 and F11 (6.3 MP) are all highly regarded and any of these would be an excellent, cost-effective choice for all-around law office use. I personally would choose either the Canon A620 or the Sony DSC-W7 in this range because I still prefer to use a direct optical viewfinder rather than looking at a small LCD back. The Fuji F10 and F11 do not include an optical viewfinder.

Sony’s DSC-V3 (7MP), Fuji’s E900 (9MP), Kodak’s P880 ( MP) and Canon’s PowerShot S80 (8MP) and G6 (7MP) models are among the top of the line in the upper mid-range. I bought a Sony DSC-V3 for office use because it could optionally record in Sony’s highly useful RAW format - I found that the sharpness of its Zeiss lens was quite good overall, noticeably better than the $200 Kodak z730. At enlargements greater than 13"x19", the Sony DSC-V3 produced images that were demonstrably sharper and less noisy than those taken with the Kodak z730, particularly when I used the Sony’s RAW file format. However, the Sony V3's lens, unlike the z730's, had a disturbing tendency at wide angle settings to distort straight edges into curving convex or concave lines depending upon the zoom range. This could be a serious problem under some circumstances. Further, more than most, the Sony V3's Zeiss zoom lens quickly loses sharpness as small apertures (f8) due to diffraction, a physical phenomenon. Oddly, the fully Automatic and Program modes in the Sony V3 do not take this into account and default to the fuzzy f8 aperture in bright sunlight. If you use a Sony V3, then you’ll need to take this design anomaly into account by consciously using a larger aperture between f2.8 and f5.6. I also found that the V3's ergonomics were not nearly as straightforward as those on the Kodak cameras.

My other general problem with Sony is that it does not include a standalone battery charger and then charges about double the going rate for the necessary second battery and the highly desirable external battery charger. This adds a hidden cost of about $70 to a Sony camera compared to comparable Kodak models. On balance, though, I found that the hassles inherent to using the Sony DSC-V3 are more than compensated by its excellent picture quality in a relatively compact package. Still, if I were to rewind my purchase of the Sony DSC-V3, I would instead have bought an MP Kodak P880. (My comments regarding the Sony DSC-V3 do not pertain to the bulky but well-designed Sony DSC-R1.)

Canon’s PowerShot S80 and G6 models costs $100 to $200 more than the Sony DSC-V3 and do not include a few of the V3's high end features. These Canon models are about comparable to the Sony V3 in optical performance, although the Sony V3 seems to have a slight edge optically. The Canon S80 and G6 have better ergonomics than the Sony V3, particularly quick access to routine photographic controls. Oddly, Canon dropped its RAW file option from the S80, the primary reason that I did not buy that camera but the too-expensive G6 retains RAW capability. . The 9 MP Fuji E900 is an anomaly: its likely purchase price is between $350 and $420 yet sample images taken by it do not seem as sharp as those taken by the less expensive 6 MP Fuji F10. I chose not to buy this camera due to apparently inferior overall performance.

Other high end cameras, such as the Panasonic FZ30 and the Fujifilm S9000 cost between $500 and $600, have a resolution of at least 8MP, and can produce near-professional quality photographs. These typically have a broader range of manual and professional grade controls. Beyond this point, there is little real additional benefit for the average law office user. More expensive cameras, including entry level and professional grade single lens reflex cameras, quickly become very expensive and are probably unnecessary. Nikon and Olympus do make true digital SLR cameras that start below $1,000 including a basic zoom lens. Overall, these lower cost dSLR cameras are excellent but use relatively low resolution 6MP sensors. Once beyond these entry level dSLR cameras, you’ll quickly spend thousands.

My personal choice for a top-level, high resolution camera is the $1,000 Sony DSC-R1, which includes a really high grade Zeiss zoom lens and an exceptionally high resolution, low noise electronic sensor. This is a professional grade camera whose overall image quality is superlative and which an experienced photographer will find fairly easy to use after some familiarization. Once you become used to using this camera, you will realize that Sony got nearly everything right on this model. Comparable optical and photographic performance would cost a few thousand dollars more from any other vendor. Yet, most people detect only insubstantial differences in quality when comparing identical 13"x19" enlargements taken simultaneously with the $1,000 10.5MP Sony and the $200 5MP Kodak z730. Unless you plan to make photo exhibits larger than 13"x19" (and personally I do prefer to go bigger), any difference in photographic quality taken by each of these cameras is probably meaningless for evidentiary purposes. On the other hand, if you would like to print trial exhibits in the 24" x 36" range, then you need a camera like the Sony DSC-R1. Note that the Sony DSC-R1, for some very odd reason, does not have any video clip capability at all while all other cameras mentioned so far in this article include usable video clip capability.

