Digital cameras: Don't make a snap decision

Tiny pixels, the building blocks of digital photos, often blur in larger prints - even with quality consumer cameras - and rarely render the sharp clarity of film. In general, prints from two-megapixel cameras begin to blur at sizes of 8-by-10 and above. Experts say people who frequently order 11-by-14 prints and larger upgrade to a four-megapixel camera. Regardless of the model, digital photos produced on a home printer usually degrade after two or three years.

For that reason, many photographers - from amateurs to professionals - prefer 35-mm film cameras over digital models for important images, such as family portraits or artistic landscapes.

In Odessa, Texas, the Odessa Camera Store is the largest camera shop between Dallas and Arizona, with a "Texas-sized" 4,000 square-foot space, boasts owner George Scott. Most customers compose photographs of landscapes, sunsets, and sand hills. Nine out 10 still buy film cameras. "My customers don't take to new things as quickly as people in Dallas, where everyone has to have digital to keep up," says Mr. Scott.

Consumers looking to upgrade their tape-based video cameras with digital versions will find a number of them billed as having digital still cameras built in.

High-end digitals like the Canon Elura 20MC ($1,700) can capture and store dozens of pictures. As with most digital video cameras, however, the still-image files are small. The picture quality, experts say, breaks down on paper.

Elura user Janki Mehta, from Raleigh, N.C., was disappointed with his first stills.

"When I download them to my computer ... and uploaded them for development, [the photos were] very blurry, not crisp and clear," he says.

More videophiles are attracted to an alternative perk. About half of new digital still cameras are able to record up to one minute of digital video, just enough to contain the occasional fleeting moment.

Yet experts say neither still cameras that shoot video nor video cameras that shoot stills perform both functions well.

Such a convergent device probably will not materialize at an affordable price for years.

"People shouldn't be waiting [for convergence] with prices on both cameras and camcorders already so low," says Michelle Slaughter, an analyst with Boston-based InfoTrends.

Kodak EasyShare

Advantages

As with all digital cameras, you can view photos immediately after snapping. Photos can be uploaded directly to a com- puter, printed out at home, or e-mailed. Use editing software to correct mistakes. Files are small and easy to store.

Disadvantages

Digital cameras often drain batteries quickly and have limited storage capacity. Photos can be difficult to upload. Costs of paper and printer ink are high. There is normally a shutter delay. Prints larger than 4-by-6 often blur.

Cost

Between $200 and $400

Olympus Camedia

Advantages

Yields higher-quality enlargements. More optical zoom features and better lenses. Usually comes with more memory. Movie mode records digital-video clips.

Disadvantages

Digital files eat up more storage space. Enlargements bigger than 11-by-14 tend to lose sharpness. Between $600 and $800

Cost

Between $600 and $800

Pentax ZX-30

Advantages

Print quality almost always better than digital. Allows a wider range of experimentation with shutter speed and aperture than digital. Establishes stronger connection to mechanics of photography.

Disadvantages

Can view photos only after develop- ment; no opportunity to edit mistakes. Must scan to digitize before storing in a computer or e-mailing. Limited to 24 or 36 exposures. Prices likely will not go down.

Cost

Between $300 and $500

Canon E2010

Advantages

Records hours of digital video. Quality never degrades. Video can be transferred onto separate disc or hard drive. Some models record at night. Capable of taking digital-photo stills.

Disadvantages

Digital-video stills normally less than one megapixel. Most photos of any size lose clarity on paper. Normally clunkier than a camera, except for high-end models.

Cost

Between $700 and $1,700

- Whitney Woodruff Moody, Staff

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