Canon Digital Camera Ixus 700

Consumers are unlikely to use digital cameras for holiday snaps, reports Anthony Clark

The perception of digital photography varies between potential users. For the consumer, their first brush with a digital camera is probably the one that comes bundled with the new PC. It is seen as a fun toy, but not as a viable alternative to the trusted Canon AE1 or the all- singing, all-dancing point-and-snap with built-in flash.

For the professional photographer, it is quite another matter as clients are increasingly demanding digitally-originated snaps, especially for catalogue and promotional work where images are regularly stored as `digital assets' for re-versioning across a number of markets.

And it is here that digital photography comes into its own. After all, why waste time and money creating a physical print for scanning when a digital one can be painlessly downloaded straight out of the camera and into PhotoShop? It is then only a short step to getting your image on to the page of whatever you are printing.

Conversely, this step to print is the weakness for domestic users. No matter how good your deskjet printer, you are limited to relatively low- quality output in terms of colour range, lifespan and detail when compared to a conventional photography.

The reliance on the four process inks - cyan, magenta, yellow and black - robs the original of much of its colour gamut, while even the most expensive photo-grade paper still fails to match the crisp reproduction of `real' photographic stock of traditional silver halide.

The cameras themselves also fall into two groups with a sharp division between `consumer' and `professional' in terms of quality and price - although image quality is less of a concern than it used to be thanks to developments in CCD design (see above).

Traditional camera manufacturers have been keen to ride the digital wave and among their offerings are re-versioned analogue models. But here again the market falls into two: fully self-contained units and camera backs. Nikon, Canon and Kodak have all staked a claim in both markets; Hasselblad has recently pulled out of the digital market altogether, preferring to focus entirely on conventional technology.

But perhaps the most important overall consideration is the price differential. While digital cameras remain a more costly alternative to conventional point-and-snap and high-end kit, they run the risk of being seen as either niche gadgets or prohibitively expensive professional tools.

And for the professional market, there is currently no way to pass on the additional equipment cost to your client. So until there is a `digital premium' tick box on a job's invoice, the digital route will remain costly, albeit one increasingly demanded by the market.

Currently available

Model                              Type        Resolution
                                               (pixels)

Agfa ePhoto C118                   SCC         640 x 480
Agfa ePhoto Cl30 Clik!             SCC         1152 x 864
Agfa ePhoto Cl50                   SCC         1600 x 1200
Agfa ePhoto Cl30                   SCC         1152 x 864
AxioCam                            SCC         5936 x 3040
Coolpix 700                        SCC         1600 x 1200
Coolpix 950                        SCC         1600 x 1200
Coolpix 990                        SCC         2048 x 1536
CreoScitex Leaf Cantare            CB          3072 x 2048
CreoScitex Leaf Cantare XY         CB          3072 x 2048
CreoScitex Leaf Volare             CB          3072 x 2048
Digital Ixus                       SCC         1600 x 1200
Epson PhotoPC3000Z                 SCC         2544 x 1904
Epson PhotoPC600                   SCC         1024 x 768
Epson PhotoPC650                   SCC         1152 x 864
Epson PhotoPC800                   SCC         1984 x 1488
Epson PhotoPC850Z                  SCC         1984 x 1488
Eyeland MF                         CB          3036 x 2048
Fujifilm FinePix 1400 Zoom         SCC         1280 x 960
Fujifilm FinePix 4700 Zoom         SCC         2400 x 1800
Fujifilm FinePix S1 Pro            SCC         3040 x 2016
Imacon Carnival 2020-U             CB          2048 x 2048
Imacon Carnival 3020               CB          3000 x 2000
Imacon Carnival 3020-S             CD          3000 x 2000
Kodak DC215 Zoom                   SCC         1174 x 884
Kodak DC280 Zoom                   SCC         1760 x 1168
Kodak DC290 Zoom                   SCC         2240 x 1400
Kodak DC4800 Zoom                  SCC         2160 x 1440
Kodak DC5000 Zoom                  SCC         1760 x 1168
KY-F70U                            SCC         1360 x 1024
Megavision S2                      CB          2048 x 2048
Megavision S3                      CB          3036 x 2048
Megavision S3 Batpac               SCC         3036 x 2048
Megavision T32                     CB          3036 x 2048
Phase One Lightphase               CB          3056 x 2032
Phase One Photophase Plus          CB          7200 x 5000
Phase One Powerphase               CB          8400 x 6000
Phase One Powerphase FX            CB          12600 x 10500
Phase One Studiokit                CB          3500 x 3500
Powershot 510                      SCC         1600 x 1200
Powershot 520                      SCC         2048 x 1536
QV2000UX                           SCC         1600 x 1200
QV3000EX                           SCC         7048 x 1536
QV8000SX                           SCC         1280 x 960

Key: CB = camera back SCC = self-contained camera

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