I have switched from film to digital photography, and it happened so subtly — so gradually, so naturally, so effortlessly — that I hardly noticed.
I have advocated digital photography for some time, writing about digital cameras, and I have carried a digital camera into battle for several years. But I always had a film camera — a trusty 35mm — nearby. In fact, I bought a new Nikon just 18 months back, partly to ensure that all the auto-focus capabilities of the new lenses would be available to me.
Frequent Flier
My first foray into digital still photography was a pocket-size, Kodak DC20 digital camera. I liked it a lot, and I used it to take a load of images for use on my Web site, but it had its drawbacks. The most obvious problem was the camera’s 493-by-373 resolution: If by some miracle I had caught that Pulitzer Prize-winning photo, it would have had too little resolution to be of any use to anyone but the Postal Service. Then, too, the only way to get images from the camera to the PC was a slow serial connection. Still, the camera’s low weight and compact size were compelling features, and I could carry the camera with me always, just for that little “grab shot” — an image taken on the spur of the moment. The camera and its instantly available images were also fun novelties to share with people I met in my travels.
Once I used the DC20 on an airplane while returning from Europe, to demonstrate to some insurance adjusters that digital cameras were the up-and-coming thing. I took portraits of each of the men next to me, and then transferred the images to my PowerBook, and showed them how I could insert the photos into a Web page. They were ready to invest in digital cameras at the next airport Duty Free shop (though none were available).
Trading Up
Over time, the DC20 found its way into an eBay auction, and I moved on to a Nikon CoolPix 900, a higher-resolution camera that changed my mind about digital images — mostly. Its picture quality was better, color saturation was fair, and the images were graphic-arts quality, though only to about the size of a postcard. I made some impressive images with that camera, and published some of them in print. It was an improvement over my previous camera, but it did not change my habit of carrying a film camera. Whenever I went out to shoot with the CoolPix, I had the Nikon 35mm camera and a few rolls of film with me as a backup.
I eventually replaced that first CoolPix with another — the 950 — which is a superior camera in all respects. It has more resolution, far better color, and acceptable saturation of images. I found it was acceptable for print quality images, and for the first time I made digital photos that needed no apology. The other features of the 950 that impress me are the ability to lock the exposure, and to lock the focus (on infinity), features that are critically important to making QuickTime VR panoramic images.
I still have that camera, and I treat it as a good friend with whom I have shared some great adventures. It is small, light, and easy to pack in a briefcase. I take it almost everywhere, and hardly notice its bulk.
Getting Serious
Then the Nikon D1 arrived on my doorstep, on loan from Nikon for the duration of a project I am working on for the company. This is a serious, large, moderately heavy camera that looks like a Nikon F5 — a professional’s camera. The D1 has a standard Nikon lens mount that allows for the use of almost any Nikon lens, including long telephoto lenses and macro lenses. It captures images at a maximum resolution of 2,000 x 1,312, it boasts exceptional metering capabilities, and it can take photos as fast as you want to take them (up to 4.5 per second). This speed is in sharp contrast to the point-and-wait delay imposed by many consumer digital cameras, which often require half a second or longer to snap the picture after you push the shutter button. The D1 accepts the fact that you may not have focused correctly, or that your chosen shutter speed may be too slow. It simply takes the picture. Now. If it’s out of focus, that’s your fault.
I had the D1 for about an hour before venturing out to take one of those images that simply would not wait. There had been a rare thunderstorm in my town, and huge black clouds were surrounding the hills as the sun broke through. I rushed to a nearby hilltop, racing against the weather to reach my vantage point. I set up the tripod and prepared to make a panoramic image with my special QTVR (QuickTime VR) camera mount. And I discovered that I did not know how to use the camera — at all.
I rolled the controls, pushed various combinations of buttons, and I got control of the shutter speed, but I still had no control over the aperture. Watching my beautiful scene begin to evaporate, I told myself that this is just a camera, that it had to work like any other (the manual was back at my house). I finally managed to push the right combination of buttons to get manual control of the camera, and suddenly everything fell into place. I was able to make the image, and it worked beautifully. The result is delightful, and it records a fleeting moment in time when coastal California enjoyed a New Mexico-style sky with huge billowing clouds and tremendous contrasts in lighting.
Fading Away
I have carried the D1 now for about two months. It has been to the top of Montserrat in Spain, to Stuttgart in Germany, and to the islands of British Columbia, Canada. I have made dozens of lovely images with it, and it has proved to be a professional camera in every respect. (For a look at numerous panoramas I shot with the D1 and other cameras, click here.)
It was on the trip to B.C., Canada, that I discovered the truth about my relationship with the D1. I made four panoramic images in Butchart Gardens, near Victoria, B.C. Each was carefully made with tripod and levels and panoramic bracket. I realized after the fourth image that my film camera had been in the camera case for three days. I had made the transition to digital photography without backup, and had hardly noticed. I had developed total confidence in my digital images and no longer needed the film backup.
In short, I realized I did not need the film camera anymore. The D1 is reliable and capable, and it delivers images of adequate resolution to replace my “regular” images on film (it creates 7.9MB files).
I have gotten used to the bulk of the D1. In fact, I find it reassuring to use the camera now. Its solid, precision construction makes you aware you are using a photographic instrument, not a consumer camera or a novelty item. This is a pro’s camera, pure and simple, and it feels the part.
The other thing I have gotten used to is the massive zoom lens that is the “standard” for the D1. A 17-35mm f2.8 zoom lens, it’s larger than anything else I have, and is the largest Nikon lens I have ever used. But its lightning-fast focus and its f2.8 speed make the lens a nice match for the kind of work I do. When building panoramas with 12 images, the product of this lens is a flat-field, ultra-consistent exposure that requires almost no retouching. I work much harder to get panoramas from film and scanner.
My resulting panoramic images, ready for printing, are more than 55MB in size; the resolution and sharpness are exquisite. I can now make these the same day as the photos are made; I no longer have to send film for processing and scanning.
Concessions
I have already made some changes in my work habits to accommodate the D1. I must off-load the images from the memory cards (I use a Lexar Media USB Compact Flash Card reader, which makes the D1 images immediately available), and I write these images to CD as an archive so that the memory cards can be erased and reused. And because all the images on the card are numbered, I assign recognizable names to the images for the purposes of finding one later based on its name. DSC_0002.JPG is hardly a useful name for a photograph.
And the issue of resolution is still there. The D1 captures images at impressively high quality, and I sometimes use Genuine Fractals to make the D1 images even better. Still, the D1 is not adequate for every image. I need film for my most demanding photo jobs, such as capturing high-quality landscape panoramas, and I will not abandon film completely. But the immediacy of digital photography is a strong incentive for me to use my D1 as much as possible instead of my film camera.
So today I find myself the user of a digital camera that has made a convert of me. I no longer feel the need to backup my digital images with film, and the resulting photographs are no-excuses images suitable for most purposes. I am amazed both at the technology and the fact that it has taken hold so quickly.
And I am looking forward to shooting with the Nikon D2. (Nikon has announced no such camera, but a photographer can hope.)
For Nikon D1 specifications, click here.
This article was last modified on December 13, 2022
This article was first published on August 14, 2000
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