Subject: Electronic Film is Here! [v04.n257/21]
Message: 21
Well, it is now reported that there will soon (June, 1999) be an electronic
(1280 x 1024 pixel) cartridge the shape and size of a standard 35 mm film
cartridge which can be used in any 35mm camera. It will take 30 exposures,
with a 2 second wait between shots. The cartridge will download to a
computer in less than a minute, at which point it is ready for reuse.
Although at first, this new idea of an electronic film cartridge you can put
in your SLR seems to be the ideal, we all need to think again. It would be
nice to have this system be the ultimate and perfect answer for those of us
who don't own a digital still camera but read on.
Here are the two main, missing items, in my opinion. There is no LCD screen
with which to view your just taken pictures. All other digital cameras I know
of have one. An interchangeable camera back needs to be available that would
do this. The new digital F5 seems to have one but that camera does not work
the way this system does.
The second big missing item is that there is no interchangeable film picture
storage device i.e. flash memory card or whatever, to go along with this
electronic film cartridge. Once you have filled up the memory of the
electronic cartridge, it has to be downloaded to another medium. This would
require you to carry a laptop or have multiple efs (electronic film
cartridges) available. Very costly. Pros could never work like this.
If the manufacturer of this system does not address these two items along with
many others like how to trick your camera into thinking film is advancing over
the take-up sprockets/reel so that camera's exposure system will work (my F5
won't work without film rolling over the take-up spool) I don't think it will
ever take off.
I alerted all of you Nikon List users to this system last summer when I found
out about it. So it is not that new however, it is a very clever idea and I
hope the manufacturer can add the above components before they market their
little digital jewel. But I suspect that there have been and are other
troubles since the release date has slipped multiple times since last Fall.
We will wait and see.......
Jim Ridges
