I am looking to upgrade my current camera and I wanted to know if I should go digital? My primary uses are personal photos but I want to start doing creative items with these photos. Do you recommend digital camera, or a scanner and what about photo-paint 8, can this program meet me needs of cards, calendars and other creative ideas and is it worth $69.95? Thanks for helping me?

-- carrie bargen (cardsbal@gateway.net), September 17, 1999

Answers

Probably the cheapest way to test the waters is Kodak's PictureCD product.Visit their site and see for yourself. If you have an SLR and a few lenses, you may just find this suits better than the anxiety of choosing a scanner or digital camera whose performance you might find underwhelming.Entry-level software from Adobe(or others) and a fairly modern PC or Mac will certainly launch you into digital.

-- Gary Watson (cg.watson@sympatico.ca), September 17, 1999.

I read your enquiry with some interest,

I went digital because of my move into the wonderful world of web design. Everything in that world consists of images that are set at the standard web grade 72 dpi resolution, which is fine given the most common monitor sizes range around the 800x600 mark.

The limitations to cheaper digital cameras are basically that of physical memory for high resolution picture taking. Typically I have a choice of settings on my camera from low res to high (more memory required). If I choose high I may be limited in the number of pictures I can store (on mine its 8) but I can still choose lower res after taking one or two high res shots (it is normally an `anytime' switchable option - rather like the choice of long/normal play on your video machine). Also it eats batteries quickly so you should consider circulating batteries for frequent camera use. Impromptu shots require a very steady hand, always try and find a brace (post, an open door, back of chair or even monopod as it is so easy to get a blurred shot. Ultimately you may not yet achieve the resolution of film without spending upwards of seven hundred Dollars or maybe 500 Pounds sterling ... But the good points do outweigh the bad. I would always consider keeping both types of camera. Downloading digital camera images to PC or laptop is simple with the installation of an accompanying program. Digital cameras are more fragile than normal film cameras. The current rule if you are like me and watching your coins is that what looks good on the screen will never look as good in print, but what lookes good in print will always look good on screen with a scanner - It is indeed a compromise. With the digicam You spend nothing on film, but a bit more on batteries. You can review and dump images on the spot... Anyone else want to add to that ? I might have missed a few other points but thats basically it.

Good luck in your decision.

-- Jan Mathiesen (designer) (SCDesign@ukgateway.net), September 17, 1999.

The way to avoid spending more on batteries is getting NiMH rechargables. :)

-- benoit (foo@bar.com), September 20, 1999.