Digital Cameras - a New Look

I thought I knew a lot about digital cameras. I have been taking digital photos for years, and even teaching Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, which process digital pictures. But I am learning some limitations of digital cameras while taking the Digital Darkroom course from Ron Lacey. I never realized how limited my pictures were before.

I have been using a Canon G1 and then a Canon G6, and while these cameras will take pretty good snapshots, they are far from detailed landscape cameras. The lens is the limitation. They have zoom lenses, and that is nice. But the f stop range is only adequate for simpler photos. I have had occasion, in the course I am taking, to want to view photos in a zoomed in condition - say 100 to 300%. And I have found that my pictures do not have a great range of focus. While the photo, for the most part, is in focus there are portions of my shots which always seem to be out of focus. And frankly, I am getting tired of that.

Ron takes pictures with multiple cameras and lenses, including a Canon D40 and a Canon 5D (the top of the line). And the detail in his pictures is amazing. Now I know what detail can look like. And by comparison, my photos are sorely lacking.

In the old days, when I used SLR film cameras (35 mm) I would get excellent range of focus. My best lens had a capability of f1.4 to f16, and at the higher f stops everything was in focus. The problem I had with film cameras was the cost of processing the film and the prints. I just could not afford what I wanted. So when the transition came to digital cameras, I eagerly converted - buying my first Canon G1. And I found I loved the developing cost = one software package (Photoshop Elements) for an all you can develop price. Great.

But now I am beginning to realize that sheer volume of megapixels is not the total answer. My G6 can take photos with 7 megapixels of info in the shot. So my color variation is very good. However, I am discovering that the clarity of my images is limited by the range of the f stop on my camera: f2 to f8. I am also discovering that my older age is a limit. My hands tend to be a tad unsteady when I snap the shots. It also does not help that digital cameras seem to have a longer "keep it steady" time built in as part of capturing the shot.

Ok, this sounds like a bitch session. But really it is just part of my internal process in deciding what kind of digital camera to buy next. I had thought that I wanted the small Canon G9. It is lightweight, portable and has a 12 megapixel photo capture. It also has an image stabilization (is) function, and that is a minimum requirement for my next camera. I had thought the "is" would be enough, but now I am beginning to wonder about the lens capability. I will have to see what I do next. More research, probably.