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Rangefinder Magazine
October 2003

Digital Photography: by John Rettie
Diminutive Cameras Can Be Functional

Generally speaking, a larger camera produces better pictures, which is why many photographers end up using a medium format camera instead of a 35mm system. It’s also true with digital cameras—the bigger the camera and the larger the image capture sensor, the better the final image quality. Yet, despite this, in digital imaging, as with all electronics, there is a continuing trend towards miniaturization. Within reason, smaller can be just as powerful and more convenient. Just as I was finishing this column I had my bi-annual dental checkup and the assistant was learning to use a new digital orthodontic camera. It was no bigger than a toothbrush yet with its built-in LED lighting and miniature lens, it provided an impressive image on a nearby monitor—good enough to clearly show a fracture in a filling.

On a more practical note, I’ve recently had the chance to try out two cameras that are very small, yet offer some advantages that make them worthy of a look. Even if not for immediate professional use, they certainly offer a glimpse of what we can expect in future iterations of these marvels in miniaturization.

Despite its diminutive size, the Minolta Dimage Xt produces excellent quality images.

Minolta Dimage Xt
Several years ago it looked as though Minolta might have become one of the leading digital camera manufacturers. Yet despite producing some leading-edge designs, it was just not able to get a leg up on its competitors in either the professional or consumer marketplace.
Nevertheless one of its newest cameras is an intriguing piece of equipment. The Minolta Dimage Xt is a very small camera not much larger than a credit card yet it packs features one would expect in a camera several times bigger.

Its neatest feature is a 3X zoom lens (37–111mm equivalency) that does not extend out of the body, even when shooting. Ingeniously, Minolta engineers have created a lens system located vertically within the all-metal body. The light enters a small window and is reflected through a prism down through the lens elements to a CCD sensor. It vividly demonstrates one of the major benefits of a digital camera in that designers are not constrained by having to contend with film and the need for a film path with spools or cassettes for storage.

Minolta engineers have managed to make a diminutive zoom lens less than two inches in length that resides vertically totally inside the camera body.

Obviously, this camera is not for professional use but instead is aimed at consumers, including professionals, who want a stylish small camera that can easily be carried in a pocket for use at times when lugging around a bigger camera is not convenient. Obviously though, even a camera this small is useless if it cannot produce decent images. Amazingly, the camera’s 3.2-megapixel CCD produces images (2048 x 1536) with quality good enough for making 8 x 10 prints. Images can be captured as 9.1MB TIFF files or as JPEGs in three quality settings. The quality of the images is on par with those from my much bigger Nikon Coolpix 995.

	A higher level of jpeg compression on the Minolta image (left) caused some of the quality differences compared to the image (right) captured by a Canon EOS-10D camera.

In use, the most difficult thing about a camera this small is holding it steady. Being less than an inch thick, there’s naturally no room for a decent handgrip. What’s more, when holding it in two hands it’s all too easy to cover the lens opening with a finger so it takes an unconventional hold to avoid this problem. If you use the LCD as a viewfinder it’s easy to see your finger but with the optical viewfinder it’s all too easy to take a shot with a finger covering part of the lens. Like many modern point-and-shoot digital cameras, the Xt can also capture small video clips with sound. In addition, it can also be used as a voice recorder separately from voice annotation.

Images are stored on a SD (Secure Digital) memory card which slots in alongside a really small lithium-ion battery. Not surprisingly this battery barely provides enough juice for capturing more than about 50 images when used with the LCD screen, as I discovered as a tourist in Britain. It was a great timing as I was on vacation. Instead, the Xt proved to be the ideal camera for capturing a few tourist images and family album type shots. With the standard compressed JPEG setting I captured a total of 175 still images and 33 seconds (10 MB) of (320 x 240) video footage on a 128MB memory card.

In its present form the Xt is a nice camera for a person who needs to have a camera with them at all times or for the person who looks on a camera as a piece of jewelry. With its brushed metal finish and lack of protrusions, this is a camera that looks cool—and it produces good images. The more I played with the camera the more I grew to like it. I can recommend it. The retail price is $399.

Sony Ericsson P800
If you have traveled to Japan or Europe recently you’ll have no doubt noticed that a large number of people, especially teenagers, are taking pictures using their cell phones, or mobile phones as they are called in the UK and many other countries. Indeed, a recent Future Image report says that sales of camera-enabled phones will exceed that of all digital and film cameras combined within one year. Ironically not one camera manufacturer is selling any of these “new” cameras!

