"Digital photography allows you to take back the control of your images that traditional photography hands over to an inexperienced minilab operator." That's what Popular Photography's technology editor Michael J. McNamara says about the exciting world of digital imaging.
To elaborate on McNamara's thought: even with an inexpensive ($50) digital imaging computer program, you can adjust the brightness, contrast and color of a digitized picture.For the novice: a digitized picture is one that is brought into a computer via a picture CD, photo CD, picture disk, on-line service, memory card, memory stick, disk or a desktop scanner.
The more advanced the imaging program (up to $600), the more enhancements the photographer can make. What's more, many scanners and digital cameras come with free picture enhancement software, as do some picture CDs.
"For digital photographers," McNamara adds, "taking the picture is only the beginning of the creative path toward making beautiful pictures. Once your images are in the computer, digital darkroom programs open up new dimensions that can't be dreamed about when using traditional photographic methods."
What are some of the other advantages of using a digital camera?
McNamara explains: "Digital cameras give you instant feedback, even faster than a Polaroid, by way of a built-in liquid-crystal-display (like a mini-TV screen). This allows you to discard out-of-focus and missed shots without spending money on processing. A digital camera can also make you a better photographer by letting you learn from your mistakes, and successes, at the moment you take the photo."
When choosing a digital camera, remember that the number of pixels (picture elements) does not always determine image quality, although megapixel (millions of pixels) cameras often produce better pictures than cameras with fewer pixels. The quality of the lens also determines how sharp or soft your pictures will look.