RE: Digital Camera

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Chris Brick by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <cbrick-at-rebelbase-dot-com>


>Shad:
>I don't mean to rain on your parade. But, I ask the following questions
>1. can the digital do double exposures?
>2. can the digital do time exposures to catch multiple arcs?
>3. and if the digital gets a truly GREAT photo and you want to frame it and
>hang it on the wall, can you get a decent 11x14 or 16x20 and will it be
>sharp?
>
>35mm FILM cameras can answer YES to all of the above. Sorry about the PIA. I
>do understand.

As a long time film photographer, I can maybe offer some words on this 
thread.  Film will always have digital beat in that you are triggering on a 
molecular level and not CMOS or CCD's very large pickups.  I worked for a 
company called Photoaccess-dot-com in their ASIC design facility (before it was 
sold to Agilent).  We tested every mid to high end consumer digital camera 
in a controlled environment.

Results (at the time, 1999)

Image quality:  Nikon hands down, Canon close second, Fuji was the worst

The Nikon cameras were awkward and drained batteries in mere minutes.

I am personally leaning towards the newer Canon G1/G2 series.  As the G2 
becomes available, the G1 should drop in price.  My reasoning is that you 
have a massive amount of control over the exposure, very much like a film 
camera.  Up to an 8 second exposure which will surely capture plenty of 
streamers.  Double exposures, programmable bracket shooting, the list goes 
on...oh yeah, and an infared remote to trigger the camera while you pose 
with your coil.

The ability to snap a photo, pop the media out, pop it into a computer, run 
it through a filter or change it's size in photoshop  (or similar) and have 
it on the net, email it to a friend, or print it in minutes is very 
appealing to me.  I currently have a Fuji that was given to me back when I 
worked at Photoaccess and have already started saving for a Canon G1 or G2.

I would also recommend a Tripod for night shots since slight movement of 
the camera will result in noise in the dark areas as well as focus 
loss.  When a digital camera takes a long exposure picture in dark 
conditions, it scans the CCD/CMOS sensor repeatedly and then tries to put 
it all back together.  Even with the noise reduction algorithms that are in 
most high end digital cameras these days, the less it has to remove the better.

Hope this helps as off topic as it may be,

Chris