How to Select which Digital Camera to Use.

My first introduction to digital cameras was a Kodak 420, at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan. Within a few months they upgraded to a Kodak model 460. This was the first digital camera that satisfactorily produced a quality image at 8x10 enlargement, using a Kodak dye sub printer (at that time, 1995, their model 8600).

But large format is even better, so I began to look at digital cameras which produced larger images. In a German photo magazine (Fotomagazine) I came across a review of digital cameras and Dicomed won the review in the quality category. As a result I went to Minneapolis to visit the Dicomed headquarters and left with a positive impression.

As the months went by I began to see the name of PhaseOne everywhere. They produced a high end, large format digital back comparable to that of Dicomed. Thus I went to Copenhagen to visit with Phase One. Their demonstration was impressive enough to convince even my girlfriend Andrea that digital photography was the direction to move into.

For studio photographers who wish to do architectural or landscape panoramas, it would be best to go directly to BetterLight’s home page. For anyone interested in landscape panoramas, go to Stephen Johnson’s page (he used the Dicomed with the Better Light adapter; now he uses a BetterLight).

The FLAAR. Photo Archive crew just returned from six months of intensive digital photography of Maya art in Guatemala. So now you can take advantage of our recent experiences. Overall we have been photographing pre-Columbian art and architecture for more than three decades.

We received the BetterLight Super 6000 scan back (Feb. 2000) and will report upon in our DP 201 course on digital photography.

Currently we use the BetterLight for panorama and rollout photography; use a Leaf Valeo 22 for portraits of people, butterflies, and flowers; and use a Nikon D100 or Nikon CoolPix to take photos at trade shows and in our office to show the other equipment in use.

Most recently updated November 15, 2004.
Previously updated March 14, 1999; links added April 20, 2000. Design updated April 9, 2001.