The Hindu Business Line : Picture this

With the coming of digital cameras, your pictures need no longer be at the mercy of a darkroom. With technology on the roll, will films be confined to the can for ever?

A digital eye on the Olympic action - picture by Vino John

The art of clicking pictures and developing them "film style" may be a thing of the past. Technology buffs are saying that it's smarter to go digital. Take a look at the benefits — digital cameras are convenient, easier to handle and the results are instant. There is no cost of buying film, developing and making expensive prints later. Digital cameras offer a greater depth of field and if you are not satisfied with the results you can delete the picture and click again.

Says renowned photographer Raghu Rai, "Earlier, top-of-the-line digital cameras were very expensive, bulky and would deliver low-quality output. But all that has changed now. With the way technology is developing, the future is digital. The possibilities and advantages offered are amazing."

Images are electronically captured and stored in the camera's memory. They can be previewed on the LCD screen on the camera without having to develop the film... and transferred to a computer or a CD and printed with the help of a digital printer. The bother of storing film negatives is nullified.

A `field' camera exudes old-world charm - picture by A.M. Faruqui

Postproduction has also become relatively easier. Images can be colour-corrected, darkened or made lighter and the resolution increased for depth. Printing is just a click away and there is no need to have a darkroom. Rai, who in a career spanning over three decades, has specialised in extensive coverage of India, uses a Canon (16.7 megapixels) and is eagerly awaiting the launch of Mamiya's recently announced 22- megapixel camera.

On the other hand, Delhi's well-known fashion photographer Akhil Bakshi is a prominent fan of the old- fashioned camera and feels that nothing can beat the quality of film.

Superior results

"Digital cameras are still in the experimental stage and cannot match up to the superior results of the film roll. The sensor of a digital camera is nowhere near that of a film." Film, adds Bakshi, is a learning experience. "It's an art rolled into science."

And even though he does admit that an LCD monitor is a boon for professional photographers like him, he still maintains that digital cameras will take at least another 20 years to wipe out the film roll completely and, maybe, not even then.

Photographers like him point out the benefits of film cameras: They are quicker to use as you don't have to wait for the camera to start up, for the photo sensor to capture the image, or for the picture to be compressed and saved to the memory card. Batteries last much longer in film cameras. A digital camera's LCD can become unusable in very bright light. The user does not need to know how to handle a computer. A picture on film is likely to last longer than a hard disk or CD used to store digital pictures. And finally, digital cameras are expensive. A professional digital camera can start at around Rs.1.5 lakh, with the price increasing depending on the sophistication of the model. Apart from this, anyone who buys a digital camera must own a computer and a colour printer.

But, says Amit Kumar, Assistant Manager Sales, Kodak, "Despite the steep cost many photography buffs are shifting over to digital technology. Our sales figures for film cameras, which generally register an increase of almost 40 per cent a year, have in the last couple of years dropped to just 15 to 20 per cent per annum."

The digital camera is slowly but surely creating a niche in India too. Says Kumar, "Soon, film will account for less than half of Kodak's profits. We have to keep up with changing technology and digital is the way to go. Today, we are the market leaders in India in digital expertise, whether it is cameras, digital "developing" laboratories or digital printers." Some reports suggest that many leading companies including Kodak will soon stop selling film cameras and switch to the digital version. The traditional cameras would be manufactured only for those who have a sentimental attachment to past times.

Jindal Photo Films (JPFL), the flagship company of the B.C. Jindal Group, too has gone digital. The company, which has a technical and marketing tie-up with Japan-based Fuji Photo Films and is the sole distributor in India, is setting up service centres exclusively for its digital products. In Japan, Fuji has set up a chain of self-service digital terminals.

Boom-like conditions

With the boom-like conditions prevailing in digital photography, most photo labs are seeing a bleak future for themselves. Though traditional photography may take some years to disappear from India, many lab owners have already started offering specialised digital services.

Says N.N. Sharma, owner of Photo Finish in Delhi's Defence Colony, "In the last one year, our business declined... at almost twice the speed that I had estimated. So, there was no option but to go digital."

His studio now offers instant studio pictures taken by a digital camera. His computer is loaded with the Fotoreplica software that can print any required size in multiple copies or e-mail them instantly. One can also have digital borders or mounts. Adds another studio owner, "I may be a diehard fan of traditional pictures but the future is digital. Ever since I have started offering digital services my business is booming because today almost half my clients are using digital cameras."

Even though many photographers never tire of condemning the digital camera for wrecking the art of taking pictures, the fact is that change is gripping the world in its digital throes and an increasing number of photographers — professional and amateur — are shifting over to better and user-friendly technology.

After all, say technology buffs, it is the age of the digital revolution so why should the camera stay shrouded in the confines of a darkroom and the pictures at the mercy of a laboratory attendant?

What's hot in stores

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II: Canon has just announced the EOS-1Ds Mark II. This camera comes with 16.7 megapixels for faster and continuous shooting.

Nikon D2X: The Nikon D2X 12.4 megapixel is a professional's camera. Compatible with the lenses of the entire Nikon DX range, this digital camera has the option of wirelessly beaming your pictures to your PC, giving you more space to shoot and store.

Mamiya ZD: Mamiya ZD with 22 megapixels is the world's first medium-format digital SLR camera that is both fully integrated and portable. It is lightweight and hence ideal for on-location photography. It has excellent highlight handling, unrivalled output speed and high dynamic range.

Kodak Easy Share CX7430: This budget-priced, 4-megapixel compact piece comes with a 1.6-inch colour LCD screen. Though it's aimed at the "snapshot" crowd, camera enthusiasts claim it's a must-have for amateurs.

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