 
With the
popularity of digital cameras as holiday gifts in 2002, The Little
Digital Camera book by Cynthia L. Baron and Daniel Peck is a perfect
addition to the new photographer's bookshelf. Reading the book provides
a sharp overview for amateur photographers, hobbyists and beginners.
A lot of basic information is covered in just 217 pages. The authors
did a fine job of giving simple definitions to highly technical, photographic
based words and provided a great starting point for beginners. But
there were a few things they forgot…
The book starts off in a slump with an over simplified section about
the origins of photography. The authors should have sought advise
from the George Eastman House Museum in Rochester, New York for
more comprehensive information.
The next sections which cover film vs digital cameras and the whole
digital process are much better. The vast majority of the information
is thoughtful and compelling. There are a few additional thoughts
which should help you make more educated decisions:
- The
old adage is true -- size isn't every thing. While the
fact that more megapixels create better images is usually correct
it isn't always true. Optical quality has and always will have
a profound effect on image and print quality. In other words,
the better
the lens the better the image. More over, most cameras which
use interpolation software to create bigger digital file sizes
generally
create mundane photos.
- Pick
Apple. Several recent surveys done by professional photography
organizations showed that upwards 97 percent
of professional photographer's
choose the Apple computers as their work platform. I hope
this doesn't offend any of my PC using friends but this is a Macintosh
Users Group
review. In my 22 years as a photo professional I have not
come
across a better platform for creating professional quality
visuals. A recent
study made at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, one of America's
finest newspapers with a solid tradition in photojournalism
(dating back
to the early 1900's) showed that their staff photojournalists
were able to complete their daily tasks 33% quicker and 27% more
efficiently
using Apple computers.
- For
digital imaging purposes don't waste your time with anything less
than 256MB of random access memory on
a computer running
at 400 MHz. This fact is especially true for PC users.
Also USB based
accessories are generally pokey. One good exception to
this rule is Multi-Card readers. They tend to be slow in Firewire
too.
- A
good flash is important accessory. With very few exceptions digital
photography is poor under low light conditions.
- Think
of digital media as digital film. Digital media has finite space
however it's
reusable after transferring the
images onto
your computer. Also, the number of frames on a roll
of film is finite.
In the long run you'll save money with a digital camera.
Finally,
use the digital imaging section as a basic guide. Don't be afraid
of making a copy of your images to perform
experimentation.
There are no mistakes only opportunities for growth.
University employees should use their academic discount to purchase
the full version of
Adobe Photoshop instead of the recommended Adobe Photoshop
elements.
 Amateur photographers will find that this book gives solid advise
and good direction. But keep in mind that most of the information
should
only be used as a starting point. If one intends to become a better
photographer, one must grow beyond the bare minimum basics.
--
Bio of reviewer:
Marc J. Kawanishi, 37, is the Photo Chief of East Carolina University.
During the past 19 years he has been Assistant Managing Editor/Photo
at The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Picture Editor at The Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel, Staff Photographer at The News & Observer and
owner of a commercial photography business. Marc served as President
of the Wisconsin News Photographers Association (America's largest
state photojournalism organization). He has been a guest lecturer
at 550 conferences, schools, colleges and universities across the
nation. His awards include: The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
and five other Pulitzer nominations. |
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4.0
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of 5)
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Book
Review: