Re: [Leica] Re: AF R Series?

["Martin V. Howard" <marho@ida.liu.se>]

Nathan Wajsman wrote:
>  
> I have never understood how digital is convenient for a P&S
> application.
>

Perhaps not so much in it's current incarnation, but I see potential.

I'm assuming here that the P&S shooter is more interested in getting
prints than in quality, exposure control, etc.  Taking pictures, much
like a visual diary, I presume is the chief interest.

One advantage is that there is no film.  You don't have to remember
to buy it.  You don't have to choose which sort.  You cannot load the
wrong type of film.  You cannot load the film incorrectly.

Development can be, either, by handing in memory card (bulky,
unnecessary and defeats the purpose of not having film), or by just
walking into your Quick-e-Mart, handing over your camera for down-
loading, getting it back, shopping for an hour and then getting your
prints.

I consider the technology to be in its infancy.  Memories are getting
bigger by the month.  Compression technology is improving.  These and
other technologies will benefit digital P&Ss.

With no film cartridge, there is one less factor to dictate the shape 
of the camera.  Cameras could be made modular, adding/removing different
components for different situations.  Perhaps they could be customized,
or personalized.

Note that the above doesn't even get into the possibilities of storage
on digital media.  Pictures can be shown on TV, HDTV, wallmounted LCD-
screens.  You could have "picture frames" with an LCD display, that
store a number of digital images and change between them (by input,
timed or random).  The potential for sharing (fresh) images over
networks are obvious (new mail message, attach document, open camera,
select thumbnail image, send to grandma).

It is often the least technical user groups, who need the most high
tech gear, to enable ease-of-use.  To me, digital technology holds
such promise.


M.

- -- 
Martin V. Howard, Application Systems Laboratory,     | 
Dept. of Comp. & Info. Sci., Linkoping University,    | Just "DOHH" it!
SE-581 83 Linkoping, Sweden.  Tel +46 13 282 421,     +----------------+
Fax +46 13 142 231; marho@ida.liu.se; www.ida.liu.se/~marho