Only now are these camera phones starting to appear in the U.S. and most of them only work with service providers using the GSM system. As I was traveling in the UK it was an ideal opportunity to try one and see if it’s useful for a photographer or whether it’s more of a gimmick.

The Sony Ericsson P800 phone is one of the more exotic camera phones as it also doubles up as a PDA, Internet browser, voice recorder, video player, date book, MP3 player and game console. With a large color LCD screen it is somewhat bulkier than most phones, although not much bigger than ordinary cell phones of just two years ago. However, with just a 0.3-megapixel (640 x 480) CCD and a fixed length lens, it is very limited as a camera. Taking a picture is pretty simple. One uses the LCD screen for image preview and a small button at the side of the phone as the shutter button. Images are stored internally and can be transferred to a Memory Stick Duo storage card that slots into the side of the body. There are no adjustable settings or a flash. If one needs to transmit an image immediately to another compatible phone it could prove useful when scouting for locations or for showing a client something while away from a computer.

As a work tool the P800 is a useful mobile phone as it provides full PDA capabilities such as address book and simple note taking. Entries are done using a small stylus on a touch screen LCD that can recognize simplified handwriting. It’s even possible to use the phone as a PDA or camera on a plane as there is an option to switch off the phone portion of the unit.

As an aside, it’s worth noting that mobile phone systems are regarded by industry pundits as being more advanced in industrialized countries outside of the U.S. This is because, apart from Japan and Korea, most countries have standardized on the GSM system. Because of the enormous market for GSM phones, worldwide competition is greater and there are many more exciting developments occurring outside of the US.

For several years I have been using a tri-band GSM phone with Cingular service in the U.S. and Virgin Mobile service when in Europe. I have been lucky enough to have a UK address that allowed me to sign up with Virgin in the UK without a monthly fee or contract. Nowadays though anyone can walk into a Virgin store in the UK and for just 10 Pounds ($16.50) one can buy a SIM card with about 25 minutes of airtime (which can be topped up) without having to sign up or even provide a UK address. With an unlocked tri-band GSM phone it’s easy to then have a local number with calls costing about one sixth of the cost (one minute costs 25–33 cents) of roaming using a U.S. service.

If you love new gadgets the Sony Ericsson P800 is an intriguing mobile phone that provides many functions. In all honesty if you need decent photos this is not yet ready for prime time. I have absolutely no doubt though, when you look at the way the Minolta Dimage Xt delivers decent images and the progress that’s being made in mobile phones, that it will not be long before we will be able to buy a camera phone that can take high quality still images. Or maybe it’ll be a digital camera from a camera manufacturer that also happens to be able to make phone calls and double up as a PDA.

Quick Book Review: Photoshop Restoration & Retouching
In the past, few photographers became involved in restoration or heavy retouching of photographs as it was just too time consuming and required skills with airbrushes, pens and other specialized non-photographic tools. Nowadays it still takes time and skill but the tools have become infinitely easier to use as they are all contained in one computer program—Adobe Photoshop.

Katrin Eismann, a well known lecturer and teacher on digital imaging, has rewritten and updated one of the most informative books that explains how to use Photoshop to restore old photographs and retouch new ones. Restoring old photographs is a service many photographers have avoided in the past yet it is a lucrative business. Just about half of the 366 pages in this full-color book (Photoshop Restoration & Retouching, Second Edition, published by New Riders, $49.99) covers this subject in great detail. Studying this book and learning the techniques could help open up a new business service for those with patience and the desire.

While most of us hope that we never need to retouch any photographs we shoot, reality is that many portraits can be improved with some deft Photoshop work. Dozens of tutorials including tips and techniques by many photographers are included in the book. Eismann’s writing style is friendly and helpful. Some of the images used in the book are downloadable from a supplemental website (www.digitalretouch.org) so a reader can practice on the images and better understand what is involved in mastering the techniques.

Besides step-by-step examples, Eismann also covers setting up a good computer system and understanding what makes a photograph look good. Much of this advice can also help a photographer take better photographs in the first place. It’s amazing to look at some of the before and after images reproduced in the book and see how subtle retouching can transform the picture without the viewer even being aware of exactly what has been changed. Eismann clearly describes how to digitally improve portraits while maintaining the subject’s character.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. He has been using a camera as a professional for 33 years, a computer for 23 years, and has combined his knowledge of both for the past ten years. Readers can contact him by e-mail at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.