Hi to All

Since beginning to use a digital camera, I have been fighting a continuous battle of balance. Expose the subject properly and burn out the sky, or underexpose and have a lot of post processing to do.

Fuji were recently making the right noises by marketing their latest CCD that used two sets of sensors at differing sensitivities to provide a broader tonal range. Trouble was, if it worked, it did not show.

I have had a look at the sample images from the new HP Photosmart 945. HP have really made a difference here and should be applauded for their efforts. Compare photos of the bar and resruant to those from your favourite camera. Properly exposed shadow areas and sky, all in one frame.

I know that Canon are claiming that their sub £1000 DSLR was revolutionary and that Sony think a major leap forward is to cram 8Mp onto a sensor, but to be honest, I beleive that by addressing the single biggest failing of the digital medium, HP should be recognised as launching the most significant improvement in digital photography this year.

What does anyone else think?

It's often said that digital photography is like using slide film, so if you're OK using that then you should be OK with digital. You also have the advantage of a histogram on some cameras, which instantly shows if the exposure is correct or not. And you can also take two differently exposed shots of a scene and combine them later in Photoshop - perfect for landscape photography.

If you're used to the wide latitude of print film, you may well be a bit disappointed/surprised if you switch to digital.

Hi Mark

I have used slide film for 20 years + with no problems at all. I would estimate that digital has about 2/3 the range of slide film. The Minolta S414 that I use seems to be no worse than any other digicam for this problem. I suspect that it is hard for folks to admit a problem with the medium once they have parted with huge sums of cash to buy in.

What I still think deserves recognition is HP's attempt to improve the medium when no one else seems bothered. Many years of development (pardon the pun) have gone into film. Now we have acceptable resolution from digital, the next holy grail should be range.

Chris

I'm currently reviewing the Fuji FinePix F700 digital camera, which has a new CCD that Fuji claims captures more highlight and shadow detail than normal digicams. Look out for my review at the end of this week, just in time for Christmas!

I prefer Canon Cameras

Hi,
I am currently using Cannon camera and I think it is one of the best camera having digital picture quality among all the existing one.

Printing Equipment

@pauling - I agree with you.