For most purposes at moderate enlargements up to 13" x 19", photographs taken with a $500 upper mid-range Kodak P880, which has comparable optical performance and features and an excellent video clip mode, are almost indistinguishable from those taken with the Sony DSC-R1 cameras and the Kodak P880 is a less-expensive, more compact and easier to use camera. For these reasons, I recommend it as one of the best all-around cameras for the average law office.

My Personal Choices

I really liked the 10 MP Sony DSC-R1 but was initially deterred by its lack of any video clip capability. As an interim camera with video that I could casually take anywhere, I chose the Kodak z730. Color balance, lens resolution and the range of features are excellent for its price point. The z730’s very wide range of controls and features are very easy to use after a little familiarization with the camera. Ultimately, I also bought a Sony DSC-R1 as well because of its professional-level image quality – there is nothing comparable to it in its price range. The Sony R1 is far larger and heavier than a good quality casual camera such as the Kodak z730 and the Sony W7 and really is better suited for professional and near-pro photographers than the casual user. Even though I have had formal photographic training and have taught photography at the college level, the Sony DSC-R1 was a challenge at first but I love this camera now that I familiar with it. Looking for a very capable but still compact mid-range camera, I also purchased a Sony DSC-V3, but I have found its design and ergonomics to be disappointing overall even though its optical quality was excellent when used carefully. I wish that I had instead purchased Kodak’s P880 ($500).

These are all excellent cameras for their intended uses and price ranges. However, as noted at the beginning of this discussion, my overall recommendation for the law office is the Kodak P880 which is an excellent blend of high quality, RAW file capability, broad usefulness, and ease of use at a very good price point.

Here are some basic tips for good digital photography:

1. Always use your camera at its highest sensor resolution and at “fine” or “superfine” low compression settings. Use RAW file formats where feasible. With most RAW file formats, you can always revert to the original camera settings and start over if you get carried away.
2. Always retain the original image file without any additional compression or editing. Make any edits, corrections and enhancements to a clearly labeled copy of the original file. You may need to prove authenticity and you may also need a unedited clean copy in case you need to start over because of “irrationally exuberant” compression or “enhancement” that cannot be fully reversed in a JPEG file.
3. Use any bracketing features that quickly and automatically take the same photo at three or more different exposure settings. One of the bracketed photos will likely have an obviously better exposure.
4. Carry and regularly use a light monopod to support your camera during long exposures. Otherwise, many photos will be degraded due to camera shake in low light situations.
5. Use the minimum in-camera contrast and sharpness settings. You can do a better job later with your computer using a photo program like Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 or possibly the standard or RAW file editing programs that came with your camera.
6. Use your camera often and become very familiar with it. Experiment with different settings to see how they react. For example, you may, or may not, like the results of a “vivid” color setting rather than “natural” color.
7. Avoid using the slow shutter speeds if possible. Also, if possible avoid using a small f8 aperture to avoid optical degradation.
8. Do not use the Auto ISO speed setting. You are likely to find that the camera defaults to a noisy high ISO setting that results in lower quality. Instead, use the setup menu to set the camera to the slowest ISO speed consistent with a fast-enough shutter speed, typically somewhere between ISO 80 and ISO 160.
9. Experiment with different exposure and focus options that your camera might include, such as broad, center-weighted or spot areas used for focusing and exposure.
10. When indoors or in low light, use your electronic flash but be aware that it may over-expose nearby objects and under-expose more distant objects unless you over-ride the auto controls as needed
11. Many cameras, such as the Kodak z730, include a variety of “scene” modes that are specially programmed for specific hard to photograph situations such as bright snow or portraits. These generally produce superior results to the basic automatic settings but you will need to test specific scene modes ahead of time to be sure.
12. Auto focus does not always work well, particularly when close up or taking pictures of distant scenery. If your camera includes the ability to manually choose distant or close-up focus ranges, then use them as needed.
13. Wherever possible, try to shoot in bright sunlight with the sun over your shoulder rather than taking pictures of a subject lit from the side or rear. This will result in more uniform exposure and better detail.
14. Whenever possible, shoot video clips at the largest available frame size (usually 640 x 480) and at the fastest available frame per second rate (usually 30 fps).
15. Be particularly careful not to over-expose a picture that includes bright areas where you need to capture detail in the highlights. If the important detail is in the shadowed areas, then you will need to avoid exposures that result in under-exposing these areas. Lack of highlight or shadow detail cannot be fully corrected when later using a photo editing program. The best way to prevent these programs is to use any multi-frame exposure bracketing feature. Unless your prior experience indicates otherwise, set the exposure bracketing interval to 0.7 EV, which is a good compromise.
16. Keep your lens, viewfinder and LCD screen protected and clean.
17. “Digital Zoom” capabilities generally should be disabled and not used at all – the resulting photos will typically lose too much quality.
18. Remember that digital cameras basically perform like traditional film cameras loaded with slide film. The same fundamental optical and photographic concepts apply.

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